CONDITIONAL SENTENCES Grammar

ZERO CONDITIONAL: Para resultados habituales y reglas de la naturaleza.

IF + PRESENTE..........., PRESENTE

                      Ejemplo: If you mix water and oil, oil floats

FIRST CONDITIONAL: Para situaciones reales o posibles.

                          

IF + PRESENTE........., FUTURE  (WILL / BE GOING TO)

                            Ejemplos: If I don’t see Mark, I’ll phone him.

                             If you keep driving like that, you’re going to have an accident.

                                  If you are looking for Peter, you´ll find him upstairs.

                                              Pr. Cont.

                             If you have finished dinner, I´ll ask the waiter for the bill.

                                          Pr. Perfect

IF + PRESENTE........., IMPERATIVO

                                Ejemplo: If you see Helen, give her the message.

      

MAY                                             IF + PRESENTE.........,     CAN     +  Infinitive                                                                                       MUST                                                                                     SHOULD

                              Ejemplo: If there are some clouds, it may rain.

                                If you want to lose weight, you should eat less bread.

IF + SHOULD        +          IMPERATIVE                                              HAPPEN TO              FUTURE

               Ejemplo:  If Tom should phone, tell him I´ll phone him back.

                                If you happen to get the job, will you move to Australia?

SECOND CONDITIONAL: Para situaciones hipotéticas o improbables.

IF + PASADO ..........,...............CONDICIONAL SIMPLE                                                                                     WOULD                                                                                      COULD        + Infinitive                                                                                      SHOULD                                                                                      MIGHT

                       

                                     Ejemplo: If I knew the answer, I’d tell you.

                                     If I was having a party, I wouldn’t invite Marcia.

*VERB BE usually takes the form WERE for all persons, though WAS is used in everyday speech.                                         

                               Ejemplo: If I were rich, I would buy a very big house.

IF + WERE TO (Infinitive)..........,.., WOULD + Infinitive

              Ejemplo: If the boss were to come in now, we would be in real trouble.

THIRD CONDITIONAL: Para situaciones pasadas que es IMPOSIBLE cambiar.

IF + PAST PERFECT.........,.....CONDICIONAL PERFECTO                            HAD + Past Participle         WOULD                                                                          COULD     + HAVE + Past Participle                                                                          MIGHT                                                                          SHOULD

                     Ejemplo: If the doctor had been here, the boy wouldn´t have died.

CONJUNCIONES CONDICIONALES

1)      IF (si)

2)      EVEN IF (incluso si)

                                   Even if it rains, we’ll still go for a picnic

                   

3)      UNLESS + verbo afirmativo = IF + verbo negativo.

( A menos que)

               Unless you start at once, you´ll be late.

                           If you don´t start at once, you´ll be late.

4)      WHETHER ........OR = IF ..........OR (tanto si......... como si no)

      I´ll go to Madrid, whether you come or not.

5)      SUPPOSING (THAT)  =  (suponiendo que......)

SUPPOSE

              Supposing you won the lottery, what would you do?

                 = What would you do if you won the lottery?

6)      ON CONDITION THAT...... = ( a condición de que.......)

         I´ll tell you it, on condition that you don´t tell anybody.

7)      BUT FOR (THAT) ...= ( si no fuera/fuese por...; si no hubiera/hubiese sido por)

                                                If it were not for..;         If it hadn´t been for......

  

                                But for his pension, he would starve.

8)      PROVIDED (THAT).... = ...... (con la condición de que...../ siempre que......)

PROVIDING

AS LONG AS

                        I’ll do what you say provided the police are not informed.

                                     I’ll help you as long as you help me.

9)      IN CASE.... = (por si…, en caso de que...)

                      

             He wears two watches in case one of them stops

10)  IF SO (si es así) / IF NOT (si no es así). Se refiere a la oración anterior.

     There is a possibility that Jack will be late. If so, I will take his place.

                     If so = If Jack is late.

           It may rain. If not, we’ll go to the beach.

                     If not = If it doesn’t rain.

11)  IF + ADJECTIVES (omitiendo el verbo TO BE)

         If interested, apply within.  (=If you are interested…)

         If necessary, take a taxi. (=If it is necessary…)

12)  IF ONLY (si tan solo…). También se traduce por “ojalá” para expresar un deseo, una esperanza o un lamento, y se deja sin terminar la segunda parte de la oración.

                  If only I had enough time!

                  If only I hadn’t drunk too much, this wouldn’t have happened!           

13)  Colloquial omission of IF.

                         Sit down, and I’ll make us a cup of tea.

             (=If you sit down…)

14)  Formal omission of IF: Inversion-structures. En estilo formal, IF se omite y se coloca el auxiliar delante del sujeto. Esto ocurre con WERE, HAD y SHOULD (y muy rara vez con otro auxiliar).

                  IF you should see her.......Þ Should you see her.........

                                   

                  IF I were rich........Þ Were I rich................

                                    

                    IF I had been ill....Þ Had I been ill..............

                                                

SUPUESTOS.

En muchos ejercicios se nos pide que formemos una oración condicional a partir de una situación dada. Por ejemplo:

A. Tom can't buy a bike. He doesn't save any money. 

       If Tom saved his money, he could buy a bike.

B. Lisa went to the doctor. She got better.

       If Lisa hadn't gone to the doctor, she wouldn't have got better.

Pero, ¿cómo llegamos hasta aquí?  Los pasos a seguir son los siguientes:

1º - si la oración que tenemos está en presente, tendremos que formar una oración       condicional del 2º tipo.

 - si la oración que tenemos está en pasado, tendremos que formar una oración condicional del 3º tipo.

2º - si la oración está en afirmativa, en la oración condicional pasará a ser negativa.

    - pero si está en negativa, en la oración condicional pasará a ser afirmativa.

3º - al final, la oración resultante ha de tener sentido y orden.

EJEMPLO: Elena doesn´t study. She fails her exams.

1º Þ Tenemos que formar una oración del 2º tipo, ya que las oraciones están en     presente.

2º Þ Una parte va a ir en negativa y la otra en afirmativa (al revés de como está en la oración que se nos da).

3º Þ Orden y sentido: Elena tiene que estudiar para no suspender sus exámenes.

ORACIÓN CONDICIONAL RESULTANTE:

         If Elena studied, she wouldn´t fail her exams.