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A review of conditionals: BBC English Class

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The first conditional - 6 Minute Grammar

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The second conditional  - 6 Minute Grammar

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How to use the third conditional - 6 Minute Grammar

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How to use the zero and first conditional - 6 Minute Grammar

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BBC Learning English - Course: Quizzes / Unit 1 / Session 11 / Activity 1

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BBC Learning English - Course: Quizzes / Unit 1 / Session 12 / Activity 1

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BBC Learning English - Course: Quizzes / Unit 1 / Session 18 / Activity 1

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Form

Take a look at the first sentence again:

If I'd won the lottery, I'd have moved to a beautiful Mediterranean island.

The first part is the if part of the sentence. It didn't actually happen in real life.
If I'd won the lottery, I'd have moved to a beautiful Mediterranean island.
The second part is the main or result part of the sentence. Did it happen in real life? No, because it could only happen if the if part happened.

We make the third conditional with if + past perfect, and would have + past participle.

If I'd known it was your birthday ... (This is the imaginary situation in the past.) I'd have bought you a present. (This is the imaginary result of the situation in the past.)

But look at this:
If I'd known Marta was ill, I would have gone to see her.
In this one, was Marta ill? Yes, she was. But the speaker didn't know that. The if part talks about knowing Marta was ill, not about whether Marta was ill or not.

The two parts can come in any order. When we write, we put a comma between the if part and the main part. You don't use a comma when the main part comes first.

To do

Before we look at form in more detail, let's do an activity to test your understanding of third conditional sentences. Read the sentences and answer the questions about them. The sentences are all in the positive.

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BBC Learning English - Course: intermediate / Unit 9 / Session 2 / Activity 1

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Take a look at the first sentence again: If I'd won the lottery , I'd have moved to a beautiful Mediterranean island. The first part is the if part of the sentence. It didn't actually happen in real life. If I'd won the lottery, I'd have moved to a beautiful Mediterranean island.

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To do

First, let's do an activity to test your understanding of sentences in the third conditional.

Numbers 1-8 in bold below give a situation in two sentences. You are going to combine each pair of sentences into a single sentence using the third conditional. The first part of each of these combined sentences is in italics. You complete them in our Finish the sentences game.
1) I didn't go out. I didn't leave you a note. If I'd gone out, _______. 2) It was raining. We took a taxi. If it hadn't been raining, _______. 3) She wasn't tired. She went to a party. She wouldn't have gone to a party _______. 4) He didn't lose his phone.
What would he have done ______?
5) We wanted to stay longer. We didn't have enough time. We would have stayed longer _______. 6) She didn't see you in class. She didn't say hello. If she'd seen you in class, _______.

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BBC Learning English - Course: intermediate / Unit 9 / Session 2 / Activity 2

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First, let's do an activity to test your understanding of sentences in the third conditional. Numbers 1-8 in bold below give a situation in two sentences. You are going to combine each pair of sentences into a single sentence using the third conditional. The first part of each of these combined sentences is in italics.

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Let's take a closer look. There are two parts to this sentence. One part is made with Neil
if plus past perfect:

Catherine
And we put the two parts together to talk about an imaginary situation in the past, and its imaginary result.

I got two Ds and an F in my exams. If I had worked harder, I would have got better

Patty was a great singer when she was younger. She would have won that TV talent show if she had entered it.

I registered my mobile phone on a tracker website. When I lost it, I logged on to the site and they told me where it was. If I hadn't registered my phone, it would have been lost for ever.

So in the shortened to Catherine
if part, I'd, and we also drop the h from have. So I would have becomes 'I'd've'. Let's hear another example: I and had are shortened to I'd. In the main part, I and would are
If I'd woken up earlier, I wouldn't have missed my flight.
Exactly. And that's the end of the quiz. Well done if you got them all right. And we've just got time for a top tip before we finish. Remember, in standard English, there's only one Neil
would in a third conditional sentence. We don't use would in the if part. Here's an example of an incorrect sentence.

Great. So that's the third conditional. It's made of Neil
if plus the past perfect tense, and would have plus the past participle. We use it to talk about imaginary situations in the past.

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BBC Learning English - Course: intermediate / Unit 9 / Session 2 / Activity 3

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Let's take a closer look. There are two parts to this sentence. One part is made with Neil if plus past perfect: Catherine And we put the two parts together to talk about an imaginary situation in the past, and its imaginary result.

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Zero Conditional
If you heat water enough, it boils.
Does water boil all by itself? No. The condition that makes it boil is the heating.

When will this happen? Any time the condition is met. This kind of conditional is used for general truths, facts and everyday occurrences. It's not really connected to any particular time.

The result and if clauses both have present verb forms. In the if clause, either if or when can be used - they have the same meaning.
If / When you leave milk out long enough, it goes bad.
If I go to the shops, I'll get some milk. If / When I leave after 8.30, I miss the bus.
If / When I've had a hard day at work, I like to come home to peace and quiet.
First conditional

Will I definitely get some milk? No. The condition that leads to getting milk is going to the shops. I might not go to the shops.

condition = going to the shops

result = buying bread

If I see Mike, I'll tell him about the party.
If you get home before me, can you put the chicken in the oven?
If I pass my exams, I might get a pay rise.
Unlike the zero conditional, this is not a general truth or scientific fact. It's talking about a specific time and event, and not something that's always true. It's talking about a time in the future and something that might happen then.

The if clause has a present verb form. The result clause takes will + infinitive without to when we are certain that the result will happen if the condition is met. If we're not certain, we can use a modal verb like may or might.

You can use when instead of if in the if clause, but the meaning is different. Compare:

If I go to the shops, I'll get some milk.
Am I going the shops? Perhaps, it's a possibility.
If I were you, I'd take a holiday!
If you loaned me some money, I could buy a new car.
If I had the time, I could finish the gardening. But I'm too busy with work.
When I go to the shops, I'll get some milk.
Am I going to the shops? Probably, it's a plan.

For more informaton about zero and first conditionals, see Unit 5

Second conditional

The second conditional is about imaginary results of impossible or unlikely conditions in the present or future.
If I had studied harder at college, I could have gone to a better university.
If we had never met, my life would have been a lot less complicated.
If hadn't taken the job, I might have regretted it.
If I won a million pounds, I'd still carry on working.
Will l win the lottery? It's possible but I think it's very unlikely.

If I had that much money, I'd give up my job immediately.
Do I have that much money? No, I don't.

The if clause contains the past simple. There is, however, one exception: if the verb to be is in the if clause, use were and not was in the first and second person singular. The main clause contains would (or other modals such as could or might) followed by the infinitive without to.

Third conditional

We use this conditional to talk about an imaginary result of something in the past.

If I hadn't missed the bus, I wouldn't have met the love of my life.
Did I miss the bus? Yes I did, so the result is purely imagined.

The if clause has a past perfect structure and the result clause has would (or other modals such as could or might) + have + past participle.

You can see more about the second and third conditionals in Unit 9.

To do

In the activity, check to see if you can identify different conditional structures.

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BBC Learning English - Course: intermediate / Unit 24 / Session 2 / Activity 1

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If you heat water enough, it boils. Does water boil all by itself? No. The condition that makes it boil is the heating. When will this happen? Any time the condition is met. This kind of conditional is used for general truths, facts and everyday occurrences. It's not really connected to any particular time.

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BBC Learning English - Course: intermediate / Unit 24 / Session 2 / Activity 2

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In the last activity we highlighted four different conditional structures with regular patterns. These aren’t the only possible conditional forms, though.

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Hello and welcome to 6 Minute Grammar with me, Callum

And me, Finn

Conditional sentences generally have two parts, the conditional clause, which is sometimes called the if clause, and a main clause. The if clause states a condition and the main clause has what happens because of that condition.

And there are different kinds of conditional structures depending on whether we're dealing with something in the present or past and if we're talking about something real or imagined.

We normally talk about four different conditional structures. The first one is called the zero conditional. Here's an example from earlier. Let's wind back a bit.

And in zero conditionals, when and if have the same meaning. Let's move on now to the first conditional.

[sfx: tape rewinding]

Today we're reviewing different conditional forms.

We've looked at zero and first conditionals, and it was Callum who gave us an example of the second conditional.

[sfx: tape rewinding]

I'd love to give you a few minutes if we had the time.

FinnWhat time does this refer to, Callum?

It's an imaginary present time - do we have the time now? No we don't. It's making a prediction about something that could be possible if something in the present were different. We're imagining a different present reality.

Wow. That's very sci-fi, Callum!

And now the third conditional. Let's go back again and here the example.

That's first conditional. Here's the next one:

If I were you, I'd take the job.

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BBC Learning English - Course: intermediate / Unit 24 / Session 2 / Activity 3

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Hello and welcome to 6 Minute Grammar with me, Callum And me, Finn Conditional sentences generally have two parts, the conditional clause, which is sometimes called the if clause, and a main clause. The if clause states a condition and the main clause has what happens because of that condition.

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Zero conditional

We use this to talk about things that are always true, whether they are scientific fact or personal beliefs. Both parts are in the present simple.

The zero conditional uses if / when + present simple, and present simple:
Positive Negative Question
First conditional

We use this to talk about things which might happen if an action takes place. We use if for things which are likely to happen and when for things which are certain to happen.

It uses if / when + present simple, and will + infinitive (without 'to'):
Positive

I'll do the cooking this evening if it's OK with you.

When they finish work, they'll go home.

Negative

I won't wait for you, if you're late again.

When we go camping, we won't take our laptops.

Question

Where will he live when he moves to the city?

Note: The if / when part can also come second in zero and first conditional sentences.

I get a stomachache if I drink milk.

They'll go home when they finish work.

To do

That's a brief introduction to the form. So do you think you can spot sentences which are grammatically correct and wrong? Find out in our test!

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BBC Learning English - Course: intermediate / Unit 5 / Session 2 / Activity 1

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We use this to talk about things that are always true, whether they are scientific fact or personal beliefs. Both parts are in the present simple. The zero conditional uses if / when + present simple, and present simple: Positive Negative Question We use this to talk about things which might happen if an action takes place.

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Facts

When we talk about things that are considered as facts, we use the zero conditional. We also use this form for things that we believe are always true.

Possibilities

If we want to talk about something which might happen as the result of an action or situation, we use the first conditional. We use if for things which are likely to happen and when for things which are more certain to happen.

Freddy later, I'll give him the book. (I'm not certain I'll see him.) Freddy later, I'll give him the book. (I'm certain I'll see him.)

to the beach, I'll take my swimsuit. (It isn't certain we'll go to the beach.) to the beach, I'll take my swimsuit. (It is certain we'll go to the beach.)

Changes in meaning

Be careful! Sometimes you can use the zero or first conditional and both sentences sound acceptable and are grammatically correct. But which conditional form you use changes the meaning of the sentence and the context you're using it in. Take a look at the two examples in the picture.

If you sit in the sun too long, you get burned. (Zero conditional)
If you sit in the sun too long, you will get burned. (First conditional)

In this case, it is important to think about what you are trying to say. Is it something that is generally true - like the zero conditional sentence? Or is it something that is the result of an action or situation - like the first conditional sentence? Here is an explanation.

If you sit in the sun too long, you get burned. (This is something that is generally true - too much sun gives people sunburn.)
If you sit in the sun too long, you will get burned. (This is the possible result of an action - like you are giving a friend some advice about being in the sun too long.)

To do

Right! Here is a quiz to test how well you understand the use of the zero and first conditionals. Can you work out which to use?

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BBC Learning English - Course: intermediate / Unit 5 / Session 2 / Activity 2

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When we talk about things that are considered as facts, we use the zero conditional. We also use this form for things that we believe are always true. If we want to talk about something which might happen as the result of an action or situation, we use the first conditional.

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Neil
Hello. Welcome to 6 Minute Grammar with me, Neil.

Catherine
And me, Catherine. Hello.

Neil
Now, Catherine, would you like to have some of this delicious chocolate I've got here?

Catherine
Oh Neil, I'd love to but I can't. When I eat chocolate, I get terrible headaches.

Neil
Oh that's bad luck! If I eat a lot of chocolate, I just get fat!

Catherine
Do you? You don't look it, you look thin!

Neil
It's all the cycling you see. I can eat whatever I want because of all the cycling.

Catherine
Lucky you.

Neil
Now, in this programme, we're looking at the zero conditional and the first conditional.

Catherine
We'll be discussing why and when we use them.

Neil
We'll see how to form them...

Catherine
We'll help you decide which one to use in which situation...

Neil
And we'll bring you a quiz at the end of the show.

Catherine
So listen carefully - and take some notes!

Neil
Let's start by looking at the zero conditional. We use it to talk about things which always happen in particular situations.

That's gravity for you! Now, there are two parts to the sentence. The part with if plus the present simple tells us the situation, and the other part is in the present simple tense, and tells us what happens as a result of the if situation. Here's Finn with an example of the if situation:

And I'll say that again: If you drop an apple...

Catherine
And the result:

Catherine
Once more:

Neil
And this result happens every time the situation happens. Isn't that right, Catherine?

Catherine
That's correct Neil. It's a scientific fact - and it was first identified by Isaac Newton, I believe.

Catherine
And once again:

Now, in this sentence the if plus present simple part gives us a possible future situation. The other part is made with will plus an infinitive without 'to' and it gives us the result of this possible future situation.

If you drop that glass...

Catherine
And this is only a possible situation.

... it'll break.

Catherine
And this is the result of the situation. We use will to show we are certain that the glass will break. But it only breaks if we drop the glass.

Catherine
And once again:

Neil
It's sometimes difficult to choose between the zero and first conditional. It helps to remember that as well as using the zero conditional for truths, we also use it for general situations. If you're talking about a specific situation, or a one-off situation, the first conditional is probably best. For example, to describe a general situation that is true for everyone, we can use the zero conditional to say:

Catherine
But if your friend is about to go sunbathing, perhaps without any sun cream, you can use the first conditional to talk about that specific situation and its possible result, like this:

IDENT
6 Minute Grammar from BBC Learning English.

Catherine
And it's quiz time! Are these sentences grammatically correct, or wrong? Here's the first one: When we're older, we'll go travelling.

Neil
OK, this first conditional sentence is correct.

Catherine
Good. Here's another one: If plants don't get water, they die.

Neil
This sentence is correct too.

Catherine
OK, get ready for the last sentence: If I fail my exams again, I feel terrible.

Finn
If I fail my exams again, I will feel terrible.

Catherine
Now, before we go, there's just enough time for a top tip. The first conditional only has one 'will'. So this sentence is wrong:

Finn
If they leave now, they'll be home for lunch.

Catherine
Thank you Finn. So that's the zero conditional, with the present tense in both parts, for things which always happen.

Neil
And that's the first conditional with if plus present simple, together with will, plus an infinitive, for possible future situations.

Catherine
There's more about this on our website at bbclearningenglish.com. Join us again for more 6 Minute Grammar.

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BBC Learning English - Course: intermediate / Unit 5 / Session 2 / Activity 3

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Neil Hello. Welcome to 6 Minute Grammar with me, Neil. Catherine And me, Catherine. Hello. Neil Now, Catherine, would you like to have some of this delicious chocolate I've got here? Catherine Oh Neil, I'd love to but I can't. When I eat chocolate, I get terrible headaches.

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We use the second conditional in English to talk about unreal situations (or things we don't think will happen), and to talk about the possible results of these situations. It is made like this:

Here are some examples:

If we all recycled more, there would be a lot less waste in the world.

If I lived in Japan, I'd eat sushi almost every day.

A conditional sentence has two parts. The if part tells us about the unreal or unlikely situation. The would part tells us the possible results of this situation.

If I lived in Japan, ... (This is the imaginary situation.)

... I'd eat sushi almost every day. (This is the result of the imaginary situation.)

The two parts can come in any order. When the if part comes first in the sentence, we put a comma between the if part and the would part. You don't use a comma when the would part comes first.

If I had more free time, I would be more relaxed.

I would be more relaxed if I had more free time.

To do

Time to see if you recognise the different parts of second conditional sentences! Try our matching activity!

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BBC Learning English - Course: lower intermediate / Unit 24 / Session 2 / Activity 1

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We use the second conditional in English to talk about unreal situations (or things we don't think will happen), and to talk about the possible results of these situations. It is made like this: Here are some examples: If we all recycled more, there would be a lot less waste in the world.

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Remember that second conditional sentences have two parts:

We use the past simple in the if part - but second conditional sentences aren't about the past. We use the past form to show that the situation isn't real. The would part tells us the result of this imaginary situation.

We also sometimes use were instead of was in the if part of a second conditional sentence. The meaning is the same, but when we use were, the sentence sounds more formal.

If it were time to leave, I'd go.

We'd have lunch outside if it weren't raining.

Here are some examples in positive, negative and question forms for you to learn.

Positive
If we recycled more, there would be less waste.
We'd feel better if we ate more healthily. She would be happier if she didn't work so hard.
If you weren't so rude,people would like you more.
There wouldn't be so much litter if we all recycled more.
Negative
Would the world be better if we all spoke the same language?
If animals ruled the world, what would they do?
Question

Short answers

To do

Try to make the correct form in this second conditional quiz!

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BBC Learning English - Course: lower intermediate / Unit 24 / Session 2 / Activity 2

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Remember that second conditional sentences have two parts: We use the past simple in the if part - but second conditional sentences aren't about the past. We use the past form to show that the situation isn't real. The would part tells us the result of this imaginary situation.

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Rob Hello. Welcome to 6 Minute Grammar with me, Rob.

Catherine
And me, Catherine. Hello. This programme is all about the second conditional.

Rob
Yes the second conditional. We'll see how to form it...

Rob
There'll be a very helpful pronunciation tip...

Catherine
And there'll be a second conditional quiz at the end of the show, so listen carefully!

Rob
Let's start by looking at why and when we use the second conditional. The main use of the second conditional is to talk about impossible, unlikely or imaginary situations. And here's an example to do with football. Catherine, are you a football fan?

Catherine
Err... I like to watch the big games, the internationals, the England games in particular - I do like an England game.

Rob
Yes, they haven't won for a long time...

Catherine
Not since '66, I think...

Rob
'66 was a long time ago, but maybe they'll win one day...

Catherine
Maybe!

Rob
But at the moment it's just a dream; not a strong possibility. So Mike's here: let's have a second conditional sentence about that situation Mike:

Mike
If England won the World Cup, Catherine would be so happy.

Rob
If England won the World Cup, Catherine would be so happy. Catherine, is that true?

It is, actually, I'd be very happy. Unlikely, but, I'd be happy. So: this is a second conditional sentence and it is made of two parts. The first part starts with the word if, plus a subject and a past simple verb, and it describes an unlikely or imaginary situation, like this:

Mike
If England won the World Cup...

Catherine
Thanks Mike. And the second part of the sentence has the word would or the negative woudn't with an infinitive verb. It describes a possible result of the unlikely or imaginary situation.

Mike
...Catherine would be so happy.

Rob
That's the result of the imaginary situation. And yes, If England won the World Cup, we would be very happy, wouldn't we, Catherine?

Catherine
We would!

Rob
Good. Now, we can change the order of the two parts, and the meaning stays the same:

Mike
We'd be so happy if England won the World Cup.

Catherine
Right, thanks Mike. Let's have some more examples.

Mike
If Sunny had more money, he'd get a better phone.

I wouldn't see you very often if I lived in the city.

Maria would have a better job if she spoke more English.

If I were you, I'd take a holiday.

Catherine
You can't be anybody Rob, except yourself, just you: we're stuck with you.

Catherine
It's interesting that a lot of native speakers say If I were you, not if I was you.

Rob
And if I were you, I'd go somewhere nice and hot with palm trees and sandy beaches. Mmm.

IDENT
6 Minute Grammar, from BBC Learning English.

Rob
And we're talking about second conditionals.

Catherine
Now for a word about pronunciation. Contractions or short forms - are very common in second conditionals - but they can sometimes be difficult to hear.

Rob
Yes, that's a good point. In the last example, the two words I and would become I'd. I'd take a holiday.

Catherine
So would is shortened to just a /d/ sound. Listen out for the short /d/ sound in this next example:

Yes, the phrase I would tell becomes I'd tell. One more time please Mike:

Rob
Well, wherever you are, I hope you know the answers to the quiz. It's coming up next!

Catherine
Yes, it's quiz time! Choose the correct word or phrase to fill each gap. Here's the first one. If you [beep] some money on the street, what would you do? Is the missing word a) find b) found or c) would find?

Catherine
Another one: If you forgot your wife's birthday what [beep] she do? Is it a) does, b) will or c) would?

Catherine
And the last one: I wouldn't eat that if I [beep] you. Is it a) am b) were or c) be?

So we've been talking about the second conditional. It's made of if plus the past simple tense, and would plus the infinitive. We use it to talk about imaginary situations and their results.

Catherine
There's more about this on our website at bbclearningenglish.com. Join us again soon for more 6 Minute Grammar.

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BBC Learning English - Course: lower intermediate / Unit 24 / Session 2 / Activity 3

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Rob Hello. Welcome to 6 Minute Grammar with me, Rob. Catherine And me, Catherine. Hello. This programme is all about the second conditional. Rob Yes the second conditional. We'll see how to form it... Rob There'll be a very helpful pronunciation tip...