Here you will find links to full explanations of the conditionals used in English. Conditional sentences are ones where the ‘main clause’ only occurs if the “conditional clause’ is fulfilled. Here is an example:
- If it is dry this weekend, we’ll go for a walk.
This means that they will only go for a walk if the weather is dry.
Types of English Conditionals
There are lots of different types of conditional sentences in English, but they are generally split into the following:
First Conditional
Second Conditional
Third Conditional
Zero Conditional
The first and zero conditionals are used to talk about real situations, whereas the second and third conditionals are used to talk about imaginary situations.
The first example above is the first conditional, so let’s now have a look at examples for the others:
- I’d go if I were you (second).
- If it had been me, I would have gone (third).
- I always have a good time when I go there (zero).