conditional if
Conditionals
A conditional sentence is a sentence containing the word if. There are three common types of conditional sentence:
if clause > present simple tense : main clause > future tense (will) If you help me, I will help you. If I win the lottery, I will buy a new car. If it snows tomorrow, we will go skiing. if clause > past simple tense : main clause > would If you knew her, you would agree with me. If I won the lottery, I would buy a new car. If it snowed tomorrow, we would go skiing. if clause > past perfect tense : main clause > would have If you had helped me, I would have helped you. If I had won the lottery, I would have bought a new car. If it had snowed yesterday, we would have gone skiing. Of course, it is possible to start conditional sentences with the main clause:
if clause > present simple tense : main clause > future tense (will) If you help me, I will help you. If I win the lottery, I will buy a new car. If it snows tomorrow, we will go skiing. if clause > past simple tense : main clause > would If you knew her, you would agree with me. If I won the lottery, I would buy a new car. If it snowed tomorrow, we would go skiing. if clause > past perfect tense : main clause > would have If you had helped me, I would have helped you. If I had won the lottery, I would have bought a new car. If it had snowed yesterday, we would have gone skiing. Of course, it is possible to start conditional sentences with the main clause: