1
Zero conditional: facts
Pattern: If + simple present, simple present.
Use: For things that are ALWAYS true (scientific facts, general truths).
'If you heat ice, it melts.'
'If you press this button, the light turns on.'
🏔️Advanced·Lesson 3· 25 min
If I were rich: Conditional sentences
Zero, first, second, third conditionals. The four ways to talk about possibilities and dreams.
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👋 Mr. Gee says
“Conditionals are how we talk about what might happen, what could happen, and what would have happened. Four types. Each one is a different distance from reality.”
The story
Four 'ifs', four worlds
1. If you heat water to 100 degrees, it boils. (Always true. A fact.)
2. If it rains tomorrow, I will stay home. (A real possibility.)
3. If I were rich, I would buy a house in the mountains. (A dream. Not real now.)
4. If I had studied harder, I would have passed the exam. (A regret about the past.)
Same word, 'if'. Four totally different meanings.
2
First conditional: real future
Pattern: If + simple present, WILL + base verb.
Use: A real possibility about the future.
'If it rains tomorrow, I will stay home.'
'If you study hard, you will pass.'
'If she calls me, I will tell her.'
3
Second conditional: unreal present or future
Pattern: If + simple PAST, WOULD + base verb.
Use: An imaginary or unlikely situation right now or in the future.
'If I had a million pounds, I would travel the world.' (I do not have it.)
'If I were you, I would not do that.' (Note: 'were' for all subjects in formal English.)
'If she lived here, we would see her every day.' (She does not live here.)
4
Third conditional: unreal past
Pattern: If + past perfect (HAD + past participle), WOULD HAVE + past participle.
Use: A regret or imagination about the past. Cannot be changed.
'If I had studied harder, I would have passed.' (I did not study hard. I did not pass.)
'If she had called, I would have come.' (She did not call. I did not come.)
'If we had left earlier, we would have caught the train.' (We did not leave early. We missed the train.)
Vocabulary list
The 6 words from this lesson
Click “Translate” below if you need any word in your own language.
ifpreposition
Introduces a condition.
If you study, you will succeed.
wouldverb
Used in second and third conditionals.
I would help if I could.
would havephrase
Used in third conditional.
I would have called if I had known.
couldverb
Past of 'can'; also used for possibility.
If I could fly, I would.
mightverb
Possibility. Used in conditionals.
If you ask her, she might say yes.
unlesspreposition
If not.
I will not come unless you call me.
Translation tip
Conditionals are notoriously hard for learners. Take them one at a time. Zero and first are usually easy. Second is harder. Third is hardest. Mr. Gee's rule: master second conditional first. That is the one you will use the most in real conversation.
Your turn
Practice prompts
Try these on paper or out loud. Mr. Gee's rule: practice today, do not save it for tomorrow.
- Write 1 zero conditional (a fact): 'If you ___, ___.'
- Write 1 first conditional (real future): 'If it ___ tomorrow, I will ___.'
- Write 1 second conditional (dream): 'If I were ___, I would ___.'
- Write 1 third conditional (regret): 'If I had ___, I would have ___.'
- Translate this: 'If I were you, I would not say that. But if you do say it, she will be angry, and if she gets angry, you will regret it.'
Take this with you
Four conditionals: zero (facts), first (real future), second (unreal present/future), third (unreal past). The key is to match the time of the IF clause with the time of the result clause correctly.
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Mr. Gee's tip of the day
Read aloud every day. Even if it sounds funny. Your tongue needs practice.
Read this lesson in your language
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