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Hello and welcome to 6 Minute Grammar with me, Callum.
And me, Finn. So, Finn, what is our topic today?
Err, I don't know. Haven't you read the script?
No, when I come to the studio, I read the scripts.
Not before. If you had read the script, you would know what it's about.
Well, if you give me a few minutes, I'll just give it a quick read.
I'd love to give you a few minutes if we had the time, but this is six -minute grammar, not sixteen -minute grammar.
If I'd known you were going to be so bossy, I'd have stayed in bed.
So, what is today's topic?
If you've been paying attention, you might have worked it out.
We've had a lot of ifs.
That is a bit of a clue.
It is indeed. Today we're reviewing conditionals.
Conditional sentences connect two things.
One thing follows on from something else.
Conditional sentences generally have two parts – a conditional clause, which is sometimes called the if clause, and a main clause.
The IF clause states a condition and the main clause has what happens because of that condition.
And there are different kinds of conditional structures depending on whether we're dealing with something in the present or past and if we're talking about something real or imagined.
We normally talk about four different conditional structures.
The first one is called the zero conditional.
Here's an example from earlier.
Let's wind back a bit.
When I come to the studio, I read the scripts.
Now, Finn, what time does that refer to?
It's not really past, present or future, is it?
It's timeless. It's always.
And this is what the zero conditional is for.
Things that are always true.
Things that always happen.
One thing happens, something else follows.
It's also commonly used for general truths and facts, like in these examples.
When you heat water enough, it boils.
If you leave milk out long enough, it goes bad.
And in zero conditionals, when and if have the same meaning.
Let's move on now to the first conditional.
Well, if you give me a few minutes, I'll just give it a quick read.
Now, Finn, what time does this refer to?
This one is about something that might happen in the future.
I'll read the script.
Now, will that definitely happen?
No, it will only happen after a particular condition is met and that condition is that you give me enough time.
With the first conditional you can use when as well as if but unlike the zero conditional they do have different meanings.
Listen to these examples.
If I go to the shops, I'll get some bread.
When I go to the shops, I'll get some bread.
So, Finn, if I go to the shops, am I definitely going to the shops?
No, not this time. It's a possibility, but not definite.
And what about when I go to the shops?
In this one, using when, there is a definite plan to go to the shops.
So the first conditional expresses a likely result of a possible or definite future condition.
Today we're reviewing different conditional forms.
We've looked at zero and first conditionals and it was Callum who gave us an example of the second conditional.
I'd love to give you a few minutes if we had the time.
Ah, so what time does this refer to, Callum?
Well, it's an imaginary present time.
Do we have the time now?
No, we don't. It's making a prediction about something that could be possible if something in the present were different.
We're imagining a different present reality.
Wow, that's very sci -fi, Callum.
And now the third conditional.
Let's go back again and hear the example.
If I'd known you were going to be so bossy, I'd have stayed in bed.
Now, Finn, what time are we talking about here?
Here we're talking about the past, but something that didn't happen in the past.
Yes, you didn't know when you got up this morning that I was going to be so bossy.
No. My past action would have been different if I had known.
I would have stayed in bed.
So, with the third conditional, we're imagining a different past reality.
Very good. That's right.
Very sci -fi again, Keller.
Now, just time for a quick quiz.
you're going to hear a sentence and you need to work out whether it's a zero, first, second or third conditional.
Here's the first one.
If you drop the price, you'll sell more.
And that's first conditional.
Here's the next one.
If I were you, I'd take the job.
And that one is second conditional.
What about this one?
When I've had a busy day, I want some peace and quiet when I get home.
Did you get it? That was a zero conditional.
And well done if you got all those right.
If we had more time, we could tell you a lot more about conditionals.
But we don't. So we're going to say goodbye for now and remind you that there's more about this topic on our website, bbclearningenglish .com.
Do join us again soon for more six -minute grammar.
Bye. Bye. Thanks for listening to Learning English Grammar.
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