If Clauses/Conditional Sentences
First up: Conditional Sentences, If Clauses or If-Sentences are so called conditional clauses.
They consist of a condition (if) and a consequence. There are three Types of the Conditional Sentences, on this page you will find all rules and a few examples about Type 1, Type 2, Type 3 and the mixed forms.
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If-Clause type 1
The If-Clause Type 1 is a condition, which is possible and also very likely to happen.
how to build it: If + Simple Present, will-Future + Infinitiv
Examples:
Conditional Sentence (condition) at the beginning of the sentence - consequence (main clause) at the end.
If you arrive too late, the shop will be closed.
If the weather is nice, we will go swimming.
Consequence (main clause) at the beginning - Conditional Sentence (condition) at the
end.
Her uncle will help her if she can't repair the shelf on her own.
We will be tired if we don't sleep enough.
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If-Clause type 2
The If-Clause Type 2 is a condition, which is possible but not very likely to
happen.
how to build it: If + Simple Past, Conditional 1 (= would + Infinitiv)
Examples:
Conditional Sentence (condition) at the beginning of the sentence - consequence (main clause) at the end.
If you arrived too late, the shop would be closed.
If the weather was nice, we would go swimming.
Consequence (main clause) at the beginning - Conditional Sentence (condition) at
the end.
Her uncle would help her if she couldn't repair the shelf on her own.
We would be tired if we didn't sleep enough.
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If-Clause type 3
The If-Clause Type 3 is a condition, which is impossible to happen, because it refers to the past.
how to build it: If + Past Perfect, Conditional 2 (= would + have + Past Participle)
Examples:
Conditional Sentence (condition) at the beginning of the sentence - consequence (main clause) at the end.
If you had arrived too late, the shop would have been closed.
If the weather had been nice, we would have gone swimming.
Consequence (main clause) at the beginning - Conditional Sentence (condition) at the end.
Her uncle would have helped her if she hadn't been able to repair the shelf on her own.
We would have been tired if we hadn't slept enough.
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If-Clause: mixed forms
It is possible for the two parts of a conditional sentence to refer to different times and the result is a "mixed conditional" sentence.
There are two main types of mixed forms:
Mixed form type 1
If + type 3 + type 2 (past condition + present result)
The first mixed type is used to connect the past and the present. In other words the if-clause is in the past and the main-clause is in the present. Something started in the past and has an affect on the present.
Examples:
If she had passed the exam, she wouldn't have to study now.
If Bill had called me, I would talk to him now.
Important: don't forget the "now"!
Mixed form type 2
from present to past
The second mixed type is used to connect the present and the past. But don't let yourself be fooled. The if-clause is in the simple past and in the main-clause we use the modal perfect/perfect conditional. There is a past result of a present condition.
Examples:
If Maria liked Katelynn, she would have gone to her birthday party last night.
If I was a good cook, I would have invited Tom to lunch.
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Exceptions!
When the condition is at the beginning of the sentence and the consequence at the end then you have to use a comma in between the condition and the main clause.
Never use "would" in the condition except it's a commercial correspondent situation
Example:
"If you would be so kind to send me...."