CONDITIONAL FORMS
Present Conditionals
Present Real Conditional
FORM
[If /
When ... Simple Present ..., ... Simple Present ...]
[...
Simple Present ... if / when ... Simple Present ...]
USE
The Present Real
Conditional is used to talk about what you normally do in real-life situations.
Examples:
- If
I go to a friend's house for dinner, I usually take a
bottle of wine or some flowers.
- When
I have a day off from work, I often go to
the beach.
- If
the weather is nice, she walks to work.
- Jerry helps me
with my homework when he has time.
- I read if
there is nothing on TV.
- A:
What do you do when it rains?
B: I stay at home. - A:
Where do you stay if you go to Sydney?
B: I stay with my friends near the harbor.
IMPORTANT If / When
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.
Examples:
- When I have a day off from work, I
usually go to the beach.
I regularly have days off from work. - If I have a day off from work, I
usually go to the beach.
I rarely have days off from work.
FORM
[If
... Simple Past ..., ... would + verb ...]
[...
would + verb ... if ... Simple Past ...]
USE
The Present Unreal
Conditional is used to talk about what you would generally do in imaginary
situations.
Examples:
- If
I owned a car, I would drive to work.
But I don't own a car.
- She would
travel around the world if she had more money.
But she doesn't have much money.
- I would
read more if I didn't watch so much TV.
- Mary would
move to Japan if she spoke Japanese.
- If
they worked harder, they would earn more
money.
- A:
What would you do if you won the
lottery?
B: I would buy a house. - A:
Where would you live if you moved to
the U.S.?
B: I would live in Seattle.
EXCEPTION If I were ...
In the Present Unreal Conditional,
the form "was" is not considered grammatically correct. In written
English or in testing situations, you should always use "were."
However, in everyday conversation, "was" is often used.
Examples:
- If
he were French, he would live in Paris.
- If
she were rich, she would buy a yacht.
- I
would play basketball if I were taller.
- I
would buy that computer if it were cheaper.
- I
would buy that computer if it was cheaper. Not
Correct (But often said in conversation.)
IMPORTANT Only use
"If"
Only the word "if"
is used with the Present Unreal Conditional because you are discussing
imaginary situations. "When" cannot be used.
Examples:
- I
would buy that computer when it were cheaper. Not
Correct
- I
would buy that computer if it were cheaper. Correct
EXCEPTION Conditional
with Modal Verbs
There
are some special conditional forms for modal verbs in English:
would
+ can = could
would
+ shall = should
would
+ may = might
The
words "can," "shall" and "may" cannot be used
with "would." Instead, they must be used in these special forms.
Examples:
- If
I went to Egypt, I would can learn Arabic. Not
Correct
- If
I went to Egypt, I could learn Arabic. Correct
- If
she had time, she would may go to the party. Not
Correct
- If
she had time, she might go to the party. Correct
The
words "could," should," "might" and "ought
to" include conditional, so you cannot combine them with
"would."
Examples:
- If I had more time, I would
could exercise after work. Not Correct
- If
I had more time, I could exercise after work. Correct
- If he invited you, you really would
should go. Not Correct
- If
he invited you, you really should go. Correct
This topic to me is more complex because all the conditionals are similar but not equal, however the tutorial is a good help, it explain very well each conditional showing the forms, uses, examples and some tips.
ReplyDeleteI learn that we use present real conditional when you're going to talk about what you normally do in real-life situtations. In present unreal conditional as its name says you used to talk about what you would generally do in imaginary situations, the word IF is so important because you put it to discuss imaginary situations.
Present and past continuous is the same, but in the future real conditional refers "real" because you are usually imagining or guessing about the future. Future unreal conditional is only used when a speaker needs to emphasize that something is impossible. There are 3 different ways to use this future unreal conditional.
The continuous conditional is used with present, past and future unreal conditional.
This english page help us a lot to understand complex topics like this: conditionals. We learn in a different way, but interesting and funny.