CONDITIONALS

A conditional statement is a sentence that is made up of two clauses or sentences that refer to a condition and the result of this.

We have four conditional sentences:

•  Present Real or Zero conditional – Usually refers to a general truth.

• Future Possible or First Conditional – Usually refers to a future event.

• Present Unreal or Second Conditional – Usually refers to a Hypothetical situation.

• Past unreal or Third Conditional – Usually refers to a Hypothetical outcome.

Remember that conditional statements will always contain two clauses, one called if clause or condition and the other called main clause or result.

The Present Real condition or Zero conditional refers to conditions or situations that are always true or that always take place. We can also refer this as a Universal Truth.

    If + subject / pronoun + verb + complement  +  Subject / Pronoun + Verb + Complement.

                  If clause or Condition                                          Main Clause or Result

 In a Present Real situation  if the if clause or condition takes place the result always happens, take a look at the following example.

• If I wake up late on weekdays, I get late to my office.

• If Susan gets a headache, she takes an aspirin.

• If they arrive late after the party, their parents get mad.

In both parts of the present real situation, statements are written in simple present tense.

The word order in a conditional statement may be reverse but the meaning will be the same. The comma will no be used if you start with the main clause or with the condition.

• I get late to my office if I wake up late on weekdays.

• Susan takes an aspirin if she gets a heatache.

• Thier parents get angry if they arrive late after the party.

In a Future Possible Conditional or First Conditional we are referring to a possible situation or scenario in the future. here if the condition takes place the result is likely to happen.

If + subject / pronoun + verb + complement  +  Subject / Pronoun + Modal + Base form Verb + Complement.

                                                                                                      can, will, may

                 If clause / Condition                                                      Main clause / Result

• If I have money this weekend, I will buy a pair of new shoes. (The use of "will" implies that buying a pair of shoes is likely to happen)

• If we don't tell my parents the truth, they may get angry at us. (The use of "may" implies that the result of telling my parent the truth is likely to happen)

Remember that if want to start with the result we only ommit the comma.

• I will buy a pair of new shoes If I have money this weekend.

• My parents may get angry at us if we tell them the truth.

Present Unreal or Second Conditional.

This conditional refers to hypothetical events in the present or to events that are very difficult to be become real facts in the present. A Present Unreal situation expresses contrary to fact situations, which mean that opposite ideas are expressed.

Subject / Pronoun + Past tense verb + Complement   +   Subject / Pronoun + Modal + Base form Verb + Compl.

                                                                                                                  could, would, might

*If you use the verb to-be in the if clause "were" will be use with all the pronouns. "Was" is possible only in informal English.

• If I had money, I would buy a new pair of shoes. (I have no money so I will not buy a new pair of shoes)

• If Sam lived lived near us, he could come to the party. (Sam lives far away so he can come)

• If Joan spoke Spanish, she might get a better job. (Joan does not speak Spanish so she can't get a better job)

• If I were you, I would accept the job position. (I am not you so I will not accept the job)

• If Susan were here, she might help us. (Susan is not here so she may not help us)

Remember that we can reverse the word order. We can start with the result ant then have the condition or if clause. Only the comma is ommited.

• I would buy a new pair of shoes if I had money.

• Susan might help us if she were here.

• Joan might get a better job if she spoke Spanish.

The Past Unreal or Third Conditional

We use this conditional in order to refer to hypothetical situations in the past. We refer to outcomes that we wish have never taken place but they did take place.

Subj. / Pron. + Had + Participle + Complement  +  Subj. / Pron. + Modal + Have + Participle + Compl.

                                                                                   could, would, might, should

• If I had known you three years ago, I would have married you.

• If George had studied more, he could have passed the test.

• If we hadn't stopped for gas, we might have been involved in the car accident.

• If I had accepted that job offer, I might not have had this economical problems.

*Notice that in all the sentences above we are expressing an opposite idea from what is actually written.

• If George had studied more, he could have passed the test. (he didn't study for the exam. He failed the test)

Present Perfect vs Present Perfect Progressive

 We usually use the Present Perfect to say that something ocured in the past. When we use the present perfect we focus on the result f the action. Remember that time is not mentioned

                        

• Joe has read that book at school. (the event took place at some point of time in the past, the event already finished)

We use the Present Perfect Progressive in order to talk about an action that started in the past and that is still in progress in the present and that might continue up to the future.

 

• Joe has been reading a book since he arrived home. (He began reading it and is still reading and might continue reading it)

We also use the Present Perfect Progressive in order to talk about events that finished in the past but that still have some effect into the present.

• Look! The streets are really wet. It has been raining. In this example rain has stopped recently but still affects on the present.

Remember that non action verbs can not be used with the Present Perfect Progressive. When using any of these verbs use Present Perfect instead.

• I have surprised my family many times. 

• I have been surprising my family many times. (Incorrect)

We also use the Present Perfect Progressive in order to talk about how long something has been going on.

• Greg has been working in the new project for three months.

• Marianne has been taking Spanish classes since she started her career in international business.

If you want to ask about:

• How much someone has done.

• How many things someone has done.

• How many times someone has done something.

We usually use Present Perfect.

• I have had too much coffee this morning.

• Steve has been to Mexico three times.

• We have seen that movie twice this month.

Some times  we can use Present Perfect or Present Perfect Progressive is the meaning is the same. This can happen we we use verbs like: live, study, teach and work.

• Samuel is an experienced teacher. He has been teaching Math for twelve years.

• Samuel is an experienced teacher. He has taught Math for twelve years.

• They have live in the same house for over 15 years.

• They have been living in the same house for over 15 years.

 

When tallking about temporary events we preferably use Present Perfect Progressive.

• Professor Smith has been teaching Math for eight years, but this year he retires.

When talking about permanent events we preferably use Present Perfect.

• Professor Smith has taught at the state college for eight years. He loves teaching.

The Past Progressive

 We use the past progressive in order to talk about the duration of an event in the past, but not in its duration.     

• Steve was having breakfast at 7:30 am (We know that something was going on but we have no idea if the action was finished or not).

If we want t express the idea that an event was completed in the past, we preferably use simple past.

• Steve had breakfast this morning at home. (we know that something started and finished in the past)

Be careful, non action verbs like: like, seem, want, own, believe, prefer, possess, cannot be used with progressive forms. 

Sometimes we will have statements in which an action  will be interrupted by an event in the past. So, the combination of simple past and past progressive is possible.

• Steve was having breakfas when the phone rang. Steve was in the middle of an action when and event occured.

• Whe use "while" when we introduce the action.

• We use "when" when we introduce the event in the past.

Sometimes two actions can take place at the same period of time. "While" will be use to introduce any of the caluses.

 

• Steve was having breakfast while Joan was listening to the news.

• While Steve was having breakfast, Joan was listening to the new.