Conditional Sentences

WHAT IS A CONDITIONAL SENTENCE?
Conditional sentences have two parts or clauses that give a condition in the dependent clause and a result in
the independent clause. The condition clause usually contains an 'if' statement. There are several different
forms of conditional sentences that allow the writer to express various meanings using different tenses.
• Condition (if) clause + result clause
ZERO CONDITIONAL
The zero conditional uses the present tense in both clauses and is used to talk about something that is always
or generally true. The present tense signifies that these actions are both possible and typical.
Form: If + simple present, simple present
Example 1: If it rains, I never go out of my room.
Example 2: If I wake up early, I always go for a morning walk.
FIRST CONDITIONAL
The first conditional uses the present tense in the if clause and the future tense in the result clause. This form is
used to talk about something that is a probable future result of a condition.
Form: If + simple present, will + base verb
Example 1: If it rains today, I will not go to school.
Example 2: If you study hard, you will be successful.
SECOND CONDITIONAL
The second conditional uses the past tense in the if clause and a modal and base verb in the result clause. This
form is used to talk about a hypothetical situation that cannot happen or is unlikely to happen.
Form: If + simple past, modal + base verb
Example 1: If I had huge money, I would buy a modern car.
Example 2: If I were you, I wouldn’t wait here for a minute.
Note: The condition and the result are not taking place in the past, but the past tense is used to indicate the unreal nature of the situation.
THIRD CONDITIONAL
The third conditional uses the past perfect in the if clause and a modal and present perfect in the result clause.
This form is used to talk about a hypothetical situation in the past that did not happen – typically with an
outcome that did not happen and is perhaps the opposite of what did happen.
Form: If + past perfect, modal + present perfect
Example 1: If it had rained last week, the plants would not have died.
Example 2: If I had cleared NEET, I would have become a doctor.
MIXED CONDITIONAL
Mixed conditionals combine the second and third conditionals to present both an unreal condition either in the
past or the present and an unreal result either in the past or the present.
The first form presents an unreal condition in the past that changes an unreal outcome in the present (the past
changes the present).
Form 1: If + past perfect, modal + base
Example 1: If I had cleared NEET, I would be a doctor now.
Example 2: If it had rained last week, the plants would be alive now.
The second form presents an unreal condition in the present that changes an unreal outcome in the past (the
present changes the past).
Form 2: If + simple past, would/could + present perfect
Example 1: If you spoke louder, I would have heard you before.
Example 2: If you were not naughty, you could have had more friends when you were younger.