CONDITIONALS

Conditionals
1 Zero conditional: real events/situations, things which are always true
If means the same as when.
• present + present
If / When I work late, I always get home tired.
• past + past
If / When the weather was bad, we used to stay indoors.

2 First conditional: possible or likely events/situations (future)
If + present + modal verb / present continuous (with future meaning) / going to / imperative
If it snows tomorrow, the match willlmaylcould be cancelled / I'm staying at home.

3 Second conditional: unlikely or unreal situations (present or future)
If + past + would/could/might + infinitive
If you met your favourite actor on the street (unlikely), what would you do?
If I became President (but I won't), I'd build more hospitals. (in the future)
If I were you (but I'm not), I'd take warm clothes. (= advice)

4 Third conditional: unreal/impossible past situations
If + past perfect + wouldlcould/might + have + past participle
If we had known about the blizzard, we wouldn't have set out. (but we didn't know)
If you had listened more carefully (but you didn't), you would have understood. (= criticism)

Mixed conditional structures combine the verb forms from two different conditional patterns. The most common combinations are:
• unreal past + unreal present
If we hadn't got lost, we'd be there by now.
• unreal present + unreal past
If I were a more ambitious person (but I'm not), I'd have become a politician.

Other conjunctions can be used to introduce conditions:
• unless (= if ... not or only if)
Unless the weather improves, we will have to cancel the game. (If the weather doesn't improve ... )
She won't go to sleep unless you tell her a story. (She will only go to sleep if you ... )
• providing/provided (that), on condition that, as/so long as (= only if)
Note
These conjunctions are not used with the third conditional.
I'll lend you the money providing (that) you pay it back. I'd lend you the money as long as you paid it back.
• but for (= if it had not been for, if ... not)
But for your warning, we wouldn't have realised the danger. (If it had not been for your warning, / If you had not warned us, ... )

• whether ... or not (= it doesn't matter which of these situations )
Whether governments like it or not, they have to give more aid to the developing world.
• suppose/supposing, what if (used to talk about imaginary situations)
- The present tense suggests the condition may be fulfilled:
What if your plan fails, what then?
- The past tense suggests the condition is unlikely:
Suppose you won the Lottery, what would you do?
• assuming that (= in the possible situation that) Assuming (that) you're right, we should turn left here.
• in case (as a way of being safe from something that might happen)
Take your umbrella in case it rains.
• otherwise (= if not)
Let's hope the weather improves. Otherwise (= If it doesn't), we'll have to cancel the picnic.
D Omission of if
If can be omitted and the auxiliary verb moved in front of the subject (inversion). this structure is formal.
• should suggests that the condition is unlikely:
Should you ever find yourself in Oxford, we would be glad to see you. (If you should ever ... )
• were suggests that the condition is unlikely:
Were the company to collapse, many people would lose their savings. (If the company collapsed ... )
• had
Had I known earlier that you wanted to join the team, I'd
have put your name on the list. (If I had known ... )
My horse would have won had he not fallen at the final fence. ( ... if he had not fallen ... )