2. Conditional sentences
Type 0. Facts, general truths
If you heat butter, it melts.
PRESENT TENSE + PRESENT TENSE
Type 1. Possible present/future situation and its result
If it stops raining, I’m going to walk to town
PRESENT TENSE + FUTURE TENSE
Type 2. Hypothetical or improbable situations in the present/future
If we had a bit more time here, we could go on an all-day river trip
PAST Simple/cont. + would/could/ might+bare infinitive
Type 3. Hypothetical situation in the past
If I had known what time your flight arrived, I would have picked you up at the airport.
PAST PERFECT (simple or cont.) + would/could/might have+past participle
Mixed Type conditionals Present situation and past situation related. Past action with
consequences in the present
1. I wouldn’t be in this mess, if I had listened to your advice
TYPE 2 + TYPE 3
2. Jane would have left Mike by now if she didn’t still love him
TYPE 3 + TYPE 2
3. Type
Tense(s) in the
subordinate if-clause
Tense(s) in the main clause Meaning
0
Present simple/continuous
If I work/ am working late
Present simple/continuous
I usually get tired
General truths/ facts
1 Present
simple/continuous/perfect
You’re always checking
your phone
If you’ve suffered from an
addiction before
Future will/going to
You will create an
addiction/you’re going to
create an addiction
You won’t have any priority
Possible future/present
situations
2 Past simple/continuous
If I lost my phone
Would/bare infinitive
I wouldn’t know what to do
Hypothetical situation in
the present
3 Past perfect/continuous
If I had known exactly
where my friend lives
If I’d had been visiting my
grandma
Would+ bare perfect infinitive
I wouldn’t have got lost
I would have missed the job
interview
Hypothetical situation in
the past
Mixe
d
Past simple/Continuous
If I weren’t a journalist
If I wasn’t feeling so
optimistic
Past perfect
If I had listened to your
advice
Would+ bare perfect infinitive
I wouldn’t have done the
experiment
Would + bare infinitive
I wouldn’t be in this mess
Situation in the past with
consequences in the
present /future.
4. TYPE 3 CONDITIONALS
If I had been looking where I was going, I would have seen the
hole in the road.
When did this happen? PAST
Was I looking where I was going? NO
Did I see the hole in the road? NO
Can I change it? NO, you can’t change what happened.
What is my intention then? Talk about a hypothetical situation in the past pointing how things
would have been different supposing the context and/or actions that led to the situation had
been different too.
What tenses do we use?
PAST PERFECT SIMPLE OR CONTINUOUS IN THE IF CLAUSE
a. If I had been looking where I was going
b. If I had known what time your flight arrived
WOULD/COULD/MIGHT + HAVE + PAST PARTICIPLE OF MAIN VERB IN THE MAIN
CLAUSE
a. I would have seen the hole in the road
b. I would have picked you up
5. MIXED TYPE CONDITIONALS
Present situation and past situation related. Past action with
consequences in the present.
There are two possible combinations.
A. Type 2 in the main clause (referring to a present situation) and type 3
in the if-clause (to refer to the situation in the past)
1. I wouldn’t be in this mess (NOW) if I had listened to your advice
(THEN)
2. We wouldn’t be lost (NOW) if you had brought the map.
(BEFORE)
TYPE 2 + TYPE 3
B. Or type 3 in the main clause and type 2 in the if clause
1. Mary would have left him already if she didn’t love him
2. You would have got higher marks if you paid more attention in
class
TYPE 3 + TYPE 2
