Conditional Sentences

(Kalimat Pengandaian/ Kalimat Bersyarat)

A conditional sentence is based on the word ‘if’. There are always two parts to a conditional sentence – one part
beginning with ‘if’ to describe a possible situation, and the second part which describes the consequence.
A conditional sentence is a sentence that expresses a condition (syarat). A condition is something that can only
happen “if something else occurs. There are five types of conditional sentences in English. They are :
1. Zero Conditional Sentences.
2. Conditional sentence type 1/ open conditional sentence
3. Conditional sentence type 2
4. Conditional sentence type 3
5. Mixed type conditional sentences
Zero Conditional Sentences

If Simple Present , Simple Present OR Simple Present If Simple present

If Simple present , Imperative clause OR Imperative clause , if simple present tense

We use the zero conditional to talk about permanent truths, such as scientific facts, and general habits.

Examples:
 If you heat water to 100°, it boils.
 If you eat a lot, you put on weight.
 If it doesn’t rain for a long time, the earth gets very dry.
 If we go out with friends, we normally go to a restaurant.
 If I’m tired, I go to bed early.

NB : Imperative clauses ( command ,order, instruction, direction, advice, suggestion , encouragement , wishes )

Conditional sentence type 1 ( Common Pattern )

Conditional sentence type 1 shares the result of situation in the future that we think is pretty likely to happen. Its form
uses a conditional clause in the present simple, and the main clause in the future tense. Here are some examples:

If Simple Present , Simple Future or Simple Future if Simple Present

Examples:
 If I sleep now, I will be up all night.
 If you do not come, I will not go to the party.
 If you don't drop the gun, I'll shoot!
 If you don't leave, I'll call the police.
 We will stay at home if it rains..
 She will get angry if I‘m late for the party.
 If we get the money for this job, we will buy a new car.
 Will you help Amanda if she asks you?
 If he doesn't hurry, he will be late.
 If we go by train, it will be cheaper.
 Who will you invite if you give a party?

Variant tenses in “If clauses”

 In some cases, present continuous tense, present perfect tense and present perfect continuous tense can be used in ‘If
clause‘

Examples:
 If he is still talking on the phone, I will tell him to hang up the phone.
 If you are looking for Peter, you can find him upstairs .
 If you are seeing the doctor at 10:00, you'll need to leave now.
 If she is studying in her room now, I will be very happy
 If my mother has cooked the meal, I’ll eat my food.
 If I have done my homework, my teacher won’t be angry with me.
 If you've finished the work I gave you, you may go home now.
 If she has been studying since 9 o’clock, she will need to take a break.
 If you have been playing with your cell phone for the whole day, you can suffer from depression,
headache and sleep loss and Teen Tendonitis
 Variant tenses in “main clauses/ independent clause”
Examples
 If he's late again, I'll be very angry.
 If he is accepted, he will be studying in Atlanta next year.
 If they begin now, they will have finished their term paper next month.

If you want, we can use modals in both ‘ıf clause’ and ‘main clause’ or you can use modals only in one part.
Examples:
 If I can sleep early, I can get up early.
 If you can speak English, you will find jobs easily.
 If there should be a chaos in the country, it may affect the country economically.
 If anyone should ask for me, I’ll be at the meeting.
 If I must do that, I will do.

In type 1 conditional sentences, you can also use modals in the main clause instead of the future tense to
express the degree of certainty, permission, advice or a recommendation about the outcome.
Examples :
 If you drop that glass, it might break.
 I may finish that letter if I have time.
 If he calls you, you should go.
 If you buy my school supplies for me, I will be able to go to the park.
 If you're annoyed with him, you should / ought to / had better tell him.
 You must / have to study hard if you want to pass the exam.
 If you are late, you must take a taxi.
 If you're coming clubbing with us tonight, you'd better get ready now.

Conditional sentence type 2 ( Common Pattern )

The second conditional is a structure used to talk about impossible or imaginary /unreal situations in the present
or in the future or unlikely situations:

If Simple Past , Past Future or Past Future If Simple Past

Examples
 If I were an animal, I’d be a tiger. (impossible/ something can not be done / can not be true)
 What would you do if you had a billion dollars? (imaginary)
 What would you do if you were fluent in English? (imaginary)
 If Americans ate less fast food, they’d be healthier. (unlikely/improbable)/unexpected apparently inauthentic)

In ‘If Clauses Type 2’, we usually use ‘were’ which is past form of ‘to be’ instead of ‘was’ although the pronoun is
‘I, he, she or it’.
Examples:
 If I were you, I wouldn’t marry with him.
 If she were ill, she couldn’t attend the meeting.
 If it weren’t snowy, I would go out.

The future form looks the same as the present form. The future is indicated with words such as "tomorrow," "next
week" or "in a couple of days."
Examples
 If I were waiting there next week when he gets off the plane, he would be totally surprised.
But I will not be waiting there, so he won't be surprised.
 If Jack were playing, they would probably win.
 If he were staying in that hotel next week while the conference is being held, he might be able to meet some of the
key speakers and tell them about our new product.
I don't think he will be able to stay at the hotel, so he won't be able to meet anybody there.

Variant tenses in main clause

Examples
 If I were able to go to the train station tonight to meet Sandra, I would be standing on the platform waiting for her
when she arrives.
I won't be able to go to the train station, so I will not be standing there when she arrives.
 If you went over to Paul's house after work, he would probably be sitting there at his computer surfing the
Internet. But you won't go over.
 She would still be correcting my grammar if she were still alive.
 If I weren’t watching TV now, I would be playing football.
I am watching TV, but I am imagining an alternative activity I would be doing if I wasn’t watching TV.

If you want, we can use modals in both ‘ıf clause’ and ‘main clause’ or you can use modals only in one part.
Examples:
 If I had enough experience for the job, the boss could hire him.
 If I could speak English very well, I would look for a job in foreign companies.
 If I understood what the teacher said, I could tell you.

In conditional sentences Type 2, one or two of the clauses can be negative

Examples:
 If I woke up late, I wouldn’t I be aware of what happened.
 If my mother did not remind me, I would forget my worksheet at home.
 If she were angry, she wouldn’t not talk to us.

Using conditional sentences Type2 in questions

Examples:
 What would happen if humans disappeared?
 What would we do firstly if a fire broke out?
 Would you cry if he left you?
 What would happen if you didn’t drink water?
 What would you do if you learned that you had a bad illness?

We can use modals other than would in the main clause of a sentence in conditional type 2 sentences.
Examples
 If no one was late, we could start the meeting on time. (ability)
 If you asked George, he might be able to help you. (possibility)
 If I had one more chance, I would try to find out where I made the mistake.

Subject + would is often contracted in spoken and written English: I’d, you’d, she’d, he’d, we’d, they’d.
Example:
 If you lost time, you would ( you’d ) miss the bus.

Conditional sentence type 3 ( Common Pattern)

We use the third conditional to talk about impossible situations, as in the second conditional, in the
past. We often use the third conditional to describe regrets. It talks about the past. It's used to describe a
situation that didn't happen, and to imagine the result of this situation.

If Past Perfect , Past Future Perfect or Past Future Perfect if Past Perfect
Examples :

 If I hadn't eaten so much, I wouldn't have felt sick (but I did eat a lot, and so I did feel sick).
 If we had taken a taxi, we wouldn't have missed the plane
 She wouldn't have been tired if she had gone to bed earlier
 She would have become a teacher if she had gone to university
 He would have been on time for the interview if he had left the house at nine
 If she had studied, she would have passed the exam (but, really we know she didn't study and so she didn't pass)

Variant tenses in “if clause “

Past Unreal Conditional + Continuous is used to discuss imaginary situations happening at a very specific time in
the past or over a period of time in the past.

 If I had been talking to him when he said that, I would have punched him in the face.
But I wasn't talking to him when he said that.
 If he had been standing near the house when the wall collapsed, it would have killed him.
Luckily, he moved away before the wall fell.
 If James had been crossing the street when the car ran the red light, it would have hit him.
 If Tom had been studying while Becky was making dinner, he would have finished his homework early and they
could have gone to the movie.

Variant tenses in main clause

 If you had gone to his house last night, he would have been sitting on his couch in front of the TV.
But you didn't go to his house, so you didn't see what he was doing.
 If she had missed her train, he would have been waiting for her at the station for hours.
Luckily, she caught her train and he didn't have to wait..
 If James hadn't stopped to tie his shoe, he would have been crossing the street when the car ran the red light.
 If you had gone to their house last night, Bob would have been reading the newspaper, Nancy would have been
talking on the phone and the kids would have been watching TV. They always do the same things.
 Mixed Type Conditional Sentences
When we talk about mixed conditionals, we are referring to conditional sentences that combine two different types of
conditional patterns. These combinations are not all that frequent, but the most common combination is when we have
a type 3 conditional in the if-clause (if + past perfect) followed by a type 2 conditional (would + infinitive) in the main
clause.

 Mixed third / second conditional

Mixed Conditional Patterns

Unreal Past Condition with Unreal Present Result

PAST PRESENT

With this combination we are contrasting an imagined or real event in the past with the present result of that. Consider
these examples:

 If he'd taken the medication as prescribed, he wouldn't still be lying sick in bed.
(But I didn’t take the medication as prescribed, so I am lying sick in bed .)
 If I had won the lottery, I would be rich.
(But I didn’t win the lottery, so I am not rich .
 If she had been born in the United States, she wouldn't need to learn English.
( But I wasn’t born in the United States, so I need to learn English )
 If I had worked harder at school, I would have a better job now.
(But I didn’t work harder at school, so I don’t do a better job now )
 If we had looked at the map we wouldn't be lost.
(But I didn’t look at the map, so I am lost .

Unreal Past Condition with Unreal Future Result

PAST FUTURE

Examples:

 If she had signed up for the ski trip last week, she would be joining us tomorrow.
But she didn't sign up for the ski trip last week and she isn't going to join us tomorrow.
 If Mark had gotten the job instead of Joe, he would be moving to Shanghai.
But Mark didn't get the job and Mark is not going to move to Shanghai.
 If Darren hadn't wasted his Christmas bonus gambling in Las Vegas, he would go to Mexico with us next
month.
But Darren wasted his Christmas bonus gambling in Las Vegas and he won't go to Mexico with us next month.

 mixed second / third conditional

Unreal Present Condition with Unreal Past Result

PRESENT PAST
The other possibility, though I think this is less common, is when we have a type 2 conditional in the if-clause (if + past
simple) followed by a type 3 conditional (would've + past participle) in the main clause. These mixed conditional
sentences refer to an unreal present situation and its probable (but unreal) past result
 Examples
 If you weren't such a poor dancer, you would've got a job in the chorus line in that musical.
 If she were not afraid of flying, she wouldn't have travelled by boat.
 I'd have been able to translate the letter in Mandarin if my Mandarin were better.
 If I were rich, I would have bought that Ferrari we saw yesterday.
 If I didn't have to work so much, I would have gone to the party last night.
 If I were rich, I would have bought that Ferrari we saw yesterday.

Unreal Future Condition with Unreal Past Result

FUTURE PAST

Examples:

 If I weren't going on my business trip next week, I would have accepted that new assignment at work.
But I am going to go on a business trip next week, and that is why I didn't accept that new assignment at work.
 If my parents weren't coming this weekend, I would have planned a nice trip just for the two of us to Napa
Valley.
But my parents are going to come this weekend, and that is why I didn't plan a trip for the two of us to Napa
Valley.
 If Donna weren't making us a big dinner tonight, I would have suggested that we go to that nice Italian
restaurant.
But she is going to make us a big dinner tonight, and that is why I didn't suggest that we go to that nice Italian
restaurant.

Second Type with Unreal Condition and Unreal Future Result

PRESENT FUTURE

Examples:

 If I didn't have so much vacation time, I wouldn't go with you on the cruise to Alaska next week.
(But I do have a lot of vacation time and I will go on the trip next week.)
 If Cindy were more creative, the company would send her to New York to work on the new advertising campaign.
(But Cindy is not creative and the company won't send her to New York to work on the new campaign.)
 If Dan weren't so nice, he wouldn't be tutoring you in math tonight.
(But Dan is nice and he is going to tutor you tonight.)

Second Type with Unreal Future Condition and Unreal Present Result
FUTURE PRESENT

Examples:

 If I were going to that concert tonight, I would be very excited.

But I am not going to go to that concert tonight and that is why I am not excited.
 If Sandy were giving a speech tomorrow, she would be very nervous.
But Sandy is not going to give a speech tomorrow and that is why she in not nervous.
 If Shandra didn't come with us to the desert, everyone would be very disappointed.
But Shandra will come with us to the desert and that is why everyone is so happy.
Replacing if
When
“WHEN ”is used for things that you are sure to happen, also known as zero conditional) . However ,“IF ”is used
for things that you are not sure to happen.( Conditional type 1)
 If you heat ice, it melts. = When you heat ice, it melt
 When I see Sam, I’ll give him your message
 If I see Sam, I’ll give him your message. (I’m not sure if I will see him or not) if is used for something
that, according to the speaker, might happen.
 We can/will spend the afternoon on the beach if the weather is fine.

In case is used to describe what you should do in a particular situation, especially on official notices

 Leave home early in case there is too much traffic.

 We need another plan in case this one doesn't work.
 Keep contact with them in case we need their help.
 Get some money in case you need to buy something

Sometimes we need to impose specific conditions or set limits on a situation. In these cases, conditional clauses can begin
with phrases such as as long as, so long as, that, providing (that), provided (that) only if, on condition that.
The expressions providing, provided that and as long as and so long as, on condition that have very similar meanings and
are usually interchangeable.

 I don't mind having a dog in the house so long as it's clean

 You can play in the living room as long as you don’t make a mess.

 As long as the criticism is honestly given and doesn't get personal, I can mind it.

 You can stay here so long as you keep quiet.

 You can get a senior citizen’s reduction providing you’ve got a rail card.

 They may do whatever they like provided that it is within the law.

 He's welcome to come along, provided that he behaves himself.

 The bank lent the company 100,000 pounds on condition that they repaid the money within six months.

Only if makes the condition more restrictive: Only if' means 'only one condition happens".
Examples
 Acetaminophen is dangerous to children only if dosage is too high.
 Only if you study hard can you be successful.
(You can be successful only if you study hard)
 Only if she promises me will I let her go home.
 Only if we are members can we enter.

Even if focuses that something will happen, would happen or would have happened in any case or condition. This
conjunction emphasizes that a specific situation will continue no matter what happens.

 Even if you take a taxi, you'll still miss your train.

 (It is impossible to catch the train no matter what you do including taking a taxi.)

 Even if it is rainy, we will play football.

(We will play football in any condition including rain.)

 I wouldn't go into that lake even if I were a perfect swimmer.

Supposing (that)
Supposing may be used with a conditional meaning. It can be used in first, second or third conditional sentences.
The speaker invites the listener to imagine a situation:
Supposing I don’t arrive till after midnight, will the guest-house still be open? (Imagine if I don’t arrive till
after midnight …)
 Supposing you lost your passport, you’d have to go to the embassy, wouldn’t you?
 Supposing he hadn’t recognized us – he might never have spoken to us.

Unless is frequently presented as an alternative to IF...NOT, and some English course books give exercises in
which learners must change one form into the other, with the [sometimes explicit] idea that there is no difference in
meaning between such utterances as:
 My parents would have been unhappy if I hadn't gone to university.
 My parents would have been unhappy unless I had gone to university.

Or and otherwise
We often use or and otherwise with conditional meanings:
You’ve got to start studying, or you’ll fail all those exams. (If you don’t start studying, you will fail the exams.)
[talking about sending a package by mail]
We’d better send it express, otherwise it’ll take days. (If we do not send it express, it will take days.)

INVERTED CONDITIONAL SENTENCES

You can have a conditional clause using "should" "had", "were", instead of using a conjunction.
 Should any of the clauses contain a mistake, please advise us immediately" (If any of the clauses...)
 Were I to seek revenge, it wouldn't make me feel any better." (If I were to seek...)
 Had I known the circumstances, I wouldn't have criticized her." (If I had known...)