Speak Better English with Harry | Episode 531

Struggling with English conditionals? This lesson explains all the main types: zero, first, second, third, and mixed conditionals. You’ll learn how each structure works, when to use it, and how to avoid common mistakes.

Perfect for B1 to C1 learners, this lesson covers real-life examples so you can use conditionals naturally when speaking or writing. Whether you're preparing for an exam like IELTS or simply trying to sound more fluent, this video gives you the clear rules, practical uses, and grammar explanations you need.

By the end, you’ll understand how to talk about facts, real possibilities, imaginary situations, past regrets, and complicated conditionals with confidence.

Transcript

Hi there, this is Harry.
Welcome back to Advanced English Lessons with Harry, where I try to help you to get a better understanding of the English language, to help you with your conversational skills, your business English skills, interview skills, whatever your goals are, we're here to help.
And for those of you and your friends or family who want one-to-one lessons, well, you know what to do.
Just get in touch, www.englishlessonviaskype.com and you can apply for a free try lesson and we'll be very happy to hear from you and very happy to help you.

Contact me at info@englishlessonviaskype.com

And in this particular lesson, we're going to look at conditional tenses.
And just a little bit of a comment on them, first of all.
Conditional clauses usually consist of two parts.
You'll have the what I call the if clause or what the grammar books call the hypothesis.
It's a difficult word to pronounce.
And then we have the main clause, which is the result.
Okay, so if clause can be first or second, it doesn't really matter.
And the main clause can be first or second, as long as you keep them separate.
Okay, so if clause and then the main clause or main clause and then the if clause.
Okay, let's start with the zero conditional.
And the structure of the zero conditional is that we use it to talk about something that's always true or something about the laws of nature.
Let me give you some examples.
If you heat ice, it melts.
Simple fact.
If you heat ice, it turns to water.
It melts.
If you study hard, generally you pass exams.
If you press the button, the machine stops, or indeed starts, depending on which button you press.
And if you mix black and white, you get grey, the colour grey.
Okay, so they're statements, truisms, or facts, or something about the laws of nature.
And that's really how we use that zero conditional.
And we can also use when here instead of if.
For example, when you tickle a baby, he or she laughs.
It's easier to sleep when you are not stressed.
When babies are hungry, they cry.
And all of us who are parents will know all about that one.
When babies are hungry, they cry generally.
Okay, so again, zero conditional.
Now we can replace if with unless, usually in a negative situation.
Do your homework unless the teacher tells you not to.
Do your homework unless the teacher tells you not to.
So all good examples, zero conditional.
So let's look at the first conditional.
Okay, so this is when it gets a little bit more complicated.
Okay, so when we use the first conditional, we are talking about if plus the present, okay, okay, or if plus present continuous, present perfect.
And then we have the second clause, the main clause with the future imperative.
And then we can use can, must, should, and it's with the bare infinitive.
So that all sounds like a mouthful.
So let me give you some examples.
We use first conditional to talk about something real likely to happen in the immediate or in the present time or in the immediate future.
Okay, so if it rains, we will go to the cinema.
If it rains, we will go to the cinema.
So if it rains, if plus present simple, if it rains, then we will go to the cinema.
So we've got that bare infinitive.
We will go to the cinema.
Okay, so if it rains, we will go to the cinema.
If it doesn't rain, we'll go for a walk.
If it doesn't rain, we will go for a walk.
Exactly the same.
But it's the if clause separate from the will clause.
And you can turn it around, as I said before.
So you can say, we will go to the cinema if it rains.
We will go to the park if it doesn't rain.
So one clause first, the main clause with will, and then the if clause second, or if clause first, if it rains, we will go to the cinema.
So you have a choice to reverse them if you wish.
If he doesn't study, he will fail his exams.
If he doesn't study, he will fail his exams.
If you need money, let me know.
If you have cleaned your room, you can watch TV.
And if you're in town, you should call us or you should call me.
Okay, so there are examples of using if with different tenses.
And then in that second or the main clause, we've got that future.
And we can use can or may or might or must or should with the bare infinitive.
Never put if and will in the same clause.
That's a real no-no.
So if it's sunny, we will go to the beach.
If it's sunny, that's your if clause.
If it's sunny and your main clause, we will go to the beach.
Not if it will be sunny, we will go to the beach.
You see that often and it is a mistake.
So if it's usually followed by one of the present tenses in this first conditional, if it rains, we'll, will, we will, or we'll go to the beach.
So try and keep them separate.
And it's always a good way to check yourself.
If you see that you've got if and will in the same clause, then you're wrong.
Okay.
So you can't, and it's not a good idea to have will in two clauses.
So that's another indication that you've done something wrong.
So look for your two clauses.
If it rains, one clause.
We will go to the beach, main clause.
So make sure you have will only in one of those clauses.
Now we can also substitute if for some other words like provided or providing, so long as or as long as, or on condition that.
Let me give you some examples.
I will cook dinner provided you're home on time.
I will cook to dinner as long as you're home on time.
I will cook dinner only if you're home on time.
I will cook dinner on condition that you are home on time.
Okay, so I'm using the same sentence just to emphasize the point that we can substitute if with a number of other words, but we're still using the conditional tenses.
Now, let me give you another example when we want to be really emphatic.
My teacher thinks I will pass the exam.
My teacher thinks I would pass the exam provided I continue to work hard.
I will lend you my book or I will lend you the book as long as you promise to give it back to me.
I'll tell you what really happened only if you can keep a secret.
So they're good examples of those first conditionals where we're emphasising a point and we want to use some words to be a little bit more emphatic.
Now we can also use even if, okay, and this is used when we want to express a condition that is somewhat unexpected in certain circumstances.
For example, even if you apologise, she will never forgive you.
Even if you apologise, she'll never forgive you.
We can also use it to express alternative conditions.
I'll go to the concert whether you like it or not.
I'll go to the party whether you like it or not.
And we can also then use it when we're talking about situations like, well, let's say a fire.
We use it with a noun.
In case of fire, do not use the elevator.
In case of fire, do not use the elevator.
In case of an emergency, call 999.
In case of an emergency, call 999.
Okay, so that's all about those first conditional tenses and where we can substitute if for other words like provided as long as.
So let's look at the second conditional.
Now, when we're talking about the second conditional, just a little hint here, we're talking about the unreal future, okay?
So it's unlikely to happen in the future, but we use the past tense to describe it.
So a little bit confusing.
So when you see the past tense, it's not actually talking about the past.
It's referring to an unreal event in the future.
Okay, so it's if plus, so we always have if, if, plus the past simple or the past continuous, and then we use would, could, might, plus that bare infinitive.
Okay, so if you see will, it's not the second conditional.
If you use will, you're making a mistake.
So we use the second condition, as I said, to talk about imaginary situations contrary to the present or the facts about the present.
For example, if I were taller, I would be a basketball player.
I'm obviously not going to be any taller.
I'm obviously not going to be a basketball player.
And we're talking about the future.
If I were taller, I would be a basketball player, but we're using that past simple to describe it.
If I were taller.
And another issue about this second conditional, we usually say were instead of was, if not if I was taller.
If I were taller, I would be a basketball player.
If I won the lotto, I would quit my job and travel the world.
I would visit Paris every week if I had lots of money.
Okay, so these are all unreal situations.
Now, there is a possibility that at one stage they might, just might happen, but at the moment, they're not likely to happen.
So we're using the second conditional to describe them.
We're using the past simple or past continuous, and then it's followed in the main clause with would or could or might.
Also, if we're giving advice, we also use that second conditional.
And it starts as follows.
If I were you, I would do something.
If I were you, I would go to the doctor about that cough.
If I were you, I would call him and find out what's happening.
If I were you, I would take a taxi because the buses are on strike.
Okay, so again, giving advice to people.
And we started, if I were you, again, the use of that past tense, but we're talking about future events.
If I were you, because you're not going to be, I would take a taxi.
If I were you, I would call him.
If I were you, I would go to the doctor.
Most people use that were.
Some people try to use was.
And this is again the difference when we talk about British English and American English.
Okay, but the grammar books will tell you, and it's better to use were in that situation, only in that situation when using the second conditional.
Now, let me give you some more examples.
I would be grateful if you could deal with this matter yourself.
I would be grateful if you could deal with this matter yourself.
We would appreciate it if you could sign this form and send it back.
I would be grateful if you could give me a discount.
Okay, so these are situations where we're making polite requests for something and we're using that second conditional.
If we want to give an excuse or excuses, we can also use second conditional.
If there were more hours in the day, I would gladly help you with this.
If my health were, sorry, if my health were better, I would spend more time exercising.
If my health were better, I would spend more time exercising.
So again, they're talking about the future.
Again, we're talking about using the past to describe it.
And again, we're talking about unreal situations at that time.
If my health were better, it's not, so I can do nothing about it.
If there were more hours in the day, I would help you.
There are no more hours in the day, so I can't help you.
That's realistically what it means.
So these are unreal situations.
And we don't use unless with these unreal conditions or situations.
We only use if.
And again, the same as we had with the first conditional.
Make sure that if and would or if and could are in separate clauses.
If in the first clause, could or would in the main clause.
And again, switch them around if you wish to do so.
But just make sure you keep them separate.
And now we're going to look at the third conditional.
We've looked at zero and first conditional and second conditional.
And now we're going to look at the third conditional.
Third conditional is a little bit more tricky.
Okay.
The good news here is we're talking about the past, all right?
But we're talking about something that has happened or didn't happen and it's impossible to change it at this stage.
Okay, so always is about something that has happened in the past or didn't happen in the past and you cannot change it.
So we use if together with the past perfect, if I had done something, okay?
And then in the main clause or the second clause, we use would or could or might with the have and the past participle.
Okay, so let me give you an example of that.
So we're using the third conditional to imagine situations or actions in the past that we know are the opposite of the facts as they are.
For example, they would have heard the news if they had listened to the radio.
Well, they weren't listening to the radio.
We know they weren't.
But if they had listened to the radio, they would have heard the news.
And here in this example, we're turning them around again, as we've done with all the conditions.
It doesn't matter which clause you put first, as long as you keep that if and would or if and will separate.
So here, they would have heard the news.
So here they would have heard.
So that's your have plus your past participle.
They would have heard the news.
And then if they had listened to the radio, and that's our past perfect.
Another example, if you had left 10 minutes earlier, so here we've got if in the first clause, if you had left 10 minutes earlier, you wouldn't have missed the train.
So he didn't leave 10 minutes earlier and he did miss the train.
So if you had left, if with that past perfect, if you had left 10 minutes earlier, you wouldn't have missed, and here we have would or wouldn't in this case, plus have plus the past participle missed the train.
Okay, so we know he didn't leave 10 minutes earlier, and therefore we know that he did miss the train.
So just a rule here, if the past condition happened, we use a negative.
If it didn't happen, we use a positive.
Okay, if I hadn't got the job, I might have stayed in Glasgow.
If I hadn't got the job, I might have stayed in Glasgow.
The fact is, or the condition is it happened.
I did get the job, so I didn't stay in Glasgow.
If I had got the job, I couldn't have stayed in Glasgow.
So it means I didn't get the job, and therefore I did stay in Glasgow.
So if the past condition happened, you use a negative verb.
And if it didn't happen, then the opposite, we use a positive verb, vice versa.
Now, there is a way of writing this third conditional, which is often used in books and often used as a more literary style.
So had the film been released after the pandemic, it might have been more successful.
So it's here we're saying had the film, it just means if the film had been released.
It's the other way to write it, but in literary terms, it can often look more attractive if we write it and say it this way.
Had the film been released after the pandemic, it might have been more successful.
If the film had been released after the pandemic, it might have been more successful.
We usually don't use it in a speaking way because it's more of a literary or it's more for writing.
Now, I've got one more part of the conditionals to look at, and these are mixed conditions.
Now, these are not used so often, and they're really at that upper intermediate and beyond.
So don't worry if you don't understand them or you don't get to use them.
In fact, you might not even see them so often, but they can be used in exams at C1, C2 level in particular.
But you don't often hear them.
But let me give them to you anyway, and then you can, at least you know, you've read them.
But focus more on the zero, first, second, and third.
So these are less common patterns when we talk about conditional tenses.
And as I said, we call them mixed conditions.
And they can be mixed in different ways.
So the first one will be mixing the past to the present conditional.
Okay, so we've got if plus past perfect, and then a result, which is would plus the infinitive.
If I had learnt to play the violin, I could give music lessons now.
If I had learned to play the violin, I could give music lessons now.
The fact is, I didn't learn how to play the violin, and therefore I cannot give music lessons now.
But if I had learned to play the violin, so that's if plus our past perfect, I could give music lessons now, and that's mixing it to a present condition, okay?
Or if we had missed the bus, we wouldn't be here to celebrate Christmas.
The fact is we didn't miss the bus, and yeah, here we are on your doorstep enjoying and visiting for Christmas.
Okay, so if we had missed the bus, we wouldn't be here to celebrate Christmas.
And then the second one is to mix the present to the past conditional, so the reverse.
And it's the if plus past simple, and then the result could or would with the have and the past participle.
If we knew more about the software now, if we knew more about the software now, we wouldn't have had to call the helpline.
If we knew more about the software, so if plus the past simple, if we knew more about the software, we wouldn't have had, that's our have plus our past participle, we wouldn't have had to call the helpline.
Okay.
Now, the fact is we didn't know, so we had to, we had no choice.
You could have gone to study computer science if you were better at maths.
So again, if you were better at maths, you could have gone to study computer science.
Fact is, you weren't.
Okay.
And then the third one is to mix past to future conditional.
Okay.
So it's the if plus past simple and then a future result, usually using will.
So for example, if they left at midday on Monday, they will be here by lunchtime tomorrow.
So here you can see we're moving to the future and we're using will.
If they left at midday on Monday, they will be here by lunchtime tomorrow.
All right, so that's the third option, which is I said the mixed past to future conditional.
And then one last one, when we have the mixed past to the past or the present conditional.
For example, if you gave him all your money, you've made a big mistake.
If you gave him all your all your money, you've made a big mistake because he's probably spent it.
If you gave him all your money, you've made a big mistake.
It's if plus that past symbol, if you gave him all your money, you've made, this is your present perfect, a big mistake.
Okay, so that's all of those conditionals.
Zero, first, second, third, and then just as we've covered now, mixed conditionals.
As I say, I'll just highlight again with the mixed conditionals.
You're not going to see them so often if you're at sort of intermediate or upper intermediate.
You'll see them when you get beyond that to advanced levels.
You need to know them and understand them, but you'll recognise them when you see them.
They'll be a bit unusual.
They're not the same as any of the other conditionals.
But don't worry if you don't understand them fully.
Check it out in a grammar book.
Check it out on my course.
Okay, thanks for listening to this particular lesson.
Join me for the next one.