The 4 Conditionals (Stop Confusing Them)
Summary
TLDRIn this video, Teacher Mike explains the four main types of conditional sentences in English: zero, first, second, and third conditionals. The zero conditional is used for general truths, while the first conditional talks about real possibilities in the future. The second conditional discusses unlikely or imaginary situations, and the third conditional refers to hypothetical past scenarios. Mike provides clear examples for each type and emphasizes how conditional sentences help describe different time periods and situations, offering additional tips on using modal verbs and mixed conditionals.
Takeaways
- 🔵 The first conditional is used for things that might realistically happen in the future. It follows the structure: 'If + present simple, will + verb.'
- 🟢 The second conditional is for unreal or unlikely situations, using 'If + past simple, would + verb.' It's used for imaginary scenarios.
- 🔴 The third conditional deals with imaginary situations in the past that didn’t happen, using 'If + past perfect, would have + past participle.'
- 🔵 The zero conditional expresses general truths or facts, following 'If + present simple, present simple.'
- 🟢 Conditionals can start with the 'If' clause or have the 'If' clause in the middle of the sentence, like 'If you mix red and yellow, you get orange,' or 'You get orange if you mix red and yellow.'
- 🔴 The past form 'were' is preferred over 'was' in the second conditional for formal grammar, like 'If I were you, I wouldn't do that.'
- 🔵 The first conditional often uses 'will,' but can also use other modal verbs like 'can,' 'could,' or 'should' depending on context.
- 🟢 Mixed conditionals describe how situations in different time periods influence each other, e.g., how something in the future affects the past.
- 🔴 The second conditional does not use 'will' because it’s meant for unreal situations. Instead, use 'would,' 'could,' or 'might.'
- 🔵 Verbs in conditionals can also use 'to be' with a noun, preposition, or adjective, e.g., 'If I call my mother, she will be happy.'
Q & A
What is the zero conditional used for?
-The zero conditional is used to talk about things that are always true or generally true, such as rules or facts.
How is the first conditional structured?
-The first conditional is structured as 'If + present simple, will + verb,' and is used to talk about things that might happen in the future.
Can other modal verbs be used in place of 'will' in the first conditional?
-Yes, other modal verbs like 'going to,' 'can,' 'could,' or 'should' can be used in the first conditional, depending on the context.
What is the main difference between the zero and first conditional?
-The zero conditional describes things that are always true, while the first conditional describes things that might happen in the future.
What is the second conditional used for?
-The second conditional is used to talk about unreal or very unlikely situations, often hypothetical or imaginary.
How do you structure a second conditional sentence?
-The second conditional is structured as 'If + past simple, would + verb,' and is used for unreal or unlikely situations.
Why shouldn't you use 'will' in the second conditional?
-'Will' is not used in the second conditional because it is for real situations, while the second conditional is for unreal or hypothetical scenarios.
What is an example of the third conditional?
-An example of the third conditional is, 'If you had invited me, I would have come,' meaning the invitation didn't happen, so the action didn't occur.
How do you structure a third conditional sentence?
-The third conditional is structured as 'If + past perfect, would have + past participle,' and is used for hypothetical situations in the past.
What are mixed conditionals used for?
-Mixed conditionals are used to talk about situations where one time period affects another, such as how something in the future impacts the past or vice versa.
Outlines
📚 Understanding Conditional Sentences in English
This paragraph introduces different types of conditional sentences used in English: the zero, first, second, and third conditionals. It explains that the first conditional talks about possible future events (e.g., 'If I see him, I'll tell him to call you'). The second conditional is used for unlikely or imaginary situations (e.g., 'If I won the lottery, I would buy a car'). The speaker, Teacher Mike, also highlights that the focus of the lesson is to explain the four main conditionals, providing examples and rules to show how they function in various contexts.
📝 Zero and First Conditionals Explained
The zero conditional is used to describe things that are always or generally true. The structure follows 'If + present simple, present simple' (e.g., 'If you mix red and yellow, you get orange'). This tense is used for universal truths and general rules. The first conditional discusses events that could realistically happen in the future, using the format 'If + present simple, future simple' (e.g., 'If it's sunny tomorrow, I'll go to the beach'). Modal verbs like 'can,' 'could,' or 'should' may replace 'will' depending on context. The paragraph also compares the zero and first conditionals to clarify the distinction between general truths and specific future possibilities.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Zero Conditional
💡First Conditional
💡Second Conditional
💡Third Conditional
💡Modal Verbs
💡Past Simple
💡Past Perfect
💡Imaginary Situations
💡Unreal Conditional
💡Mixed Conditionals
Highlights
Introduction of the four main conditionals in English: zero, first, second, and third conditionals.
Explanation of the zero conditional: used to talk about things that are always true or generally true (e.g., 'If you mix red and yellow, you get orange').
Zero conditional structure: 'If' + present simple, present simple.
First conditional: used for things that might really happen in the future (e.g., 'If it's sunny tomorrow, I'll go to the beach').
First conditional structure: 'If' + present simple, future simple.
Comparison between zero and first conditionals: the zero conditional describes general truths, while the first conditional is about specific future situations.
Modal verbs like 'can,' 'could,' or 'should' can be used in the first conditional for varied meanings (e.g., 'If the rain stops, we can go for a walk').
Second conditional: used for unreal or unlikely situations (e.g., 'If I won the lottery, I would buy a car').
Second conditional structure: 'If' + past simple, subject + would + verb.
Traditional grammar rule for second conditional: use 'If I were,' not 'If I was,' although this is often ignored in casual speech.
Third conditional: used for imaginary situations in the past (e.g., 'If you had invited me, I would have come').
Third conditional structure: 'If' + past perfect, subject + would have + past participle.
Explanation of mixed conditionals: used when actions in one time period affect outcomes in another (e.g., 'If you had studied harder, you could have been a doctor').
In conditionals, 'verb to be' can be used with a noun, preposition, or adjective instead of a verb (e.g., 'If I call my mother, she will be happy').
Conclusion: encouraging learners to practice using conditionals and an invitation to watch the next video for more on mixed conditionals.
Transcripts
if I see him I'll tell him to call you
this is an example of the first
conditional which is a type of sentence
that we use to talk about things that we
think really might happen in the future
if I won the lottery I would buy a car
this is an example of the second
conditional which we use to talk about
things that we think are probably not
going to happen I'm teacher Mike and
today we are learning how to make the
four main conditional sentences that we
use in English these are the zero
conditional the first conditional the
second conditional and the third
conditional so the zero conditional
looks like this if present simple
present simple we use the zero
conditional to talk about things that
are either always true or generally true
for example if you mix red and yellow
you get orange or if you consume more
calories than you burn you gain weight
and it's important to remember that this
is not about one time right now or one
time in the future again it's about
something that is either always true or
generally true it's kind of like a rule
also with every conditional that we're
going to learn about today you can
either start with the If part or put the
If part in the middle so you can say if
you mix red and yellow you get orange or
you can say you get orange if you mix
red and yellow next we have the first
conditional which again is used to talk
about things that we think really might
happen in the future the first
conditional looks like this if present
simple future simple for example if it's
sunny tomorrow I'll go to the beach if
we fly we'll get there faster or if you
practice every day you will
improve also instead of using will you
can also use going to or other modal
verbs such as can could or should
depending on what you are trying to say
for example if you tell him that he's
going to be angry or if the rain stops
we can go for a walk now to make sure
that you understand the difference
between the zero conditional and the
first conditional we're going to compare
two sentences first sentence my son will
call me if he needs help that's the
first conditional and it means that I
know that my son might need help
sometime in the future and I know that
he will call me if he does if my friend
asks me how I know that my son will call
me if he needs help I can then use the
zero conditional I can say because my
son always calls me if he needs help so
the first conditional explains what we
think will happen in one situation in
the future but the zero conditional
gives us a rule for how something always
works or how something generally Works
how do I know that my wife will get
angry if I don't wash my dishes
because she always gets angry if I don't
wash my dishes just an example I always
wash my dishes and my wife is very nice
now let's move on to the second
conditional the second conditional is
often called the unreal conditional
because we use it to talk about
situations that are either impossible or
just very unlikely basically there's
situations that we just really do not
expect to happen and the second
conditional looks like this if past
simple subject would verb for example if
I had a horse I would ride it every day
this tells us that I do not have a horse
and this is just a situation in my
imagination or again if I won the
lottery I would buy a car again it's
just a situation in my imagination and
it also tells us that I do not expect to
ever win the lottery and although wood
is probably the most common modal verb
that we use when making this conditional
you can also use other ones for example
if I had a private jet I could fly
anywhere I wanted however we never use
will because will is for things that are
real and this conditional is for things
that are unreal so don't use will also
the past form of I am is I was but if
you want to follow traditional grammar
rules when using the second conditional
the correct thing to say is if I were
not if I was for example if I were you I
wouldn't do that however not everyone
follows this rule anymore so you will
sometimes hear people say if I was then
we have the third conditional which
looks like this if past perfect subject
would have past participle and we use
this one to talk about imaginary
situations in the past for example if
you had invited me I would have come
this means that you didn't invite me and
because of this I didn't come or if I
had had more time I would have studied
more this means that I didn't have more
time and that is why I didn't study more
so again this one is about the past but
it's about something that didn't happen
in the past and just like with the
second conditional you can also use
other modal verbs if you want to for
example if you had studied you might
have passed the exam also you might have
noticed from my examples that for all of
these conditionals instead of using a
verb you can also use verb to be with a
noun a preposition or an adjective for
example if I call my mother she will be
happy or if he had studied harder he
could have been a doctor and finally we
also have mixed conditionals which are
conditionals that we use to talk about
how something in one time period affects
something in a different time period for
example how something in the future
affected something in the past to learn
more about those make sure to watch this
video right here
Ver Más Videos Relacionados
ALL CONDITIONALS | 0,1,2,3 and MIXED CONDITIONALS - English Grammar | if....
Grade 9 English Q1 Ep7: Second Conditional
Third Conditional Sentences + Examples | English Grammar Lesson
CONDITIONALS in Expressing Arguments | GRADE 9 || MELC-based VIDEO LESSON | QUARTER 1| MODULE 2
Book 3, Unit 11 - Past Modals (for Regrets and Past)
Conditionals em Inglês - Zero Conditional : Quando e como usar [ Vídeo 1]
5.0 / 5 (0 votes)