Conditional Sentence

Conditional sentences are sentences expressing factual implications, or hypothetical situations and their consequences. They are so called because the validity of the main clause of the sentence is conditional on the existence of certain circumstances, which may be expressed in a dependent clause or may be understood from the context.

A full conditional sentence (one which expresses the condition as well as its consequences) therefore contains two clauses:

1. The conditional clause expressing the condition, called the protasis

2. The main clause expressing the consequence, called the apodosis.

If I have enough money, conditional clause	I will go to Japan.     main clause
I will go to Japan, main clause	if I have enough money     conditional clause

TYPE 1

if + Simple Present, will-Future

( If + S + V1 , S + will + V1 )

Example: If I find her address, I will send her an invitation.

Note: Main clause and / or if clause might be negative

Example: If I don’t see him this afternoon, I will phone him in the evening.

Use

Conditional Sentences Type I refer to the future. An action in the future will only happen if a certain condition is fulfilled by that time. We don't know for sure whether the condition actually will be fulfilled or not, but the conditions seems rather realistic – so we think it is likely to happen. And this type no find of fact ( open condition, what is said in the condition is possible ).

Example: If I find her address, I’ll send her an invitation.

I want to send an invitation to a friend. I just have to find her address. I am quite sure, however, that I will find it.

Example: If John has the money, he will buy a Ferrari.

I know John very well and I know that he earns a lot of money and that he loves Ferraris. So I think it is very likely that sooner or later he will have the money to buy a Ferrari.

TYPE 2

if + Simple Past, main clause with Conditional I (= would + Infinitive)

( If + S + V2 , S + would + V1 )

Example: If I found her address, I would send her an invitation.

Note: Main clause and / or if clause might be negative.

Example: If I had a lot of money, I wouldn’t stay here.

 

Were instead of Was

In IF Clauses Type II, we usually use ‚were‘ – even if the pronoun is I, he, she or it –.

Example: If I were you, I would not do this.

Use

Conditional Sentences Type II refer to situations in the present. An action could happen if the present situation were different. I don't really expect the situation to change, however. I just imagine „what would happen if …“. Type 2 have a fact because in this type have unreal (impossible) or improbable situations.

Example: If I found her address, I would send her an invitation.

I would like to send an invitation to a friend. I have looked everywhere for her address, but I cannot find it. So now I think it is rather unlikely that I will eventually find her address.

Fact : I don’t find her address so I don’t send her an invitation .

Example: If John had the money, he would buy a Ferrari.

I know John very well and I know that he doesn't have much money, but he loves Ferraris. He would like to own a Ferrari (in his dreams). But I think it is very unlikely that he will have the money to buy one in the near future.

Fact : John don’t have the money so he don’t buy Ferrari

TYPE 3

if + Past Perfect, main clause with Conditional II

( If + S + had + V3 , S + would + have + V3 )

Example: If I had found her address, I would have sent her an invitation.

Note: Main clause and / or if clause might be negative.

Example: If I hadn’t studied, I wouldn’t have passed my exams.

Use

Conditional Sentences Type III refer to situations in the past. An action could have happened in the past if a certain condition had been fulfilled ( just regret ). Things were different then, however. We just imagine, what would have happened if the situation had been fulfilled. And this type also have a fact like a type two because this condition is unreal .

Example: If I had found her address, I would have sent her an invitation.

Sometime in the past, I wanted to send an invitation to a friend. I didn't find her address, however. So in the end I didn't send her an invitation.

Fact : I didn’t find her address so I didn’t send her an invitation

Example: If John had had the money, he would have bought a Ferrari.

I knew John very well and I know that he never had much money, but he loved Ferraris. He would have loved to own a Ferrari, but he never had the money to buy one.

Fact : John didn’t have a money so he didn’t buy a Ferrari.