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🔀 Compendium
Grammar
EN
English — conditional sentences
English builds different conditional sentences depending on how real or hypothetical the situation is. Each type pairs a specific tense in the if-clause with a specific form in the main clause.
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How it works
✓ Rule
Zero conditional: if + present, present — for general truths. First: if + present, will — for a real future possibility. Second: if + past, would — for an unreal present situation. Third: if + past perfect, would have — for an unreal past. Mixed: if + past perfect, would — a past condition with a present result.
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Examples
| Type | Example |
|---|---|
| Zero | If you heat ice, it melts. |
| First | If it rains, I'll stay home. |
| Second | If I had time, I would travel. |
| Third | If I had known, I would have come. |
| Mixed | If I had studied, I would be a doctor now. |
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Good to know
⚠ Note
Never put will or would directly after if. The word unless means "if not". You can also invert the third conditional, dropping if: Had I known…