Types of conditionals
There are four basic types of conditionals. Conditional sentences are divided in two parts, or clauses, one expressing a condition, also called the if clause, the other a result or a consequence, the main clause.
| Type | Example | Meaning | If clause | Main clause |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zero | If you commit a crime, you go to jail. | General truth/fact | if + subject + Present Simple | subject + present simple | First | If she hears about it, she'll be upset. | Likely to happen | if + subject + Present Simple | subject + will/won't + infinitive |
| Second | If I said that to my boss, I'd lose my job. | Unlikely or imaginary situation | if + subject + Past Simple | subject + would/wouldn't + infinitive | Third | If I'd known about the rain, I wouldn't have bought the tickets. | Imaginary situation in the past | if + subject + Past Perfect | subject + would/wouldn't + have + past participle |
Keep in mind that, unlike the examples in the table, the if clause may come after the main clause:
She'll be upset if she hears about it,
I'd lose my job if I said that to my boss.
Variations of the conditional sentence
Besides the four basic forms, there are many other ways to form conditional sentences and they often appear together.
We can use modal verbs instead of a present form and will/won't:
If she hears about it, she may be upset.
If you want to train, you should wear some gloves.
The future with be going to can replace the present simple in the if clause to show future intention (see also: future and probability. )
If you're going to bring that up again, you should find someone else to talk to.
If we're not going to meet our friends tonight, I'm going to put on something more comfortable.
Continuous forms can be used instead of simple forms to emphasize an action in progress.
If I'm speaking too fast, please say so.
He wouldn't be showing off so much if he weren't making so much money
If he hadn't been telling so many lies, people would've believed him.
Mixed conditionals are called that way because they mix elements from different conditionals, usually the second and third.
"If he were famous, the people would've noticed him", he thought.
In the example, the if clause refers to something in the present (he's not famous) and uses a second conditional form, while the main clause talks about a situation in the past (the people didn't notice him) and takes the form of the third conditional
If you hadn't abandoned us, you'd have more friends right now.
Here the opposite is true; the if clause talks about something that happened in the past (you abandoned us), while the main clause mentions a present condition (you have less friends than you could have).