'If' clauses…
I love watching my Advanced Students grow in confidence.
Then they ask me if we can study ‘if’ sentences…
… and I know we’re going to have couple of weeks of total confusion and a crisis of confidence.
It’s complicated, because you often can’t directly translate your mother-tongue to English with ‘if’ sentences.
Also, just because we form these sentences using the past tense, it doesn’t mean we’re talking about the past, which can be super confusing.
Finally, the names of the tenses make things even more confusing. The present perfect? WTF* is that? They do not describe what the tense does. Try to forget about the names of the tenses, and life will be easier.
And, I promise, it gets easier.
What are conditional sentences and why do we use them?
We use them to talk about possibilities, hypothetical situations, and their consequences.
Mixed conditional sentences combine different types of 'if' clauses to describe complex situations that span different time frames.
Types of 'If' Clauses
There are four main types of 'if' clauses in English, each used for different purposes:
Zero Conditional
First Conditional
Second Conditional
Third Conditional
Zero Conditional
Use: To express general truths or scientific facts.
Structure:
If + present simple, present simple
Examples:
If you heat water to 100 degrees Celsius, it boils.
If it rains, the ground gets wet.
First Conditional
Use: To talk about real and possible future events.
Structure:
If + present simple, will + verb
Examples:
If you study hard, you will pass the exam.
If it stops raining, we will go for a walk.
Second Conditional
Use: To discuss hypothetical or unlikely situations in the present or future.
Structure:
If + past simple, would + base form of the verb
Examples:
If I were rich, I would travel the world.
If he knew her address, he would send her an invitation.
Third Conditional
Use: To talk about hypothetical situations in the past that did not happen.
Structure:
If + past perfect, would have + past participle
Examples:
If I had known about the meeting, I would have attended.
If they had left earlier, they would have caught the train.
Mixed Conditional Sentences
Mixed conditional sentences combine elements from different types of conditionals to describe more complex scenarios. Here are the two most common types:
1. Present Result of a Past Condition
This type describes a present result that depends on a past condition.
Structure:
If + past perfect, would + verb
Examples:
If I had studied harder, I would have a better job now.
If she had taken the job offer, she would be living in New York now.
Explanation: In these examples, the past condition (studying harder, taking the job offer) has a direct impact on the present situation (having a better job, living in New York).
2. Past Result of a Present or Continuing Condition
This describes a past result that depends on a present or ongoing condition.
Structure:
If + simple past, would have + past participle
Examples:
If I were more organized, I would have finished the project last week.
If he were more patient, he would have completed the task on time.
Explanation: In these examples, the present condition (being more organized, being more patient) would have influenced a past outcome (finishing the project, completing the task).
Practice Exercises
Here’s one of Britain’s most famous poems, full of ‘if’ sentences…
Activities
1. Fill in the Blanks
Complete the sentences with the correct form of the verbs in parentheses.
If I __________ (know) more about coding, I __________ (create) my own website by now.
If he __________ (be) more careful, he __________ (not lose) his keys yesterday.
If they __________ (start) the project earlier, they __________ (finish) it by now.
Answers:
If I knew more about coding, I would have created my own website by now.
If he were more careful, he would not have lost his keys yesterday.
If they had started the project earlier, they would have finished it by now.
2. Create Your Own Mixed Conditionals
Write three sentences of your own using mixed conditionals. Make sure to mix past, present, and future time frames.
Example:
If I had taken the earlier train, I would be at the conference already.
I’ll add a post soon about each type of conditional separately, so you can study each one in more detail.
Now it’s your turn -
In the comments, share your own conditional sentences.
Bonus points for mixed conditionals!
*WTF is an acronym, where we use the first letter of each word. E.g. ASAP for As Soon As Possible. WTF means What The F&%$ - sorry for the swearing!