Condicionales: Zero, First, Second, Third

Condicionales (Conditionals)

Los condicionales expresan situaciones "si pasa X, entonces Y". Hay 4 tipos principales.

Zero Conditional (Verdades generales)

Uso: Hablar de hechos científicos, verdades generales, situaciones siempre ciertas.

Estructura: If + Present Simple, Present Simple

| If-clause | Main clause | Ejemplo |
|---|---|---|
| Present Simple | Present Simple | If you heat water, it boils. (Si calientas agua, hierve) |

Otros ejemplos:

• If you eat too much, you get sick. (Si comes mucho, te enfermas)
• If you exercise, you feel better. (Si haces ejercicio, te sientes mejor)
• If the sun shines, the plants grow. (Si brilla el sol, las plantas crecen)

💡 Nota: No es una "condición" real, es una verdad científica.

First Conditional (Futuro probable)

Uso: Situaciones PROBABLES en el futuro. Si A pasa (posible), B pasará (consecuencia).

Estructura: If + Present Simple, Will + infinitivo

| If-clause | Main clause | Ejemplo |
|---|---|---|
| Present Simple | Will + infinitivo | If I study, I will pass. (Si estudio, pasaré) |

Otros ejemplos:

• If she calls, I will answer. (Si ella llama, responderé)
• If you don't hurry, you will be late. (Si no te das prisa, llegarás tarde)
• If it rains, we will cancel the picnic. (Si llueve, cancelaremos el pícnic)
• If you help me, I will help you. (Si me ayudas, te ayudaré)

💡 Clave: IF-clause en presente, MAIN-clause en futuro (will).

Forma NEGATIVA:

| If-clause | Main clause |
|---|---|
| If you don't study | you will not pass |
| If she doesn't call | I won't answer |

Second Conditional (Presente imaginario / irreal)

Uso: Situaciones IMPROBABLES o IMPOSIBLES en el PRESENTE. Sueños, deseos, situaciones poco reales.

Estructura: If + Past Simple, Would + infinitivo

| If-clause | Main clause | Ejemplo |
|---|---|---|
| Past Simple | Would + infinitivo | If I were rich, I would travel. (Si fuera rico, viajaría) |

⚠️ IMPORTANTE: En el If-clause, TO BE se convierte en WERE (incluso para I/he/she/it).

• If I were you... (Si yo fuera tú...)
• If she were here... (Si ella estuviera aquí...)

Otros ejemplos:

• If I had a car, I would drive to work. (Si tuviera un coche, conduciría al trabajo)
• If you studied more, you would pass. (Si estudiaras más, pasarías)
• If they lived near us, we would see them often. (Si vivieran cerca, los veríamos a menudo)
• If I could fly, I would visit Paris every day. (Si pudiera volar, visitaría París cada día)

💡 Diferencia con First Conditional:

• If I study, I will pass. (Probable: es posible estudiar)
• If I were a bird, I would fly. (Imposible: no soy un pájaro)

Third Conditional (Pasado imposible / arrepentimiento)

Uso: Situaciones IMPOSIBLES en el PASADO. Hablar de lo que HUBIERA pasado si las cosas fueran diferentes.

Estructura: If + Past Perfect (had + past participle), Would have + past participle

| If-clause | Main clause | Ejemplo |
|---|---|---|
| Past Perfect | Would have + past participle | If I had studied, I would have passed. (Si hubiera estudiado, habría pasado) |

Otros ejemplos:

• If she had called, I would have answered. (Si ella hubiera llamado, habría respondido)
• If they had arrived on time, we would have started the meeting. (Si hubieran llegado a tiempo, habríamos empezado la reunión)
• If you had told me, I would have helped. (Si me lo hubieras dicho, habría ayudado)
• If it had rained, we wouldn't have played football. (Si hubiera llovido, no habríamos jugado fútbol)

💡 Clave: Habla del pasado con arrepentimiento o especulación sobre lo que NO pasó.

Comparación de los 4 condicionales

Tabla CRÍTICA para el examen:

| Conditional | If-clause | Main-clause | Realidad | Ejemplo |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zero | Present | Present | SIEMPRE CIERTO | If you heat water, it boils. |
| First | Present | Will + inf | PROBABLE | If I study, I will pass. |
| Second | Past | Would + inf | IMPROBABLE/IMPOSIBLE (ahora) | If I were rich, I would travel. |
| Third | Past Perfect | Would have + pp | IMPOSIBLE (pasado) | If I had studied, I would have passed. |

Mixed Conditionals

A veces mezclas tiempos. Ejemplo:

• If you had studied harder, you would be a lawyer now. (Si hubieras estudiado más, serías abogado ahora)
  • If-clause: Past Perfect (pasado)
  • Main-clause: Would + present (consecuencia ahora)

Errores típicos del examen

❌ Incorrecto → ✅ Correcto

• If I study, I will to pass. → If I study, I will pass.
• If I was rich... → If I were rich... (Second Conditional siempre WERE)
• If I studied, I would passed. → If I studied, I would pass.
• If he had studied, he would pass. → If he had studied, he would have passed. (Third = would HAVE)
• If you will study, you will pass. → If you study, you will pass. (First: IF en presente, no futuro)

Practica

1. Elige el condicional: "If I win the lottery, I will travel around the world."
   Respuesta: First Conditional (futuro probable)

2. Completa: "If she ___ studied, she ___ passed the exam."
   Respuesta: had / would have (Third Conditional)

3. Convierte a Third Conditional: "If I study, I pass."
   Respuesta: If I had studied, I would have passed.

4. Elige la opción correcta:

   • "If I were / was you, I would say no."
     Respuesta: were (Second Conditional con TO BE)