ZERO CONDITIONALS and

FIRST CONDITIONALS
CONDITIONAL SENTENCES
• Conditional Sentences are also known as
Conditional Clauses or If Clauses.

• They are used to express that the

action in the main clause
(without if) can only take place if a
certain condition (in the clause
with if) is fulfilled.
CONDITIONAL SENTENCES
Most linguists consider three
types of Conditional
Sentences, but some of them
add one more type: zero
conditionals.
 ZERO CONDITIONALS
• Zero conditionals are used to talk about
things that are always true as long as
the condition occurs.
If you heat water, it boils.

If I have coffee after 6pm, I don´t

sleep
 ZERO CONDITIONALS
Zero Conditional sentences are formed
as follows:

Present Simple Present simple

IF Present Continuous Present continuous
Present Perfect Present perfect
 ZERO CONDITIONALS
• This use is similiar to, and can usually be
replaced by, a time clause using ‘when’.

If I am late for the school bus, my

father takes me to school.

When I am late for the school

bus, my father takes me to school.
 FIRST CONDITIONALS
First Conditional sentences express a
possible condition and its probable
result in the future.

CONDITION RESULT

If you don’t revise, you’ll fail.

If you stay, I’ll leave.

 FIRST CONDITIONALS
We can use the First Conditional to
express different functions:

Careful! If you touch that you’ll get burnt.

A warning

If you do that again, I’ll kill you.

A threat
 FIRST CONDITIONALS

I’ll post the letter if you like.

An offer

If you lend me the money, I’ll kiss you.

A promise
 FIRST CONDITIONALS
First Conditional sentences are formed
as follows:
will
Present Simple
going to
IF Present Continuous
imperative
Present Perfect
can/must
 FIRST CONDITIONALS
Examples:

• If you’re going to Greece for your

holidays, I can recommend a great
hotel.
• If you haven’t finished by ten, you’ll
miss the bus.

• If you arrive early, wait for me.

 FIRST CONDITIONALS
THINGS TO CONSIDER:
• The main clause and the if-clause can
often go in either order:
– If I feel like going out, I’ll give you a call.
– I’ll give you a call if I feel like going out.

• Use a comma after the if-clause.

 FIRST CONDITIONALS
CONNECTORS:
• The most common connector is IF.
• Other connectors we can use are: UNLESS
PROVIDED/ PROVIDING (THAT)
AS LONG AS
ON CONDITION THAT
SUPPOSE/ SUPPOSING
OTHERWISE
IN CASE/ IN CASE OF
 FIRST CONDITIONALS
CONNECTORS:
• Unless you want to go today, we´ll go
tomorrow.
• We´ll let you have a pet provided/
providing that you look after it properly.
• We´ll go to Sierra Nevada this weekend
as long as the weather is ok.
• You can have a pet on condition that you
look after it properly.
 FIRST CONDITIONALS
CONNECTORS:
• Suppose /Supposing the price of
electricity tripled tomorrow, what would
you do?
• You should study harder otherwise you
will fail your exams.
• I´ll take a coat in case the weather
gets colder.
• In case of fire, leave the building
immediately.
 TIME CLAUSES
• Time clauses and conditional sentences
have something in common:
• Conjunctions of time
– as soon as
– when
– until
– before
– after

are always followed by a present, even

though the time reference is future.
 TIME CLAUSES
EXAMPLES:
• I’ll phone you when I get home.
• As soon as I’ve finished reading the
book, I’ll lend it to you.
• Don’t press that button until I tell you.
• Before I get to work, I always have a
coffee at Starbuck’s.
• I’ll go shopping after he takes the
children to school.
 “If” or “in case”?
“In case” is not exactly equivalent to
“if”.
Consider these examples:
I´ll take a jacket if it´s cold.
It means I´ll take a jacket only if it´s
cold.
I´ll take a jacket in case it´s cold.
I´ll take a jacket anyway because it
might get cold later.
 FIRST CONDIONALS
&TIME CLAUSES EXERCISES
Make true sentences about yourself:

• I won’t stop studying English until . .

• I’ll be really annoyed if . . .
• I’ll always live in Marbella unless . . .
• I’d like to retire when . . .
• I’ll have a big party if . . .
• I´ll give you my phone number in case…
2nd Conditional
 Use
It expresses
something that is
really improbable or
impossible.

Example: If I were
you, I wouldn't go
there.
 Basic Structure

Consists on an if clause and a main

clause.
Example: IF we didn't have the
internet (if clause), life WOULD be
really boring (main clause).
 Advanced structure

If clause: If + Subject + Verb

in past simple + Rest
Main clause: Subject + Would
+ Verb in infinitive + Rest
 Examples
Affirmative:
If I were the president, I would change the law.
Negative:
If I went to Paris, I wouldn't go to shop.
Interrogative:
Would I go to Sagrada Familia if I went to
Barcelona?
If we HAD/WOULD HAVE a bigger house, I HAD/ 'D HAVE my
own bedroom.

If we HAD/WOULD HAVE a bigger

house, I HAD/ 'D HAVE my own
bedroom.
If I HAD/ 'D HAVE more money, I WENT/'D
GO and visit my uncle in America.

If I HAD/ 'D HAVE more money, I

WENT/'D GO and visit my uncle in
America.
If we DIDN'T/ WOULDN'T have a dog our house
SMELLED/WOULD SMELL better.

If we DIDN'T/ WOULDN'T have a dog

our house SMELLED/ WOULD SMELL
better.
 The 3rd Conditional
Going BACK in TIME to the PAST

What would you have done

differently?
 When do we use the 3rd conditional?

Yesterday

When we want to
imagine doing or
changing something
in the past
·yesterday
3rd Conditional ·last week
·last year
·when I was a
child
 How do we make the 3rd conditional?

Yesterday

·yesterday
3rd Conditional ·last week
·last year
·when I was a
child
 How do we make the 3rd conditional?

Yesterday

If + PAST PERFECT ,
+ WOULD HAVE +
PARTICIPLE

·yesterday
3rd Conditional ·last week
If It had been sunny yesterday, I would have gone ·last year
to the beach ·when I was a
If + PAST PERFECT , + WOULD HAVE + PARTICIPLE
child
 How do we make the 3rd conditional?

If... + HAD/N’T + PARTICIPLE, + WOULD/N’T have + PARTICIPLE

I I
had / you would / been
You
He
She
It
hadn't been
come
found
done
, he
she
it
wouldn't
have
come
found
done
seen
We we
They seen they

·yesterday
·last week
·last year
3rd Conditional ·when I was a
child

If + PAST PERFECT , + WOULD HAVE + PARTICIPLE

 Revise the 1st, 2nd and 3rd conditionals

When?
1st Conditional
If It is Sunny, I will go to the beach.
·today
If + PRESENT, + FUTURE
·tomorrow
·next week
·on my next
2nd Conditional holiday
If It was sunny, I would go to the beach
If + PAST , + WOULD + Verb

·yesterday
3rd Conditional ·last week
If It had been sunny yesterday, I would have gone ·last year
to the beach ·when I was a
If + PAST PERFECT , + WOULD HAVE + PARTICIPLE
child
 When do we use the 3rd conditional?

Yesterday

When we want to
imagine doing or
changing something
in the past
·yesterday
3rd Conditional ·last week
·last year
·when I was a
child
 Fill in the gaps to make the 3rd conditional
If I ___ ____ alive 2000
years ago,
I _____ ____ ____ a
Roman

·yesterday
·last week
·last year
3rd Conditional ·when I was a
child

If + PAST PERFECT , + WOULD HAVE + PARTICIPLE

 If I had been alive 2000
years ago,
I would have been a
Roman

·yesterday
·last week
·last year
3rd Conditional ·when I was a
child

If + PAST PERFECT , + WOULD HAVE + PARTICIPLE

 Make a sentence in the 3rd conditional
If / thief / run faster /
police / not catch / him

·yesterday
·last week
·last year
3rd Conditional ·when I was a
child

If + PAST PERFECT , + WOULD HAVE + PARTICIPLE

 If / thief / run faster /
police / not catch / him

If the thief had run faster, the police

wouldn't have caught him.

·yesterday
·last week
·last year
3rd Conditional ·when I was a
child

If + PAST PERFECT , + WOULD HAVE + PARTICIPLE

 The 3rd Conditional
Going BACK in TIME to the PAST

Practise
Sentence transformation
Make sentences for the
pictures in the 3rd
conditional
The Titanic hit an iceberg and
sank
If the Titanic hadn’t hit an iceberg, it
wouldn’t have sunk
He stayed in the sun too long
yesterday and got sunburnt
If he hadn’t stayed in the sun too
long yesterday, he wouldn’t have
got sunburnt
He was angry so he punched his
laptop
 If he hadn’t been angry, he
wouldn’t have punched his laptop
He drank so much last night, he
had a hangover when he woke up
If he hadn’t drunk so much last
night, he wouldn’t have had a
hangover when he woke up
MIXED CONDITIONALS
 BEFORE WE START...
• Second Conditional
If I was a lawyer and not a teacher, I would be rich.

• Imaginary present situation, with its present result.

• Third Conditional
If I had studied medicine, I would have become a doctor.

• Imaginary past situation, with its past result.

WHAT ARE MIXED CONDITIONALS?
• A mixed conditional gives a situation and
result - but one is in the past, and the other is
in the present. For example:

• If we had taken the car, we wouldn’t be late.

We didn’t take the car We are late now (in the present)
(in the past)
 Another Example...
• If he didn’t have to work today, he wouldn’t
have been so miserable yesterday.

He does have to work today He was miserable yesterday

(in the present) (in the past)
 Let’s Practice...
1. I don't know how to ski, so I didn't go skiing with Simon
last week.
If I ....... how to ski, I ....... skiing with Simon last week.
2. I forgot to bring my umbrella - that's why I'm so wet.
If I ....... to bring my umbrella, I ....... so wet now.
3. I'm really worried about tomorrow's exam - that's why I
didn't go to the party last night.
If I ....... worried about tomorrow's exam, I ....... to the
party last night.
4. A dog bit me when I was a child, so now I'm really scared
of dogs.
If a dog ....... me when I was a child, I ....... scared of dogs
now.
 SOME SPEAKING...
• How would the world be different if the internet
had never been invented?

• How do you think your life would be different

(today) if you had been born in Africa?