Conditional Sentences

By Lia Cahyati, S.Pd.

IF CONDITIONAL

If conditional is a pattern for showing a supposition.

KINDS OF CONDITIONAL SENTENCE

General Rules Special Rules

There are three types of conditinonal sentence

Type 1 (Future Conditional)

Type 2 (Present Conditional)

Type 3 (Past Conditional)

In special rules, there are three types of conditional

Inversion (without ‘if’)

Unless (= if + negative sentence)

Otherwise (= If not)

TYPE 1If + present simple, ... will + verb-1 ...

If + present simple, imperative sentence

We use If Conditional Type 1 to talk about a possible future situation and it’s consequences.

• If I miss the train, I will go by bus. • If I have a lot of money, I will travel around the world.• If you meet David, please tell him that i need to talk to him

TYPE 2

If + past simple, ... would + verb-1 ...Use the Second Conditional to talk about impossible, imaginary, or unlikely situations:• If I were an animal, I’d be a tiger. (impossible)• If I met Lee Min Ho, I would take a photograph with him. (imaginary)• If Americans ate less fast food, they’d be healthier. (unlikely)

TYPE 3

If + past perfect, ... would + have + verb-3 ...

The past perfect shows an unfulfilled condition in the past.

•If you had tried, you would have won ( ~ you did not try)• If you had been there, I would have seen you. ( ~ you were not there)• If I had had enough money, I would have gone there. (~ I didn’t have enough money at that time, i.e. in the past)

Special Rules

Without If• If you had tried, you would have won. Had you tried, you would have won.• If you had been there, I would have seen you. Had you been there, I would have seen you.• If I were you, I would say it to him. Were I you, I would say it to him.

Unless (If + negative sentence)• Unless you help me, I cannot finish my work. If you don’t help me, I cannot finish my work.• Unless I know the answer, I will not answer the question. If I don’t know the answer, I will not answer the question.

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