Conditionals

1. There are four basic conditionals in the English language, along with the so-called 'mixed
conditional.
2. The basic conditional construction consists of a main clause and a subordinate clause. The
subordinate clause is introduced by a conjunction.
3. If a conditional structure begins with a subordinate clause introduced by a conjunction, a comma
is placed between the subordinate and main clauses. However, if a conditional structure begins
with the main clause without a conjunction, no comma is used between the main and
subordinate clauses.

If I eat a banana, I will not be hungry.

I will not be hungry if I eat a banana.

Green – subordinate clause

Red – main clause

4. Types of conditionals:

a) zero conditional:

- It is used to refer to situations in the present that are always true. The action described in
the main clause always happens whenever the condition in the subordinate clause is met,
with no exceptions.

Construction: If + Present tense, Present tense

If I work late, I always get tired.
(It always happens – there are no exceptions to the rule.)

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 If your heart stops beating for more than an hour, you die.

(It is a rule which can be applied to every human being. When your heart stops beating, your
blood does not reach the brain – you die – there are not any exceptions from the rule.)

- The zero conditional can also refer to the past. It indicates that something happened
regularly, with no exceptions.

Construction: If + Past tense, Past tense

If it was foggy, we always went home early.

(There were no exceptions.)

b) the first conditional:

- The first conditional is used to refer to present or future situations. It expresses that if the
condition in the subordinate clause is met, the situation described in the main clause is likely
to occur (approximately 90% probability).

Construction: If + Present tense, Future tense

If she breaks up with him, she will be happy.

(Based on your knowledge, she is likely to be happy—around 90% probability. However,

there is a small chance that her mood could differ from what is predicted.)

If these accusations are true, he is going to be sentenced to life imprisonment.

(There is a small chance that he may not be punished so severely.)

Remark: Other conjunctions that can be used in the first conditional include: until, unless, as
long as, as soon as, even if, only if, provided.

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 c) the second conditional:
- the second conditional is used to refer to present situations. It expresses that the
condition described in the subordinate clause is unlikely to happen, but if it did, the
situation in the main clause could occur. However, it is important to note that both the
condition and the situation are hypothetical and cannot happen in reality.

Construction: If + Past Simple (or Continuous), would + infinitive

If my grandmother were younger, she would take up boxing.

(In reality, she is old and possibly unwell. There is no chance she is going to become younger or take up
boxing.)

Remark: in the second conditional, the verb to be in the subordinate clause (for the first and third person
singular) changes to were. In spoken English, it is also acceptable to use was. However, in academic English
and for written tests or examinations, the use of were is required.

d) the third conditional

- the third conditional is used to speculate about past events. It emphasizes that the past
cannot be changed. By using the third conditional, you express that if the condition in the
subordinate clause had been fulfilled in the past, the outcome described in the main clause
could also have occurred in the past.

Construction: If + Past Perfect Simple (or Continuous), would + have + Past Participle

If I had moved to Puerto Rico in 2014, I would have built a house there one year later.

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 (At that time, there was a possibility for me to move to Puerto Rico, but I lacked the courage to follow
my dream. If I had moved in 2014, I would have built a house in 2015. I am making this statement from
my current perspective—I live in Poland and have no connection to Puerto Rico.)

e) the mixed conditional:

- the mixed conditional is used when a potential condition from the past could influence the
current (present) situation.

Construction: If + Past Perfect Simple (or Continuous), would + infinitive

If I had moved to Puerto Rico in 2014, I would be happy now.

(At that time, there was a chance for me to move to Puerto Rico, but I lacked the courage to follow my
dream. If I were living in Puerto Rico today, I would be happy now.)

- the mixed conditional is also used to speculate about how a stable trait or current situation
could have influenced a past event.

Construction: If + Past Simple (or Continuous), would + have + Past Participle

I have always been so shy. If I were more self-confident, I would have proposed to her three years ago.

Remark: when using the Past Simple form of the verb to be in the mixed conditional, the form were must
be used for the first and third person singular in formal contexts.

5. In some conditionals, modal verbs can also be used to express a particular intention.
a) I conditional -> If you get wet, you should change your clothes. – advice
b) I conditional -> If you come early, we can discuss the problem. – possibility

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 c) II conditional -> If I had money, I could help you. – contemporaneous possibility, but unlikely to
happen
d) III conditional –> If you had not reminded me, I might have forgotten. – past possibility, but
unlikely to have happened.

6. The second, third, and mixed conditionals can also be introduced with the expression if only.
7. The verbs and expressions should, were to, and happen to reduce the probability of an action.
8. If it had not been for / if it were not for/ but for:

If it were not for Mary, I would still be in trouble. (Present/Contemporaneity: Mary has helped me, and
as a result, I am not in trouble now.)

If it had not been for my mother, I would have made a wrong choice. / (Past: My mother helped me in
the past, so I made a good choice at that time.)

The phrases if it were not for or if it had not been for can be replaced with the expression but for.

9. If you use will or would in the subordinate clause, it expresses a lot of politeness, which is atypical.
It can give the impression that the other person is superior to you. Therefore, it is better to avoid
such constructions in the first conditional.

If you will/would buy me a flower, I will plant it in my garden.

In this case, using will or would in the subordinate clause is considered overly polite or formal for
a first conditional, and may sound unusual. It’s best to use the standard structure: If you buy me a
flower, I will plant it in my garden.

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10. Supposing and suppose can replace if in spoken language, especially in the second conditional.

Supposing I had more time, I would travel the world.

Suppose you were my boss, how would you handle this situation?

11. Otherwise can be used both at the beginning and at the end of a sentence.

Otherwise, we will miss the train.

We will miss the train otherwise.

12. If in elliptic constructions:

a) There is a possibility that I will be late. If so, run away. / If so = if it happens so.
b) In spoken language, you can replace conditional structures with the imperative mood.

If you sit down, I will tell you more. = Sit down and I will tell you more.

c) In informal spoken language, if can create elliptic constructions with adjectives. These
constructions are often understood based on context.

If you are interested, call me. = If interested, call me.

d) In formal language, if can also mean but or however.

She was honest if not very polite.