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LearningConditionals

Sept. 25th 2024

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Making conditional sentences is an everyday part of your native language, and introducing them to your English conversation can really improve your level of communication.There are four conditionals in total and you will learn to use them gradually, obviously starting with the most basic ones – the zero and first conditional.Conditionals are used to express the possibility that an action happens based on the course of events that make it possible for it to happen.

Why we use CONDITIONALS

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A conditional sentence is based on the word ‘if’. There are always two parts to a conditional sentence – one part beginning with ‘if’ to describe a possible situation, and the second part which describes the consequence. For example: If it rains, we’ll get wet. We can also invert the two parts of a conditional sentence so that the ‘if’ part comes second, and this is especially common in questions.For example: What will you do if you miss the train? How can you finish the project if you don’t have a computer? What happens if the students don’t pass an exam?

What is a Conditional Sentence?

  • Zero Conditional: We use the zero conditional to talk about permanent truths, such as scientific facts, and general habits.
  • First conditional: We use the first conditional to talk about a realistic situation in the present or future.
  • Second conditional: We use the second conditional to talk about improbable or impossible situations in the present or future.
  • Third conditional: We use the third conditional to talk about impossible situations, as in the second conditional, in the past. We often use the third conditional to describe regrets.
  • Mixed conditional: a mix of the second and third conditional

The different kinds of conditionals

We use the zero conditional to talk about permanent truths, such as scientific facts, and general habits. The structure is simple:

Zero conditional

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Task

Here are some examples: If you heat water to 100°, it boils. If you eat a lot, you put on weight. If it doesn’t rain for a long time, the earth gets very dry.If I’m tired, I go to bed early.

The other conditionals

First conditional

Second Conditional

Third conditional

We use the first conditional to talk about a realistic situation in the present or future. The structure of the first conditional is as follows:

First conditional

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Task

Here are some examples: If you’re free later, we can go for a walk. If they’re hungry, I’ll make some sandwiches. If you’re not back by 5pm, give me a ring. If he studies hard, he’ll do well in the exam

Another way to make first conditional sentences is to use ‘unless’ which means ‘only if’ or ‘except’. As with ‘if’, the word ‘unless’ can never be followed by ‘will’ but only by the present simple. For example:

First conditional

  • Unless you hurry up, you won’t catch the bus.
  • I’ll carry on doing this work, unless my boss tells me to do something else.

Task

We use the second conditional to talk about improbable or impossible situations in the present or future. Here is the structure:

Second conditional

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Task

For example:

  • If I had more time, I’d exercise more. (But I don’t have more time so I don’t.)
  • If I were rich, I’d spend all my time travelling. (But I’m not rich so I can’t.)
  • If she saw a snake, she’d be terrified.
  • If he didn’t have to work late, he could go out with his girlfriend.

A common expression used to give advice has the second conditional structure. The expression is ‘If I were you, I’d..’, meaning ‘in your situation, this is what I would do’. For example: A: I’ve got a headache. B: If I were you, I’d take an aspirin. A: I don’t understand this. B: If I were you, I’d ask your teacher for help.

Second conditional

We use the third conditional to talk about impossible situations, as in the second conditional, in the past. We often use the third conditional to describe regrets. The structure is:

Third conditional

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Task

Here are some examples: If we had left earlier, we would have arrived on time. If you hadn’t forgotten her birthday, she wouldn’t have been upset. If they had booked earlier, they could have found better seats. If I hadn’t learnt English, I wouldn’t have got this job.

It’s possible to combine the second and third conditional in one sentence when we want to make a hypothesis about the past that has a consequence in the present. In this case, the structure is:

Mixed conditionals

Some examples

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Task

The expressions "I wish" and "If only" are used to talk about desires, regrets, or hypothetical situations. Both are used to express dissatisfaction with reality, but they often carry slightly different tones. Let’s break it down:"I wish" is used when you want to express that something is not the way you want it to be. It can refer to the present, the future, or the past, depending on the tense used."If only" is very similar to "I wish", but it’s often stronger and more emphatic. It is used to express regret or longing for things to be different. The structure of "If only" follows the same tense rules as "I wish".

I wish & If only

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  • "I wish" + Simple Past (Wishing for a different present reality): his structure is used to express a desire for something to be different in the present, but it's impossible or unlikely to happen. Even though we are talking about the present, we use the simple past to indicate that the situation is hypothetical or imaginary.
    • I wish + subject + simple past verb.
  • "I wish" + Past Perfect (Regret about the past): This structure is used to express regret about something that happened (or didn’t happen) in the past. It's a way of saying that you wish the past had been different. The action is impossible to change because it is already in the past.
    • I wish + subject + past perfect verb
  • "I wish" + Would (Wishing for a future change or someone else’s actions): This structure is used when you want something in the future to change or when you want someone else to do something differently. It often implies that the speaker is frustrated with the current situation and desires improvement.
    • I wish + subject + would + verb (infinitive form)

I wish

Some examples

Some examples

Some examples

  • "I wish" + Could (Ability in the present or future): This structure is used to express a desire to have a certain ability or to be able to do something, either in the present or in the future. The speaker expresses a desire to have an ability or possibility that they don’t currently have.
    • I wish + subject + could + verb (infinitive form)

I wish

Exercises

Some examples

  • "If only" + Simple Past (Wishing for a different present reality): This structure is used to express a wish that something in the present were different. Even though the wish refers to the present, we use the simple past to indicate that the situation is hypothetical or unreal.
    • If only + subject + simple past verb.
  • "If only" + Past Perfect (Regret about the past): This structure is used to express regret about something that happened (or didn’t happen) in the past. It indicates that you wish the past had been different. Since the action happened in the past and cannot be changed, you’re expressing strong regret or longing for a different outcome
    • If only + subject + past perfect verb
  • "If only" + Would (Wishing for a future change or someone else’s actions): This structure is used when you want someone or something to change in the future, especially when you have no control over the situation. It often suggests that you are frustrated or impatient with how things are now, and you strongly desire a change.
    • If only + subject + would + verb (infinitive form)

If only

Some examples

Some examples

Some examples

  • "If only" + Could (Ability in the present or future): This structure expresses a wish that you or someone else had a certain ability in the present or future. It’s used when you want to do something but can’t.
    • If only + subject + could + verb (infinitive form)

If only

Exercises

Some examples

  • I wish it would stop raining. (I am frustrated that it’s raining, and I want it to stop in the future.)
  • I wish you would listen to me. (You don’t listen now, and I want you to listen in the future.)
  • I wish they would arrive on time. (They are often late, and I want them to arrive on time in the future.)

Thinking routines

  • If only it would stop raining. (It’s raining now, and I really want it to stop.)
  • If only she would listen to me. (She doesn’t listen, but I really want her to.)
  • If only they would arrive on time. (They are often late, and I really wish they would arrive on time for once.)

Thinking routines

If you’d studied harder, you’d be at a higher level now. We’d be lying on a beach now if we hadn’t missed the plane. They’d have much more confidence if they hadn’t lost so many matches. What would you be doing now if you hadn’t decided to study?

Thinking routines

Task

Task

  • If only I had studied harder for the exam. (I didn’t study hard enough, and now I regret it.)
  • If only we had left earlier. (We didn’t leave early, and now it caused a problem.)
  • If only he had told me the truth. (He didn’t tell the truth, and now I regret that.)

Thinking routines

  • I wish I had studied harder. (But I didn’t study hard, and now I regret it.)
  • I wish I hadn’t said that to her. (But I said it, and now I feel bad about it.)
  • I wish we had gone to the party. (But we didn’t go, and now I regret not going.)

Thinking routines

Task

  • If only I could speak French. (I can’t speak French, but I wish I could.)
  • If only I could go on vacation next month. (I can’t go on vacation next month, but I wish I could.)
  • If only you could help me with this problem. (You can’t help me now, but I wish you could.

Thinking routines

  • If only I had more time. (I don’t have more time now, but I wish I did.)
  • If only she were here with me. (She is not here, but I wish she were.)
  • If only I knew how to fix this. (I don’t know how to fix it, but I want to.)

Thinking routines

  • I wish I could speak Spanish. (But I can’t speak Spanish now.)
  • I wish I could visit you next week. (But I can’t visit you next week due to some limitation.)
  • I wish I could help you. (But I am unable to help you right now.)

Thinking routines

Task

Task

Task

Task

Task

Task

  • I wish I had a car. (But I don’t have a car right now.)
  • I wish you were here. (But you are not here right now.)
  • I wish I could play the guitar. (But I can’t play the guitar now.)

Thinking routines

Task

Task