Conditionals

Types of Conditionals

Zero Conditional (General Truth)

Structure: If + present simple, present simple

Use: Facts, general truths, things that always happen

• If you heat water, it boils.
• If it rains, the ground gets wet.
• If you don't eat, you get hungry.

First Conditional (Real Possibility)

Structure: If + present simple, will + base verb

Use: Real or possible situations in the future

• If it rains, I will take an umbrella.
• If you study hard, you will pass the exam.
• If she calls, I will answer.

Second Conditional (Unreal/Hypothetical)

Structure: If + past simple, would + base verb

Use: Unreal or imaginary situations in the present/future

• If I had money, I would buy a car.
• If I were you, I would study harder.
• If she lived here, she would walk to work.

Note: We use "were" for all subjects (If I were, If he were, etc.) in formal English.

Third Conditional (Past Unreal)

Structure: If + past perfect, would have + past participle

Use: Unreal situations in the past (regrets, imagining different past)

• If I had studied, I would have passed.
• If she had left earlier, she would have caught the train.
• If they had invited me, I would have come.