Grammar: First and Second Conditional Sentences (If)

LET’S COMPARE

FIRST CONDITIONAL: When something is possible in the future, we use the pattern:

If + subject + present tense verb, subject + regular modal + unconjugated verb

Q: Will it rain today? Is it possible? Yes = If it rains, I will stay home.

SECOND CONDITIONAL: When something is impossible or improbable in the future (and we imagine what if), we use the pattern: If + subject + past tense verb,subject + conditional modal + unconjugated verb

Q: Will it rain today? Is it possible? No = If it rained, I would stay home.

 

First conditional (regular modals)	Second conditional (conditional modals)
will	would
can	could
may	might
has to / have to	had to
should, must	would have to

 

IF SENTENCES: WAS OR WERE?

Second Conditional: When the situation is unreal, hypothetical, or would never happen, you use WERE not WAS even if the subject is singular.

A. If he were (was) here right now, he would help us. (BUT he is not here right now.)

B. If I were (was) rich, I would make more charitable donations. (BUT I am not rich.)

But when you’re talking about a possibility that happened or might be true in the past, use “was” and not “were”.

A. If I was (were) rude to you yesterday, I apologize. (YESTERDAY, maybe I was rude. It happened.)

B. I am sorry if I was not attentive during the meeting this morning. (THIS MORNING, I was (were) not attentive to you.)


PRACTICE:

1. Do you think it will be sunny tomorrow?

• Yes, it is possible: What will you do if it is sunny tomorrow? - If it is sunny tomorrow, I will invite my friends to a picnic.
• No, it’s not possible (so imagine): What would you do if it were sunny tomorrow? - If it were sunny tomorrow, I would invite my friends to a picnic.

2. Do you think your next appointment will be canceled?

• Yes, it is possible: What will you do if your next appointment is canceled? - If my next appointment is cancelled, I will take a break and relax.
• No, it’s not possible (so imagine): What would you do if your next appointment were canceled? - If my next meeting WERE cancelled, I would try to reschedule it for another time and day.

3. Do you think your boss will fire you?

• Yes, it is possible: What will you do if your boss fires you? - If my boss fires me, I will not have any choice but to look for a new job.
• No, it’s not possible (so imagine): What would you do if your boss fired you? - If my boss fired me, I would sue the company.

 

The second conditional is also used in HYPOTHETICAL QUESTIONS.

Pattern: We use IF + past tense verb + WOULD, COULD, MIGHT
Example: If I WERE an animal, I WOULD like to be a sloth because sloths do not work hard.

Let’s practice:
If you were an animal, what animal would you be? Your answer:
If you won a million dollars in the lottery, what would you do? Your answer:

 

I. IMAGINE YOU ARE SOMEONE ELSE

Examples:

• If you were the president of your country, what would you do? Your answer:(Unsolicited advice) “You work so hard. If I were you, I would take a long vacation before I burn out.” 

Give your own example:

II. ABILITIES THAT YOU CANNOT DO

Examples:

• “I cannot speak French. If I could speak French, I could travel to France and would not have any problems talking to people.”
• “Marie cannot swim. If she could swim, she would often go to the beach.”

Give your own example:

SUMMARY
If I go there, I will bring a gift. = 50% chance I will go there.
If I went there, I would bring a gift. = Not possible, less than 50% that I will go there. 

Practice Test (coming soon)