El uso del condicional significa que una acción depende de otra. Los condicionales se utilizan para hablar sobre situaciones reales o irreales. En general, las frases condicionales llevan la palabra “if” (si).
Ten en cuenta que no existe un tiempo verbal para el condicional en inglés como existe en español. A la vez, se usa el verbo auxiliar “would” para formar el condicional en inglés.
Hay cuatro tipos de frases condicionales y el uso de uno u otro refleja la probabilidad de la acción.
Conditional Types (Tipos de los condicionales)
Zero Conditional (Tipo 0)
Se usa este tipo de condicional cuando la condición y el resultado siempre es verdad, como por ejemplo los hechos científicos.
| IF |
Condition |
Result |
| If |
present simple |
present simple |
Ejemplos:
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If you heat water to 100° C, it boils. / Water boils if you heat it to 100° C.(Si calientas agua a 100 ° C hierve.)
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If I don’t practice the piano everyday I play poorly. / I play the piano poorly if I don’t practice everyday.(Si no practico el piano cada día toco mal.)
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Does your mom get mad if you don’t call her? / If you don’t call your mom, does she get mad?(¿Si no llamas a tu madre, se enoja?)
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Nota: Podemos cambiar el orden de las frases sin cambiar el significado. También, en general con este tipo de condicional, podemos sustituir “if” por “when” sin alterar el significado.
First Conditional (Tipo 1)
Este tipo de condicional se utiliza para el futuro y en los casos en que es muy probable que la condición pasará.
| IF |
Condition |
Result |
| If |
present simple |
future simple (“will”) |
Ejemplos:
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If Bill studies, he will pass the exam. / Bill will pass the exam if he studies.(Si Bill estudia, aprobará el examen.)
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If it doesn’t rain, we will go to the beach. / We will go to the beach if it doesn’t rain.(Si no llueve, iremos a la playa.)
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Will you take the train if you miss the bus? If you miss the bus, will you take the train?(¿Cogerás el tren si pierdes el bus?)
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Nota: Se pueden usar algunos verbos modales en vez de “
will” para cambiar la probabilidad o expresar una opinión. Para más información, ver la lección sobre los
verbos modales.
Ejemplos:
| |
If it doesn’t rain, we may go to the beach.(Significado: Con el uso de “may”, el significado de esta frase cambia. Ahora, el hablante reconoce que puede ir a la playa, pero no está tan seguro de si irá.)
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If it doesn’t rain, we should go to the beach.(Significado: En este caso, el uso de “should” expresa la opinión del hablante.)
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If it doesn’t rain, we can go to the beach.(Significado: “Can” significa que es posible ir a la playa, pero no indica la probabilidad.)
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Nota: Se pueden usar algunos verbos modales en vez de “will” para cambiar la probabilidad o expresar una opinión. Para más información, ver la lección sobre los verbos modales.
Ejemplos:
| |
If it doesn’t rain, we may go to the beach.(Significado: Con el uso de “may”, el significado de esta frase cambia. Ahora, el hablante reconoce que puede ir a la playa, pero no está tan seguro de si irá.)
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If it doesn’t rain we should go to the beach.(Significado: En este caso, el uso de “should” expresa la opinión del hablante.)
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If it doesn’t rain we can go to the beach.(Significado: “Can” significa que es posible ir a la playa, pero no indica la probabilidad.)
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Second Conditional (Tipo 2)
Se utiliza el tipo 2 para expresar una posibilidad irreal en el presente, como un deseo o un sueño, o para una acción en el futuro no tan probable.
| IF |
Condition |
Result |
| If |
past simple |
“would” + infinitivo |
Ejemplos:
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If I won the lottery, I would travel around the world. / I would travel around the world if I won the lottery.(Si ganara la lotería, viajaría alrededor del mundo.)
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If Rachel had more time, she would learn to play the guitar. / Rachel would learn to play the guitar if she had more time.(Si Rachel tuviera más tiempo, aprendería a tocar la guitarra.)
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Would you be happy if you were to get married? / If you were to get married, would you be happy?(¿Estarías feliz si te casaras?)
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Nota: Como en el tipo 1, se pueden usar otros verbos modales en vez de “would” para cambiar el significado y la posibilidad.
Third Conditional (Tipo 3)
A diferencia a los tipos 1 y 2, se utiliza el tercer tipo de condicional cuando hablamos de una condición en el pasado que no ha sucedido.
| IF |
Condition |
Result |
| If |
past perfect |
“would have” + past participle |
Ejemplos:
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If I had known then what I know now, I would have done things differently. / I would have done things differently if I had known then what I know now.(Si hubiera sabido en el pasado lo que sé ahora, habría hecho las cosas de manera diferente.)
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Suzanne wouldn’t have had the heart attack if she had gone on a diet as her doctor recommended. / If Suzanne had gone on a diet as her doctor recommended she wouldn’t have had the heart attack.(Suzanne no hubiera tenido el infarto si hubiera hecho dieta como su médico le recomendó.)
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Would you have liked to go to university if you had been able to afford it? / If you had been able to afford it, would you have liked to go to university?(¿Te habría gustado ir a la universidad si te lo hubieras permitido pagar?)
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Nota: Como en los tipos 1 y 2, se pueden usar otros verbos modales en vez de “would” para cambiar el significado y la probabilidad.
The use of the conditional implies that one action in a sentence depends on the other. The conditionals are used to speak about both real and imaginary situations. Conditional sentences are also known as “if clauses”.
Keep in mind that there is no conditional verb tense in English as there is in other languages. Instead, we use the auxiliary verb "would*" to form the conditional*.
There are four types of conditional sentences and the use of one type over the other reflects the probability of the dependent action happening.
Conditional Types
Zero Conditional
The zero conditional is used when the condition and the results are always true, such as with scientific facts.
| IF |
Condition |
Result |
| if |
present simple |
present simple |
| |
If you heat water to 100° C, it boils. / Water boils if you heat it to 100° C.
|
| |
If I don’t practice the piano everyday I play poorly. / I play the piano poorly if I don’t practice everyday.
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Does your mom get mad if you don’t call her? / If you don’t call your mom, does she get mad?
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Note: We can change the order of the clauses without changing the meaning. Also, with this type of conditional, we can substitute “when” for “if” without changing the meaning.
First Conditional
We use the first conditional for expressing the future and in cases when the condition is very likely to occur.
| IF |
Condition |
Result |
| if |
present simple |
future simple (“will”) |
| |
If Bill studies, he will pass the exam. / Bill will pass the exam if he studies.
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| |
If it doesn’t rain, we will go to the beach. / We will go to the beach if it doesn’t rain.
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Will you take the train if you miss the bus? / If you miss the bus, will you take the train?
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Note: We can use certain modal verbs instead of “
will” to change the probability of the condition or to express an opinion. For more information, see the lesson on
modal verbs.
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If it doesn’t rain, we may go to the beach.(Meaning: With the use of “may”, the meaning of this sentence changes. The speaker here recognizes that they can go to the beach, but they are not sure if they will.)
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If it doesn’t rain, we should go to the beach.(Meaning: In this case, the use of “should” expresses the opinion of the speaker.)
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If it doesn’t rain, we can go to the beach.(Meaning: “Can” here indicates that it is possible to go to the beach, but says nothing of the probability.)
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Note: We can use certain modal verbs instead of “will” to change the probability of the condition or to express an opinion. For more information, see the lesson on modal verbs.
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If it doesn’t rain, we may go to the beach.(Meaning: With the use of “may”, the meaning of this sentence changes. The speaker here recognizes that they can go to the beach, but they are not sure if they will.)
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If it doesn’t rain we should go to the beach.(Meaning: In this case, the use of “should” expresses the opinion of the speaker.)
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If it doesn’t rain we can go to the beach.(Meaning: “Can” here indicates that it is possible to go to the beach, but says nothing of the probability.)
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Second Conditional
The second conditional is used to express an unreal possibility in the present, such as a wish or dream, or for an action in the future that is not very probable.
| IF |
Condition |
Result |
| If |
past simple |
“would” + infinitive |
| |
If I won the lottery, I would travel around the world. / I would travel around the world if I won the lottery.
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| |
If Rachel had more time, she would learn to play the guitar. / Rachel would learn to play the guitar if she had more time.
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Would you be happy if you were to get married? / If you were to get married, would you be happy?
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Note: As with the first conditional, we can use other modal verbs instead of “would” to change the meaning or possibility of the clause.
Third Conditional
As opposed to the first and second conditionals, the third conditional is used to speak about a condition in the past that has not occurred.
| IF |
Condition |
Result |
| If |
past perfect |
“would have” + past participle |
| |
If I had known then what I know now, I would have done things differently. / I would have done things differently if I had known then what I know now.
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| |
Suzanne wouldn’t have had the heart attack if she had gone on a diet as her doctor recommended. / If Suzanne had gone on a diet as her doctor recommended she wouldn’t have had the heart attack.
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Would you have liked to go to university if you had been able to afford it? / If you had been able to afford it, would you have liked to go to university?
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Note: As with the first and second conditionals, we can use other modal verbs instead of “would” to change the meaning or possibility of the clause.
