Grammar Reference
Grammar Reference
First conditional is used to talk about a possible future condition and its result.
| If (condition) | + present simple | + will (result) | + verb |
|---|---|---|---|
| If | it snows | we'll | go skiing. |
| it doesn't snow | we won't |
Second conditional is used to talk about an improbable or impossible condition and its result.
| If (improbable condition) | + past simple | + would (result) | + verb |
|---|---|---|---|
| If | I lived in Rome | I'd | learn Italian quickly. |
| I didn't live in London |
Third conditional is used to talk about an unreal situation in the past and to imagine the hypothetical results of this action. Both the condition and the result are now impossible.
| If (unreal/impossible condition) | + past perfect | + would have (imagined result) | + past participle |
|---|---|---|---|
| If | we had had a race | I'd have | won. |
| I hadn’t had a bad leg |