The conditional sentences are sometimes confusing for learners of English, for Spanish learners the problem comes when you try to translate our ‘subjunctive’..
There are three types of the if-clauses.
| type | condition |
|---|---|
| I | condition possible to fulfill |
| II | condition in theory possible to fulfill |
| III | condition not possible to fulfill (too late) |
Form
| type | if clause | main clause |
|---|---|---|
| I |
Simple Present |
present/ will-future (or Modal + infinitive)/ imperative IF I STUDY I PASS/ WILL PASS THE EXAM |
| II |
Simple Past
|
would + infinitive * IF I STUDIED I WOULD PASS THE EXAM |
| III |
Past Perfect
|
would + have + past participle * IF I HAD STUDIED I WOULD HAVE PASSED THE EXAM |
* We can substitute could or might for would (should, may or must are sometimes possible, too).
If can be replaced by words or expressions with a similar meaning.
as long as
assuming (that)
on condition (that)
on the assumption (that)
provided (that)
supposing (that)
unless
with the condition (that)
ONLINE EXERCISES ON CONDITIONALS: self correction
Complete correct tense: type I,II and III click here
Rephrasing click here
more exercises to print click here
