0 conditional: things that are always true or scientific facts.
| If + present simple + present simple |
“If you heat ice, it melts”
“Ice melts if you heat” (no comma)
1st conditional: real and possible situations in the present or future.
| If + present simple + will/won’t + verb If + present simple + going to |
“If it rains, we will get wet” – “If it rains, we are going to get wet”
“We will get wet if it rains” – “We’re going to get wet if it rains” (no comma)
2nd conditional: hypothetical, unlikely, unreal or improbable situations now or in the future.
| If + past simple + would + verb |
“If I had money, I would hire a chef”
“I would hire a chef if I had money” (no comma)
We use a verb in past, but we are talking about the present or the future
3rd conditional: past hypothetical situations. Things that didn’t happen.
| If + past perfect + would + have + past participle (-ed OR 3rd column of irregular verbs) |
“If I had got up on time, I wouldn’t have missed the train”
“I wouldn’t have missed the train if I had got up on time” (no comma)
Mixed conditionals: 2nd in one clause and 3rd in the other.
“If I had slept last night, I wouldn’t feel so tired” (3rd + 2nd)
“If the tickets weren’t so expensive, I would have gone to the cinema last night” (2nd + 3rd)