Sentence structures – Conditional sentences 

Aside from simple, complex, compound, compound-complex, there are other more advanced types of sentence structure that can be especially useful for students to learn. 

In the next few pages we’re going to look at the following four sentence structures known collectively asconditional sentences:

Z conditional

First conditional

Second conditional

Third conditional

Conditional sentences can allow students to become more creative with their language. They will be able to discuss hypothetical scenarios, different outcomes, and make predictions about the future. 

Though these sentence types can be difficult at first, once their purpose is clear they will become valuable tools that help students communicate on a deeper level. Over the next few lessons, we’ll look at these in more detail, and provide a recap of all 8 sentence types at the end.

Zero Conditional (Z Conditional)

The zero conditional is used to express simple truths and facts that are always true under certain conditions.

How to Form the Zero Conditional:

Use if + present simple tense in the first clause, and present simple tense in the second clause. The word if can often be replaced by when without changing the meaning.

Examples:

  • If I don’t eat, I get hungry.
  • When you heat ice, it melts.

Zero conditional sentences can also be used to give instructions, making them useful for real-world situations:

  • If she arrives, tell her to find me.
  • If he finishes his work, he can join the group.

Teaching Tip:

This tense is great for expressing facts and definite outcomes. To practice, ask students questions and turn their answers into sentences with blanks for key words. Students can then fill in the blanks to practice correct verb tense choice. This type of fill-in-the-gap exercise supports understanding of the present simple tense and conditional sentence structure.

First Conditional

The first conditional is used to express situations that are real or very likely to happen in the future. It shows a possible condition and its probable result.

How to Form the First Conditional:

Use if + present simple tense in the condition clause, and will + base verb in the result clause.

Examples:

  • If you come to lunch, I will buy you a meal.
  • If you drive too fast, you will crash.

Teaching Tip:

When students are first learning this structure, encourage them to start with the basic form and expand gradually. A fun way to practice is with sentence chains, where one student creates the condition clause and their partner finishes the sentence with a likely result. This promotes active engagement and helps them naturally understand the connection between condition and outcome.

Second Conditional

The second conditional expresses a hypothetical condition and its probable result, which are unlikely or not real in the present or future.

How to Form the Second Conditional:

Use if + past simple tense in the condition clause, and would + base verb in the result clause.

Examples:

  • If I won the lottery, I would buy a Porsche.
  • If I lived in Los Angeles, I would be a famous actor.

Note on ‘was’ vs. ‘were’:

In formal English, especially academic, use were for all subjects:

  • If I were rich, I’d buy a house.
    In casual conversation, was is also commonly used and generally accepted:
  • If I was rich, I’d buy a house.

Teaching Tip:

Activities can be fun and imaginative, encouraging students to create wild hypothetical scenarios like being superheroes or millionaires, which stimulates creative language use.

Third Conditional

The third conditional is used to talk about unreal past conditions and their probable past results, often to express hindsight or regrets.

How to Form the Third Conditional:

Use if + past perfect in the condition clause, and would have + past participle in the result clause.

Example:

  • If I had known that she didn’t have any money, I would have bought her dinner.

Teaching Tip:

Because this is the most complex conditional, teach it last. Practice can include discussing past regrets or hypothetical alternatives to past events. Using videos or stories to discuss what characters might have done differently can make the topic more relatable and engaging.

You’re a smart Banana! *sticks gold star on your forehead*

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