Conditional Tutorial

There are two kinds of conditional sentences: real and unreal. Real Conditional describes real-life situations. Unreal Conditional describes unreal, imaginary situations. Although the various conditional forms might seem quite abstract at first, they are actually some of the most useful structures in English and are commonly included in daily conversations. If you prefer to use the conditional pages as a reference only and do not want to complete the tutorial, Click Here.

The tutorial should be completed as follows:

1. Read this introduction page.

2. Prepare for the exercises by reading the descriptions of the different conditional forms.

TOPICS COVERED

“If” vs. “When”

Present Unreal Conditional


Present Real Conditional and Present Unreal Conditional


Past Unreal Conditional


Past Real Conditional and Past Unreal Conditional


Present Unreal Conditional and Past Unreal Conditional


Future Real Conditional


Future Real Conditional and Future Unreal Conditional


Continuous Conditional Forms


Mixed Conditionals

“Were to” in Past, Present and Future

All Conditional Forms

Conditional Overview with Examples

Future in the Past

Like Simple Future, Future in the Past has two different forms in English: “would” and “was going to.” Although the two forms can sometimes be used interchangeably, they often express two different meanings.

FORM Would

[would + VERB]

FORM Was/Were Going To

[was/were + going to + VERB]

USE 1 Future in Past

Future in the Past is used to express the idea that in the past you thought something would happen in the future. It does not matter if you are correct or not. Future in the Past follows the same basic rules as the Simple Future. “Would” is used to volunteer or promise, and “was going to” is used to plan. Moreover, both forms can be used to make predictions about the future.

REMEMBER No Future in Time Clauses

Like all future forms, Future in the Past cannot be used in clauses beginning with time expressions such as: when, while, before, after, by the time, as soon as, if, unless, etc. Instead of using Future in the Past, you must use Simple Past.

ACTIVE / PASSIVE

More About Active / Passive Forms

Would Always

FORM

[would always + VERB]

USE 1 Habit in the Past

Like “used to” and Simple Past, “would always” expresses the idea that something was an old habit which stopped in the past. It says that an action was often repeated in the past, but it is not usually done now. Unlike “used to” and Simple Past, “would always” suggests that someone willingly acted that way and sometimes expresses annoyance or amusement at the habit. It also often suggests the habit was extreme. To express the opposite idea, we can say “would never” to indicate that someone never did something in the past, but now they do.

REMEMBER “Would Always” is Different

“Would always” is not exactly the same as “used to” or the Simple Past. “Would always” cannot be used to talk about past facts or generalizations. It can only be used for repeated actions.

Forms Related to “Would Always”

In addition to “would always,” English speakers often use “would constantly,” “would often,” “would forever” or simply “would.” Although the last form “would” is correct, it is not suggested because it can easily be confused with other verb forms such as the Conditional or Future in the Past. Similarly, speakers can use “would rarely,” “would occasionally” and “would seldom” to express the idea that an action was not often repeated.

ACTIVE / PASSIVE

More About Active / Passive Forms