The object of this game is to keep the chain going by using different examples of conditionals. Begin the game by providing an example of a conditional. For example, 'If I don't come to school. First conditional board game. A fun board game. Play in small groups. You will need a dice. I usually get my students to write down the beginning of the sentence and how they finished it so I can check the work at the end of the game.
What are conditionals in English grammar? Sometimes we call them 'if clauses'. They describe the result of something that might happen (in the present or future) or might have happened but didn't (in the past) . They are made using different English verb tenses.
Download my infographic!There are four main kinds of conditionals:
- The Zero Conditional:
(if + present simple, ... present simple)
If you heat water to 100 degrees, it boils.
Click here to learn more. - The First Conditional:
(if + present simple, ... will + infinitive)
If it rains tomorrow, we'll go to the cinema.
Click here to learn more. - The Second Conditional:
(if + past simple, ... would + infinitive)
If I had a lot of money, I would travel around the world.
Click here to learn more. - The Third Conditional
(if + past perfect, ... would + have + past participle)
If I had gone to bed early, I would have caught the train.
Click here to learn more.
(Notice we can put 'if' at the beginning, or in the middle. It doesn't matter at all.)
Need more practice? Get more Perfect English Grammar with our courses.
There are several structures in English that we call conditionals or if conditionals. The word 'condition' means 'situation or circumstance'. If a particular condition is true, then a particular result happens:
- if y = 3 then 2y = 6
There are three basic English conditionals plus the so-called zero conditional. There are some more conditionals that we do not use so often.
conditional type | usage | if-clause | main-clause |
---|---|---|---|
1 | possible condition + probable result | present simple | will + base verb |
2 | hypothetical condition + possible result | past simple | would + base verb |
3 | expired past condition + possible past result | past perfect | would have + past participle |
0 | real condition + inevitable result | present simple | present simple |
Structure of Conditional Sentences
The structure of most conditionals is very simple. There are two basic possibilities.
Of course, we add many words and can use various tenses, but the basic structure is usually like this:
if | condition | result |
---|---|---|
if | y = 10 | 2y = 20 |
or like this:
result | if | condition |
---|---|---|
2y = 20 | if | y = 10 |
This structure can produce, for example, the following sentences:
- If I see her, I will tell her.
- I will tell her if I see her.
Notice the comma in the first sentence. (A comma is always correct in this case, but not always essential if the sentence is short.) In the second sentence we do not normally use a comma.
First Conditional
for real possibility
We are talking about the future. We are thinking about a particular condition or situation in the future, and the result of this condition. There is a real possibility that this condition will happen. For example, it is morning. You are at home. You plan to play tennis this afternoon. But there are some clouds in the sky. Imagine that it rains. What will you do?
if | condition | result |
---|---|---|
Present Simple | will + base verb | |
If | it rains, | I will stay at home. |
Read more about the First Conditional
Second Conditional
for unreal possibility
If I won the lottery, I would buy a car.
The second conditional is like the first conditional. We are still thinking about the future. We are thinking about a particular condition in the future, and the result of this condition. But there is not a real possibility that this condition will happen. For example, you do not have a lottery ticket. Is it possible to win? No! No lottery ticket, no win! But maybe you will buy a lottery ticket in the future. So you can think about winning in the future, like a dream. It's not very real, but it's still possible.
if | condition | result |
---|---|---|
Past Simple | would + base verb | |
If | I won the lottery, | I would buy a car. |
Read more about the Second Conditional
Third Conditional
for no possibility
If I had won the lottery, I would have bought a car.
The first conditional and second conditionals talk about the future. With the third conditional we talk about the past. We talk about a condition in the past that did not happen. That is why there is no possibility for this condition. The third conditional is also like a dream, but with no possibility of the dream coming true.
Last week you bought a lottery ticket. But you did not win. :-(
if | condition | result |
---|---|---|
Past Perfect | would have + past participle | |
If | I had won the lottery, | I would have bought a car. |
Read more about the Third Conditional
Zero Conditional
for certainty
We use the so-called zero conditional when the result of the condition is always true, like a scientific fact.
Take some ice. Put it in a saucepan. Heat the saucepan. What happens? The ice melts (it becomes water). You would be surprised if it did not.
if | condition | result |
---|---|---|
Present Simple | Present Simple | |
If | you heat ice, | it melts. |
Read more about the Zero Conditional
Summary of Conditionals
Here is a table to help you to visualize the basic conditionals.
Do not take the 50% and 10% too literally. They are just to help you.
![If Conditionals Games If Conditionals Games](/uploads/1/2/5/8/125859036/190386239.png)
probability, conditional | example | time | |
---|---|---|---|
100% | zero | If you heat ice, it melts. | any |
50% | 1st | If I win the lottery, I will buy a car. | future |
10% | 2nd | If I won the lottery, I would buy a car. | future |
0% | 3rd | If I had won the lottery, I would have bought a car. | past |
People sometimes call conditionals 'if structures' or 'if sentences' because there is usually (but not always) the word if in a conditional sentence.