Conditional in English. Conditional sentences in English: rules for the formation of structures

Conditional sentences of the first type (First Conditional) - simplest type conditional sentences in English language. Such a sentence is also called a "real" conditional - it shows an action that will happen in the future if the condition is met.

Example

If your daughter studies hard, she will pass the exam. If your daughter studies hard, she will pass the exam (successfully).

How is First Conditional Formed?

First Conditional (first conditional mood) is used when we talk about our plans for the present or near future and the implementation of these plans is real.

When constructing conditional sentences in Russian, we put both parts of it in the future tense. In English after if(conditional part) we use present simple(present tense), and in the second part of the sentence (result) - will + infinitive verb.

If + Present Simple --------- will + verb

Example:
If I have time, I will watch TV. If I have time, I will watch TV.

Parts of the sentence can be interchanged, for example:
I will watch TV, If I have time.

When constructing a conditional sentence of the first type, except for the union if (if) we can use:

• as soon as- as soon as
• before- before
• until- up to a certain point
• when- When

After these words, Present Simple is always used, and will + infinitive is put in the second part of the sentence:

I will call you as soon as I get home.
I will finish my work before you come.
I will learn English until I"m completely fluent.
I will tell Bob when I see him.

Practical exercises to consolidate the material

Put the verbs in brackets into the correct tense (put the verb in brackets in the correct tense).

1. If Peter (do) lots of exercise he "ll be fit and healthy.
2. Please call me if you (need) any help.
3. Cathy will be able to go on holiday if she (save) enough money.
4. Unless it (rain) we "ll go for a walk.
5. If you (work) hard you may be promoted.
6. ...you...(give) me a call if you have time tomorrow?
7. If you don't do your homework I (not / let) you match TV.
8. Mary won "t go to Australia unless I (pay) for her tickets.
9. If he (arrive) on time we "ll have dinner before we go out.

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Answers

First Conditional Theme

Put the verbs in brackets into the correct tense

1. If Peter does lots of exercise he "ll be fit and healthy.
2. Please call me if you will need any help.
3. Cathy will be able to go on holiday if she saves enough money.
4. Unless it rains we'll go for a walk.
5. If you work hard you may be promoted.
6. Will you give me a call if you have time tomorrow?
7. If you don't do your homework I won't let you match TV.
8. Mary won't go to Australia unless I pay for her tickets.
9. If he arrives on time we "ll have dinner before we go out.

Put the verbs in brackets into the correct tense.

1. A: I "d like a cup of coffee.
   B: Well, if you (hold) the baby for five minutes, I (make) it for you.
2. A: I must go to the bank.
   B: If you (leave) now, you (get) there before it closes.
3. A: I can't do everything myself.
   B: Well, if you (wash) the dishes, I (cook) the meal.
4. A: Are you going on holiday this year?
   B: Yes, I (go) to Spain for two weeks, if I (have) some time off work.
5. A: I want to cook something special tonight.
   B: Great, if I (finish) work early, I (give) you a hand.
6. A: Could I have a chocolate biscuit, please?
   B: Yes, if you (look) in a cupboard, you (find) some cakes as well.

If ... Simple Present ..., ... Simple Present ...
or
Simple Present ... if ... Simple Present ...

Use

Zero Conditional Sentences in English are used when describing events, things, phenomena that are always true, real (for example, well-known truths, scientific facts, and so on.).

For example:
If you give respect, you get respect.
If You respect those around you, then you respect.

If you heat ice, it melts.
If heated ice, then melts.

If I am late, my father takes me to school.
If I late, then the father takes me to school.

If he comes to town, we have dinner together.
If He arrives to the city, we are together have dinner.

Ask him to wait if he gets there before me.
Ask wait for him If He will come there before me.

In conditional sentences of the zero type, the union if can be replaced by union when:

When I am late, my father takes me to school.
When I late, then the father takes me to school.

When he comes to town, we have dinner together.
When He arrives to the city, we are together have dinner.

Conditional sentences are used when we want to make an assumption about what could happen, would happen, and what we would like to happen. In English, most conditional sentences contain the word if. In many conditional sentences in English, the verb is in one of the past tenses. This usage refers to the "unreal past" because we use the past tense but do not imply that something happened in the past. In English, there are five ways to form conditional types of sentences. Each of these types of sentences will always consist of a subordinate clause with if and main sentences. For many negative conditional clauses, there is an equivalent clause in the form of a clause using "unless" instead of "if".

Zero condition type

Zero type conditionals are used when we talk about time. now or always and situation real and possible. The null type is often used when we are talking about common knowledge. Both parts of this type of sentence will use the simple present tense. In null conditional sentences, the word "if" can be replaced by the word "when" without changing the meaning.

1st condition type

Conditional sentences of the 1st type refer to present or future and express real situation. Type 1 refers to possible condition and his possible outcome. In these sentences, the if clause is in the simple present tense and the main clause is in the simple future tense.

2nd condition type

Conditional sentences of the 2nd type refer to time now or any other time, the situation in such a sentence unreal. Such suggestions are not based on facts. The 2nd type of condition refers to a hypothetical condition and its possible outcome. In type 2 conditional sentences, the if clause is in the simple past tense and the main clause is in the present conditional.

Hello dear friends! If you decide to study conditional sentences, I can say that this is an excellent idea, since conditional sentences in English have certain nuances that need to be understood and assimilated. There is a huge amount of grammatical material on this topic, it is chaotically fragmented and seems impossible to remember. This section of grammar is not that difficult. Forward!

"Roots" of the conditional sentence and its structure

Compound sentences in English By the name you can understand that difficult sentence made up of parts. These parts are two or even several simple sentences, which in themselves may be incomprehensible, but taken together create a single semantic whole.

There are two types in total:

1. compound proposal: all its parts can be torn apart, and each can exist independently. The same cannot be said for other types of proposals.
2. complex sentence: its parts are interconnected through conjunctions and allied words. What does interconnected mean? This means that if one (main) is removed, the second cannot exist independently: it is, as it were, subordinate to the first.

We will analyze one of the types of complex sentences - conditional.

Often it is conditionals that seem to be such an insurmountable barrier for newcomers to the English language. We can give the following scheme for constructing this type of proposal:

In a conditional sentence, the subordinate clause is a subordinate clause, it indicates the condition and contains the union -if (if) or its analogues, in the main clause the result of the condition is proclaimed

Types of conditional sentences in English grammar

IN different sources can be found different amount types and subtypes of conditional sentences: somewhere there are three of them, somewhere more. Many schemes are confusing. I believe that the classification, which includes four types, will be clearer to you. So, let's deal with all these types.

Conditional Zero/ Type 0 (Commontrue)

General truth is generally known facts, laws, etc. That is, in sentences of this kind we express general truths.
Conditional Zero/ Type 0 (Common true) For example:

• If I do exercise, I become healthier. - When I exercise, I get healthier

Captain Obvious, by the way, always prefers this type ...

1 st Conditional / Type 1(Realreal)

By present real is meant real or probable reality, which can occur both in this moment(moment of speech), and in the future (usually near).
1st Conditional / Type 1(Real Real)

• If I write a novel, our things will get better. — If I write a novel, our business will go better.

Please note: in the Russian translation, the future is used in the subordinate clause. In the English clause, this tense is never used. In this example, it can be considered conditionally real, in the sense: I am writing now, and when I finish writing, everything will go better.

2 ndConditional /Type 2 (Unreal present)

Conditional sentences of the second type express unlikely or unrealistic situations, the possibility of translating them into reality is practically non-existent. uh
2nd Conditional / Type 2 (Unreal Present) Conditional mood is the subjunctive mood. The subjunctive mood is formed using should or would, meaning corresponding to our particle -by.

Which auxiliary verb to use depends on the person

• 1st l. - should/would
• 2nd and 3rd - would.

Example:

• If I won the prize, I would build three-storeyed house. — If I won a prize, I would build a three-story house.

This type has a subtype - unlikely present (the event is unlikely, but still possible). In this case, we use Subjunctive in the subordinate clause, and Future Indefinite in the main clause. Let's rewrite the above sentence:

• If I'd win the prize, I'll build three-storeyed house. If I win a prize, I will build a three-story house.

It is necessary to feel the shades: in this phrase, a faint hope is felt.

3rd Conditional/ Type 3 (Unrealpast)

Conditional sentences of this type are used if the condition for doing something has become absolutely impossible, and one can only regret a missed opportunity in the past, such as: if I did something, if I were there ... then it would be - so-and-so... That is, type 3 is just an imaginary (unreal) past.
3rd Conditional/ Type 3 (Unreal Past) Example:

• If they had gone in this trip, they would fall concert. - If they went on this trip, they would get to the concert.

This type also has a subtype ... how to put it more accurately ... lesser degree unreality. If the condition with a stretch can still be called at least somehow feasible, then the simple past (or Subjunctive I / Past Subjunctive) is used in the subordinate clause.

• If I knew idioms, I'd speak English better. - If I knew idioms, then I would better speak English (the simple past is used in the subordinate clause).

For a more holistic perception of all of the above, I propose the following table, where all 4 types are collected, indicating which tenses should be used in each type.

Conditional sentences of mixed types (Mixed Conditionals)

Conditional sentences are not limited to these four types, there are also mixed conditionals. Usually, the second type and the third type are mixed.

I propose a simple exercise to reinforce. In this exercise, you need to make the correct conditional sentences by connecting their corresponding parts. At the end of the article you will find the keys to self-examination.

Like the Russian, so English verb there is a category of inclination (Mood). One of the moods is Subjunctive Mood, or Conditional Mood, as it is called, subjunctive, or conditional. The conditional mood in English always expresses some unreality, desires, fantasies and regrets, including about the past. There are certain grammar rules here that differ from the standard ones, and one of the pages of the subjunctive mood is conditional sentences in English, or Conditional sentences.

There are a number of nuances and features that are extremely important to consider, because in English there are several types of Conditionals.

Rules for the construction and formation of conditional sentences

The main feature that Conditional sentences have is, as it becomes clear from the name itself, the presence of a condition inside. Any such sentence consists of two parts: a principal clause and a subordinate clause. The grammar provides for the use of other tenses in subordinate clauses of time and condition that are different from the standard norms.

The types of conditional sentences in English are a kind of division of such constructions in terms of the reality or unreality of the action taking place. In total, it is customary to distinguish 4 types of conditional sentences, which have numbers as a sign of difference, as well as a mixed version, where the subordinate and main parts are used differently than in ordinary Conditional sentences and are mixed with each other.

Main Types of Conditional Sentences

To understand in more detail what clauses of time and condition are, and also to show in general how conditional sentences are formed in English, a table will help, which presents the main types of Conditionals:

Note: the rule of classical grammar is that the was form is not used in Subjunctive Mood, the were form is preferred for any person and number.

Examples of what conditional sentences look like in English might be as follows:

When Mike visits me, we will certainly spend time playing computer games - When Mike visits me, we will definitely spend time playing computer games computer games
If you found out all the details, you would be disappointed - If you found out all the details, you would be disappointed
If he had come with his wife, nobody would have blamed him - If he had come with his wife, no one would have blamed him

General Principles for Using Conditional Sentence Types

Before talking about each of the varieties in more detail, it is worth mentioning the unions that introduce subordinate parts. The most common of these is if, but there are others that also express a condition: as soon as, when, till (until), in case, etc.

Note: the union unless in conditional sentences has a certain peculiarity. It is translated as “if not” and differs from if in that it already carries a negation, which means that there can no longer be a second negation in a sentence:

You will definitely fail your English Grammar exam unless you study better - You will definitely fail your exam if you don’t study better

Conditional Zero

Conditional Zero (the so-called zero type) speaks of an action that inevitably follows from another action. Often applicable to the laws of nature, physical phenomena but can also be used in normal speech. The tense in both parts of the sentence is identical, and more often it is present than past:

If you heat the ice, it melts - If you heat the ice, it melts
If I had money, I bought ice-cream - If I had money, I bought ice cream

Conditional 1

Present Conditional, or Conditional 1 expresses an action that is completely real and has every chance of happening. The first conditional looks like this:

In case she brings me the phone, I'll buy it - In case she brings me a phone, I'll buy it

Conditionals 2 and 3

Past Conditional includes and and . The difference between them is that the second type speaks of an unlikely, but still possible action, since it refers to the present, and in the third type, the action is absolutely unrealistic, since we are talking past. To compare Second Conditional and Third Conditional, two examples can be given:

If you came here, I should be happy - If you came here, I would be happy (the action is still theoretically real)
If you had come here yesterday, I would have been happy - If you came here yesterday, I would be happy (the action is completely unrealistic, as it refers to the past)

Mixed Conditionals

There are also mixed types, where conditional subordinate clauses the position changes and the parts move to other types. There are two main types of Mixed:

1. Attachment part of the second type - main part third:

If you were clever, you wouldn't have failed your exam - If you were smart (in principle), you would not have failed your exam (but you already failed)

2. The subordinate part of the third type - The main part of the second:

If you hadn’t failed your exam you would be a student now - If you hadn’t failed your exam (but you already failed), now you would be a student ( keyword"Now")

Features of I wish designs

Wish constructions, which also belong to the Subjunctive Mood theme, have their own characteristics. The fact is that such a phrase is formed exclusively using the past tenses and the present form cannot be there. If the action refers to the present, in Conditionals wishes it will be Past Simple, to the past - Past Perfect, to the future (provided that the subject and object are different faces) – Future in the Past. The following examples can be given:

I wish you came now
I wish you had come yesterday
I wish you would come tomorrow

Apply and remember all the rules conditional mood is not always easy, especially for those who are on initial stage learning English, but if you delve into the features of these structures and understand general principles their education, using them in speech and writing will become much easier.