Conditionals - versie 5D

• New lesson editor
• English
• Secundair onderwijs
• Algemeen secundair onderwijs,Technisch secundair onderwijs
• Domeinoverschrijdend
• Leerjaar 5

Using English Conditionals

Open with the idea that conditionals are not just forms to memorise: they express different relationships between condition and result, especially real versus unreal meaning.

Learning goal

I can recognise, explain and accurately use the zero, first, and second conditional in context, including their meaning, structure and typical use.

1 - If I win the lottery, I will share the candy.

2 - If I won the lottery, I would share the candy.

3 - If I had won the lottery, I would have shared the candy. (extra)

0 - If I buy a ticket, I have a chance of winning.

The four main conditionals

• Zero conditional: general truths and cause-and-effect facts

• First conditional: likely future possibilities

• Second conditional: unreal or hypothetical present/future situations

• Third conditional: unreal past situations and regrets

• The key contrast is real conditions versus unreal conditions

This slide frames the whole system before going form by form. Keep the labels consistent across the lesson.

Which pair usually expresses real conditions?

A

Zero and first

B

First and second

C

Zero and second

Checks the core contrast from slides 2 to 4: zero and first are usually real; second and third are usually unreal.

Real and unreal meaning

Conditionals do not only show time; they also show how the speaker sees the situation.

• Real conditions: presented as facts, routines or genuine possibilities

• Unreal conditions: presented as imaginary, unlikely or impossible

• Zero and first conditionals are usually real

• Second and third conditionals are usually unreal

At C1 level, stress that verb tense does not always match time directly. For example, past forms in the second conditional signal distance or unreality, not necessarily past time.

What does the teacher think?

The teacher asks a female student:

What will you do if you are pregnant?

A

The teacher simply asks a hypothetical question.

B

The teacher thinks the student is pregnant and asks about possible future plans.

C

The teacher knows the student is pregnant and asks about her future plans.

D

The teacher asks what someone needs to do in general when they are pregnant.

What does the teacher think?

The teacher asks a male student:

What would you do if you were pregnant?

A

The teacher simply asks a hypothetical question.

B

The teacher thinks the student is pregnant and asks about possible future plans.

C

The teacher knows the student is pregnant and asks about his future plans.

D

The teacher asks what someone needs to do in general when they are pregnant.

Clause pattern and punctuation

• Basic pattern: if-clause + main clause
  If it rains, I will go to school by bus.
  

• The order can change: main clause + if-clause
  I will go to school by bus if it rains.

• Use a comma after the if-clause when it comes first

• The meaning stays the same, but emphasis may shift

You can briefly mention alternatives such as unless, provided that or as long as only if helpful, but keep the focus on standard if-clause patterns.

Zero conditional structure and meaning

ZERO CONDITIONAL

If you melt ice,

it becomes water.

if/when + pres. simple

present simple (or imperative)

Keep the emphasis on the standard school pattern, while acknowledging that authentic English can vary slightly in tense choice when still expressing general validity.

Which sentence is a zero conditional?

A

If you heat water to 100° Celsius, it boils.

B

If you heat water to 100° Celsius, it will boil.

C

If you heated water to 100° Celsius, it would boil.

The distractors mirror the other three conditional forms so students must identify meaning and structure together.

p 18

First conditional structure

FIRST CONDITIONAL

if/when + pres. simple

If I win the lottery,

I will share the candy.

future simple (will) or can/may/might/could/should/must + bare infinitive

Students often overuse will in the if-clause. Correct the pattern explicitly: not if it will rain in the standard first conditional.

Which sentence shows a first conditional?

A

If people eat too much sugar, they gain weight.

B

If you eat too much sugar tonight, you will feel ill.

C

If you ate too much sugar tonight, you would feel ill.

Targets the zero-versus-first contrast from slide 11: general pattern versus specific future possibility.

Why is one zero and the other first conditional?

Expected elements: zero conditional = what generally happens; first conditional = what may happen in a specific future case. Strong answers may mention general truth versus realistic future possibility.

Second conditional structure

SECOND CONDITIONAL

if/when + past simple

would (or past modal: could/might) + bare infinitive

If I won the lottery,

I would share the candy.

At C1, note that both was and were may occur in real usage, but were remains the standard form in formal teaching, especially in fixed expressions such as If I were you.

Second conditional structure

• Standard pattern: if + past simple, would + base verb

• The past simple here marks unreality or distance, not past time

• Standard formal usage often prefers were with all subjects in very unreal situations

• Example: If I were you, I would wait.

At C1, note that both was and were may occur in real usage, but were remains the standard form in formal teaching, especially in fixed expressions such as If I were you.

P 19

Third conditional structure and meaning

• Standard pattern: if + past perfect, would have + past participle

• The if-clause shows the unreal past condition

• The main clause shows the imagined past result

• Example: If they had left earlier, they would have caught the train.

THIRD CONDITIONAL

if/when + past perfect simple (had + past participle)

would have + past participle

If they had left earlier,

they would have caught the train.

To talk about a situation in the past that did not happen, but imagining it did (= past unreal situation or regrets)

Students often confuse past perfect with present perfect here. Keep the form contrast visible.

Complete the if-clauses or main clauses on p 19 - 20

Choosing the right conditional

• Ask: Is it general, likely, hypothetical or impossible because it is past?

• Then choose the form that matches that meaning

• General truth → zero conditional

• Likely future → first conditional

• Hypothetical present/future → second conditional

• Unreal past → third conditional

This slide resolves the central question of how meaning drives form choice.

Zero conditional meaning

• Used for general truths, scientific facts and regular cause-and-effect

• The result is presented as something that normally or always happens

• It does not usually refer to one specific future event

• It often sounds objective and factual

Useful examples: If you heat ice, it melts. If people do not sleep enough, they become less focused.

First conditional meaning

• Used for a real and possible future condition

• The speaker sees the condition as realistic or likely enough to consider seriously

• It often expresses plans, warnings, promises or predictions

• The result depends on whether the condition is met

Contrast with the zero conditional: the first conditional refers to a specific future possibility, not a general truth.

Zero or first conditional?

• Zero conditional: what generally happens

• First conditional: what may happen in a specific future case

• If people eat too much sugar, they gain weight. → general pattern

• If you eat too much sugar tonight, you will feel ill. → specific future possibility

This contrast is crucial because learners often choose between these two based on time alone instead of general versus specific meaning.

Which sentence sounds more hypothetical or unlikely?

A

If I get the job, I will move.

B

If I got the job, I would move.

C

If I get the job, I move.

Checks speaker attitude in the first-versus-second contrast: the second conditional creates distance from reality.

Second conditional meaning

• Used for unreal, imaginary or unlikely present/future situations

• The speaker presents the condition as distant from reality

• It is common for hypotheses, advice and imagined alternatives

Make the semantic contrast explicit: first conditional = possible future; second conditional = hypothetical or unlikely present/future.

First or second conditional?

• First conditional: the speaker sees the condition as genuinely possible

• Second conditional: the speaker sees it as hypothetical or unlikely

• If I get the job, I will move. → realistic future option

• If I got the job, I would move. → more distant or less likely

This is a useful place to emphasise speaker attitude. The grammar choice reflects judgement about reality, not just chronology.

Third conditional meaning

• Used for unreal past situations

• The speaker imagines a different past and its different result

• It often expresses regret, criticism, relief or retrospective analysis

• The condition could not be fulfilled because the past is finished

Stress that this is not about a possible change now; it is about a past condition that did not happen.

Second or third conditional?

• Second conditional: unreal present or future

• Third conditional: unreal past

• If I were richer, I would travel more. → present/future imagination

• If I had been richer, I would have travelled more. → past imagination

Students often notice the similar meaning but miss the time reference. Keep time and reality both visible.

What is one clue you use to choose a conditional?

Expected elements: students should justify a choice using meaning categories from slide 21: general, likely, hypothetical, or impossible because it is past. They may mention time reference and degree of reality.

What helped you understand these forms best?

Reflection prompt with no single correct answer. Encourage concrete comments: examples, contrasts, patterns, or teacher explanations that helped.

Which conditional still feels hardest to use?

Reflection prompt with no single correct answer. Useful for diagnosing whether students still confuse time, structure or speaker attitude.