Use the first conditional when the situation is a real possibility: If I win, I'll buy you dinner. Use the second when it's imagined or unlikely: If I won the lottery, I'd buy a house. The choice depends on how real it feels to you.
Same situation, two choices. Pick an example.
If I win the match, I'll buy you dinner.
The condition could really happen: the real path forks at now.
If I won the lottery, I'd buy a house.
The condition is imagined: it lives on a path above the real one.
| Rule | First conditional | Second conditional |
|---|---|---|
| Form | if + Present Simple, will + base verb | if + Past Simple, would + base verb |
| How likely | Realistic: it could happen | Imagined, unlikely or impossible |
| Time | The future | Now or the future |
| Example | If it's sunny, we'll go to the lake. | If I were taller, I'd play basketball. |
If it _____ sunny tomorrow, we'll go to the beach.
Paste an email or an essay. Clarigram marks the mistakes you actually make, shows the rule behind each one as a picture, and builds your practice from them.
Yes. If they offer me the job, I'll take it (you think it's likely). If they offered me the job, I'd take it (you think it's unlikely).
No. Despite the past form, it's about now or the future. For the past, use the third conditional.