In this specially written short story, we present the three main types of conditional sentence ("if-clauses") in a way that we hope you will find both helpful and enjoyable. Read, enjoy and learn!
Breakfast
"The first day of our holiday! What shall we do today?" Stuart asked his wife, Ginny, over breakfast in the hotel. "Shall we go on the excursion? Or stay here and use the pool?"
"To be honest, Stuart, I think I just need a little bit of time to myself," said Ginny.
"How do you mean?"
"If we go on the excursion, I'll probably just be in a bad mood. You know I don't like guided tours. And if I just stay here at the hotel, it'll feel like a waste of the first day of the holiday. I just need a quiet day by myself. Then I'll be better company for you tomorrow. Do you understand?"
"Absolutely. You've had a lot of stress lately and it'll do you good to have some time by yourself. We have a whole week ahead of us to do things together.
"And you'll be OK if I leave you here?"
"Of course. I might swim in the pool, or just sit and read. Don't worry - I'll find something to do. If we do different things, it'll give us something to talk about at dinner."
"Thank you," she said. "Then I'll go for a walk by myself if you really don't mind. I'll take something to read. A book and some shade - that's all I need today." And she meant it, she really did.
First conditional
The first conditional is formed with "If" + present tense, and then, in a separate clause, "will / won't".
We use it to talk about real possibilities in real situations:
- If we go on the excursion, I'll probably just be in a bad mood.
The "if" clause can also go after the main clause (without a comma):
- You'll be OK if I leave you here?
Lunch
So, how did it happen that only a few hours later, she was sitting on the cool, shady terrace of a restaurant, overlooking the sea, sharing a bottle of wine and a plate of seafood with a stranger? This dark-haired, dark-eyed man was so charming. She knew he was only a local Romeo who picked up tourists, but she was enjoying his attention. As she chatted and laughed, he listened. She felt like a different woman - she felt like herself again. She didn't talk about her family or her job, just about herself.
She looked out to sea and suddenly felt wide possibilities opening up in her life. "What if I never went home? How would it be if I stayed here and never returned to England? If I gave up work, I could go travelling instead. If I went travelling, I'd have such adventures! What if I left Stuart and moved into a studio apartment in London? I could go out every night. Perhaps I could learn some new skills and find a new career? What would the children say? What would my mother say?"
She was lost in her daydreams when she felt the man reach for her hand. She knew what was on the menu after lunch, and it was more than just dessert.
Afterwards, as Ginny walked back to the hotel, reality kicked in. She felt silly, stupid, dirty. She was looking forward to a shower, fresh clothes and dinner in the comfortable hotel with her dear, lovely, reliable husband. Everything back to normal. The only problem was what to tell Stuart when he asked about her day. As she walked along the seafront near the hotel, she saw a sign that read: "Footpath to the caves" and a path that led along the coast. A walk to some caves? That was the sort of thing she would normally do - the perfect alibi.
Second conditional
The second conditional is formed with "If" + past tense and, in a separate clause, "would (often shortened to "'d") / wouldn't".
We use it to talk about unreal ideas and situations, such as daydreams or fantasies:
- If I went travelling, I'd have such adventures!
"Could" is also used instead of "would be able to":
- If I gave up work, I could go travelling instead.
In addition to "if" sentences, you can use "What if...?" and "How would it be if...?" to form second conditional questions - always with the past tense.
Dinner
"So, do you feel better now?" asked Stuart as they got ready to go downstairs for dinner.
"Oh, yes, much better, thanks."
"Where did you go?"
"Oh, just along a little path," she said with a wave of her hand in the vague direction of the sea, "to some caves."
"Ah, yes, I saw them on the map. Are they worth visiting?"
"They're OK. I mean, they're just caves. Yes..." She wished she were a better liar. "But what about you?" she asked. "What did you get up to without me?"
"Oh, I was just here in our room all day, on the balcony, reading, looking at maps. It was a very uneventful day. Boring but nice - like me."
"Don't be silly, Stuart. You're not boring. Well, maybe not the world's most exciting man," she said, taking his hand, "but I love you just the way you are."
"Thank you. Shall we go downstairs and have dinner now?"
As they crossed the hotel restaurant, hand in hand, they passed the table of an English couple they'd seen at breakfast.
"Ah, hello again," said the husband. "Have you had a good day?"
"Yes," answered Stuart. "Very nice. Very quiet. What about you?"
"Well, our day didn't go to plan. We'd wanted to walk up to the caves, but the path is closed because of a rockfall." Ginny suddenly felt sick. She could feel her hand in Stuart's hand suddenly become sweaty. The woman was still talking, about a local food market and lunch, but Ginny could hardly even hear the words. How could she possibly explain her obvious lie to her lovely, trusting husband? The truth would destroy him. The woman was still talking. "And then, this afternoon, of course," she continued, "there was all the drama here."
"Drama?" asked Ginny.
"Yes. The fire alarms. It was all a false alarm in the end, but what a commotion! The first time it went off, we all had to go outside and stand in the car park in the midday sun for nearly an hour. The second time, it just rang and rang, and they told us to ignore it, as if you can ignore a noise like that! Anyway, if you weren't here, you missed it all and were very lucky."
"Er, yes, absolutely, yes, very lucky that we weren't here," stammered Stuart.
"Well, we must let you go and eat," said the man. "Enjoy your evening."
"Thank you," they both replied and they walked away.
"Well," said Ginny, "you said it would be good to have something new to talk about at dinner. I think we've found something to talk about tonight, haven't we?"
Third conditional
The third conditional is formed with "If" + past perfect tense and then, in a separate clause, "would (often shortened to "'d") / wouldn't have".
We use it to talk about situations in the past:
- If she had walked to the caves, she would have known the path was closed.