Conditional sentences in English grammar
English conditionals, unlike a lot of English grammar topics, have clear rules for you to follow, but they can still be confusing. Here is what you must remember to master conditional sentences in English.
1. You need an If and will/would to make a conditional sentence in English (apart from the zero conditional)
Every conditional sentence must have an IF and that's usually at the beginning of the sentence.
If I am free tomorrow, we will meet up.
If I were you, I would tell her the truth.
If she had a driving licence, she would drive to work.
If she hadn't finished her project in time, she would have been in big trouble.
WILL- helps you talk about possible situations in the future.
If you invite me, I will come.
If they come home early, we will eat out tonight.
If she apologises, I will forgive her.
But, of course, we need the first condition to be met for future situations to be possible.
WOULD - helps your talk about imaginary/unreal/ improbable situations in the past or in the future.
If I was younger, I would join a ballet group.
If I had a million dollars, I would open my own restaurant.
2. They have two parts, a conditional clause and a result clause.
It's very important to understand that conditional sentences are formed by two clauses. Well, what is a clause? A clause is a part of a sentence which contains a subject ( a noun, a pronoun) and a verb.
If I was off this weekend, I would go to the beach.
But we don't just need any clauses, we need a CONDITIONAL CLAUSE
If I was off
and a RESULT CLAUSE
I would go to the beach.
If I have time, I will help you with your project.
If they were faster, they would win the race.
If they had driven more carefully, they wouldn't have had the accident.
CONDITIONAL CLAUSE + RESULT CLAUSE
3. There are four types of conditionals
Zero conditional sentences are used to talk about things that are generally true or facts.
If + Present simple + Present simple
If you throw a glass, it brakes.
If you put ice in your tea, it melts.
First conditional sentences are used for a possible situation in the future.
If +present simple + Will/Won’t + Verb
If I practise speaking English every day, I will become a confident English speaker.
If I become a confident English speaker, I won’t have to stay in this boring job forever.
Second conditional sentences are used for unlikely or unrealistic situations for now or in the future.
If + Past simple – Would + Verb
If I had more time, I would read more books.
If they worked harder, they would finish the project on time.
Third conditional – Imaginary situations that didn’t happen.
If + Past perfect – Would have + Past participle
If I had studied English, I would have become an English teacher.
If they had driven slowly, they wouldn’t have had the accident.
4. They are flexible
We said that conditional sentences normally start with if, but they are flexible. The two clauses within a conditional sentence can change places.
If I won the lottery, I would travel the world.
I would travel the world if I won the lottery.
But, pay attention to the punctuation. We use a comma ( , ) to separate the two clauses when we start the sentence with if, but we don't need a comma ( , ) when the two are joined by If because if is a conjunction, therefore, it is used to connect clauses.
Mastering conditionals will help you speak confidently about imaginary situations in the present or future, express your regret or criticism, and imagine a different past and they are all a big part of everyday speaking.
