Notes on Conditional Sentences by Mª de Gracia García

CONDITIONAL SENTENCES

Conditional Sentences are also known as Conditional Clauses or If Clauses. They are used
to express that the action in the main clause (without if) can only take place if a certain
condition (in the clause with if) is fulfilled. There are three types of Conditional Sentences.
The main clause can also be at the beginning of the sentence. In this case, don't use a
comma.

Type 0: General Condition.

The zero conditional is used for when the time being referred to is now or always and the
situation is real and possible. The zero conditional is often used to refer to general truths.

If Clause Main Clause

Simple Present Simple Present
If you heat ice, it melts.
The grass gets wet if it rains.

Note: In zero conditional sentences, the word "if" can usually be replaced by the word "when" without
changing the meaning.

Type 1: Probable Condition.

The type 1 conditional is used to refer to the present or future where the situation is real.
The type 1 conditional refers to a possible condition and its probable result.

If Clause Main Clause

Simple Present Simple Future
If I find her address, I’ll send her an invitation.

Variations:

If Clause Main Clause

Simple Present Simple Future

Present Continuous Can

Present Perfect Imperative

If you are interested, you can send me an e-mail / tell me it so.

If you are eating now, I’ll phone you later/ I can phone you later /phone me later.

If you have finished, I’ll cook dinner for you / you can watch TV / go to bed.

Type 2: Unlikely Condition.

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Notes on Conditional Sentences by Mª de Gracia García

The type 2 conditional is used to refer to a time that is now or any time, and a situation that
is unreal. These sentences are not based on fact. The type 2 conditional is used to refer to a
hypothetical condition and its probable result.

If Clause Main Clause

Simple Past Conditional
If you went to bed earlier, you wouldn´t be so tired.

Variations:

If Clause Main Clause

Simple Past Conditional (would+verb)

Past Continuous could+verb (capacity)

might+verb (possibility)

If I found her address, I would / could / might send her an invitation.

If he was staying at home now, he would / could / might be lying on the sofa watching TV.

Note: WERE instead of was. In IF Clauses Type II, we usually use ‚were‘ – even if the pronoun
is I, he, she or it.

If I were you, I would not do this.

Type 3: Impossible Condition.

The type 3 conditional is used to refer to situations in the past. An action could have
happened in the past if a certain condition had been fulfilled. Things were different then,
however. We just imagine, what would have happened if the situation had been fulfilled

If Clause Main Clause

Past Perfect Perfect Conditional
If I had found her address, I would have sent her an invitation

Variations:

If Clause Main Clause

Past Perfect Perfect Conditional (would have+past participle)

Past Perfect Continuous could have+past participle (capacity)

might have+past participle (possibility)

If John had had the money, he would / could / might have bought a Ferrari.

If she had been waiting for us, she would / could / might have phoned us to see what had
happened.
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Notes on Conditional Sentences by Mª de Gracia García

Some other linkers of condition

 So / as long as / providing / provided (that) can be used instead of if to express a
condition. Note that providing/provided (that) is a bit formal.

You can stay here as long as you keep quiet.

Provided/Providing (that) the bills are paid, tenants will not be evicted.

 Suppose/supposing, what if

Suppose/supposing and what if can replace if, mainly in everyday conversation, and
are often used without a main clause:

Suppose/supposing you won the lottery, what would you do?

What if you are not accepted to university, what will you do then?

 Unless is followed by an affirmative verb to express "if ... not":

My leg's broken. I can't stand up unless you help me.

(I can't stand up if you don't help me.)

 In case is used to express a possibility.

In case of fire, leave the room.

I need painkillers in case I'm in severe pain.

Omitting if
Had I known... (instead of If I had known...)
Were you my daughter,... (instead of: If you were my daughter,...)

if ↔ when

 If and when are interchangeable when the statement of the conditional clause is a fact or
a general issue (also known as zero conditional)

If you heat ice, it melts. ↔ When you heat ice, it melts

 If is used for something that, according to the speaker, might happen.

We can spend the afternoon on the beach if the weather is fine.

 When is used for something that, according to the speaker, will happen.

I will clean up the kitchen right away when I'm back from work.

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Notes on Conditional Sentences by Mª de Gracia García

WISH AND IF ONLY

Wish and ‘If only’ are both used to talk about regrets – things that we would like to change
either about the past or the present.

Talking about the present

If only I didn’t have so much homework I could go to the concert tonight.
(She has a lot of homework and she can’t go to the concert)
I wish you didn’t live so far away.
I wish I knew what to do.

When we talk about present regrets, both wish and if only are followed by the past simple
tense. The past tense emphasises that we are talking about something ‘unreal’.

Talking about the past

I wish I’d studied harder when I was at school.
(He didn’t study harder when he was at school)
I wish I hadn’t eaten all that chocolate. I feel sick.
If only I’d known you were coming.
Both wish and if only are followed by the past perfect tense when we talk about past
regrets.

Wish/if only and would

We use wish + would to talk about something in the present that we would like to change –
usually something that we find annoying.
I wish you wouldn’t borrow my clothes without asking.
I wish it would rain. The garden really needs some water.
I wish you’d give up smoking. it’s really bad for you.

Note: We can only use wish + would to talk about things we can’t change.

So I wish I wouldn’t eat so much chocolate is not possible although we can say I wish I didn’t
eat so much chocolate.