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B1 Intermediate
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B1Conditionals

First vs second conditional

Choose the first conditional when the speaker treats a future possibility as realistic, and the second when the speaker presents it as hypothetical or more distant.

Overview

What this grammar does

Choose the first conditional when the speaker treats a future possibility as realistic, and the second when the speaker presents it as hypothetical or more distant.

Form and rules

How it works

1

First conditional: if + present, will/can/may + base verb; the speaker sees the condition as realistically possible.

2

Second conditional: if + past, would/could/might + base verb; the speaker presents the condition as hypothetical or less likely.

3

The choice often reflects attitude, not objective probability alone.

4

Compare If I get the job, I'll move with If I got the job, I'd move; the second sounds more hypothetical.

5

Do not mix the standard forms accidentally, although real English has advanced mixed patterns taught later.

A closer look

Meaning and use

Compare If I get the job, I'll move with If I got the job, I'd move; the second sounds more hypothetical.

Do not mix the standard forms accidentally, although real English has advanced mixed patterns taught later.

Examples

See the pattern in complete sentences

If it rains tomorrow, we'll cancel the picnic.

If I won the lottery, I'd stop working.

If she calls, I'll tell her.

If she called me personally, I'd be surprised.

If we have enough money, we can book today.

Common mistakes

What to avoid

I have an interview tomorrow. If I got the job, I'll celebrate.
I have an interview tomorrow. If I get the job, I'll celebrate.

The job is a realistic future possibility, so first conditional fits.

If I will win ten million dollars, I'd travel for a year.
If I won ten million dollars, I'd travel for a year.

This imagined situation uses second conditional.

Ready to practise?

The test combines multiple choice, gap completion, error correction, and sentence building so students have to recognise and produce the grammar, not simply reread the rule.

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