CONDITIONAL TENSES
What is a Conditional Sentence?
A conditional sentence is based on the word ‘if’. There are always two parts to
a conditional sentence – one part beginning with ‘if’ to describe a possible
situation, and the second part which describes the consequence. For example:
If it rains, we’ll get wet.
We can also invert the two parts of a conditional sentence so that the ‘if’ part
comes second, and this is especially common in questions. For example:
What happens if the students don’t pass an exam?
There are four types of conditional sentences:
0 – The zero conditional
1 – The first conditional
2 – The second conditional
3 – The third conditional
The Zero Conditional
We use the zero conditional to talk about permanent truths, such as scientific
facts, and general habits.
IF + PRESENT SIMPLE, PRESENT SIMLE
Here are some examples:
If you heat water to 100°, it boils.
If I’m tired, I go to bed early.
