Conditionals

Introduction

Conditionals are sentences in which one's statement depends on a certain situation/condition in order for it to be fulfilled/true. Conditionals usually have the following structure:

· if (or the dependent) clause, which always sets up a condition

· result (or the independent) clause, which is what happens when a condition is fulfilled.

The following is a simple example of a conditional sentence:

If you study hard, you will get an A in your final exam.

Please note:

• when the if clause begins a sentence, we usually put a comma just before the result clause.
• either of the clauses can appear at the beginning or at the end of a conditional sentence. Compare the preceding example with the following:

· there might be other qualifying words in the conditional sentence that might make it even harder to identify the if and the result clauses. As in the following example:

Well, if you study hard, as it is required of all of you, especially those who want to major in English, you will get an A in your final exam - no doubt about it.

· one sentence can have two conditions that lead to one result. As in the following example:

Well, if you study hard, as it is required of all of you, and if you practice seriously, especially those who want to major in English, you will get an A in your final exam - no doubt about it.

· when one is certain that a specific condition will be fulfilled, s/he can use when, instead of if, in the dependent clause. See the following example:

We use conditionals in our everyday language. It can be hard to detect conditionals in speaking since our sentences tend to be longer when we speak than when we write. This can even be worsened by instances where a speaker puts two or more conditions that lead to one or more results. For example, listen here.

Real vs Unreal Conditionals

Conditionals can be either real or unreal. Real conditionals describe situations we encounter in real life, whereas, on the other hand, unreal conditionals describe situations that are a creation of one's imagination. Please note that in the unreal conditionals, it is inappropriate to use "was" as a being word in the if clause - it is not considered grammatically correct. In written English or in testing situations, one should always use "were." However, in everyday conversation, "was" may be used. Listen to this example: Listen

Below are some brief notes on conditionals:

Present Real Conditional: The Present Real Conditional is used to talk about what you normally do in real-life situations - the f/actual truth. Both "if" and "when" are used in the Present Real Conditional. Using "if" suggests that something happens less frequently. Using "when" suggests that something happens regularly. Listen to the following examples: example 1; example 2; example 3 (not for sensitive viewers): Example 3. The last part in the audio is the present unreal conditional.

    “If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his own     language, that goes to his heart.” Nelson Mandela.

Present Unreal Conditional: The Present Unreal Conditional is used to talk about what you would generally do in imaginary situations. Only "if" is used with the Present Unreal Conditional because you are discussing imaginary situations. "When" cannot be used. Listen to the following examples: Example 1

Past Real Conditional: The Past Real Conditional describes what one used to do in particular real-life situations. It usually suggests that one's habits have changed and they do not do what they used to do. Both "if" and "when" are used in the Past Real Conditional. Using "if" suggests that something happened less frequently. Using "when" suggests that something happened regularly. 

Past Unreal Conditional: The Past Unreal Conditional is used to talk about imaginary situations in the past. One can describe what they would have done differently or how something could have happened differently if circumstances had been different - regrets and wishes. Only "if" is used with the Past Unreal Conditional because the speaker is discussing imaginary situations. "When" cannot be used.
Listen to the following example: Example 1, 

Future Real Conditional: The Future Real Conditional uses a Condition Clause and a Result Clause - the Condition Clause is in the present tense; and the Result Clause is in the future tense. Other modals besides "will" may be used, such as "might" or "can" or "must". It describes what one thinks they will do in a specific situation in the future. It is different from other Real Conditional forms because, unlike the present or the past, one does not know what will happen in the future. Although this form is called "real", the speaker is usually imagining or guessing about the future. It is called "real" because it is still possible that the action might occur in the future. The Condition Clause may begin with "If" or "Unless", and "When": "if" suggests that the speaker does not know whether something will happen or not; "when" suggests that something will definitely happen at some point - the speaker is simply waiting for it to occur. Listen to the following examples:
exampl 1; example 2; example 3

Future Unreal Conditional: The Future Unreal Conditional is used to talk about imaginary situations in the future. It is not as common as the Future Real Conditional because English speakers often leave open the possibility that anything MIGHT happen in the future. It is only used when a speaker needs to emphasize that something is impossible. The future Unreal Conditional can only be used with the "if" clause. I wish to suggest that one should actually mention the imaginary future time to which they are referring. Listen to the following examples: Example 1

Continuous Conditional: One can use continuousness to talk about imaginary situations. Unreal Conditional + Continuous form of a verb is used to discuss imaginary situations which could be happening at this/that very moment.  Continuous Unreal Conditionals can be in the Present, the Past or Future. Here is an example of a past continuous real conditional. 

Mixed Conditionals: Sometimes Unreal Conditional sentences can be mixed. This means that the time in the if-clause is not the same as the time in the result. Listen to the following examples: Example 1, example 2.

Sources: Most of the information on this page was adopted from The EnglishPage website.

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