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B1 grammar · teens and adults

First and second conditional

Real possibility or imagined situation? If it rains, we'll stay in. If I won the lottery, I'd quit. Form, meaning and the “if I would” trap.

Teens · AdultsCEFR B1 · Intermediate

Age
Ages 12+
Level
B1
Skill
Grammar
Format
Teacher guide
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The rule

  • First conditional: a real, possible future situation. If + present simple, will + verb. If I get the job, I'll move to London.
  • Second conditional: an imagined, unlikely or impossible situation, now or in the future. If + past simple, would + verb. If I had a car, I'd drive to work.
  • The past form in the second conditional does not mean past time; it means “not real”. With be, were is used for every person in careful English (If I were you…); was is common in speech.
  • Will and would do not go in the if-clause: not If I will see her, not If I would know.
  • The halves can swap: We'll stay in if it rains. Use a comma only when the if-clause comes first. Unless means if not: You'll miss the train unless you leave now.

Form

UseForm
First conditionalIf + present simple, will / won't + verb
Second conditionalIf + past simple, would / wouldn't + verb
QuestionWhat will you do if…? · What would you do if…?
Be (2nd)If I were / was you, I would…
Unlessunless = if not
Printable worksheetPresentation (PPT)

Example sentences

Tap a sentence to hear it. The translation follows each one.

Quick check: choose the right form

Five sentences from this page, each with one gap. Choose the form that fits; when it is right, you hear the whole sentence.

  1. If it blank tomorrow, we will move the party inside.

  2. If I blank more free time, I would learn to code.

  3. If I blank you, I would ask for a raise.

  4. If we blank closer, we would see each other more often.

  5. I wouldn't blank that if I were you.

Common mistakes

What learners actually say, why, and which first language makes it typical.

Typical for Russian speakers

If I will see her, I will tell her.If I see her, I will tell her.

The if-clause takes the present even about the future. Russian «если увижу» is future in form, and that is exactly where the extra will comes from.

Typical for Russian and Spanish speakers

If I would have more money, I would buy a flat.If I had more money, I would buy a flat.

Would never goes in the if-clause. Russian puts «бы» in both halves (если бы у меня было), and Spanish uses the imperfect subjunctive (si tuviera), which has no English twin, so learners reach for would. Use the past simple: if I had.

If I was rich, I will travel the world.If I were rich, I would travel the world.

An imagined if-clause (past form) needs would in the result, not will. Mixing the two types is the most common slip once both are known.

How to teach it

  1. Chain stories for the first conditional: If I miss the bus, I'll be late. If I'm late, my boss will be angry… Each learner adds a link.
  2. For the second conditional use real dilemmas, not only lottery wins: What would you do if you found a wallet with €500? If a colleague took credit for your work?
  3. Contrast with one change: If I get the job (I've had the interview — real) against If I got the job (I haven't even applied — imagined). Ask: how likely is it?

Questions teachers ask

If I was or if I were?

Both are used. Were is the traditional form and the one exams reward, especially in If I were you; was is common in everyday speech.

What about the zero conditional?

If + present, present for things that are always true (If you heat ice, it melts) is usually taught at A2. Review it quickly before the first conditional so the difference is clear: always true against one future situation.

All grammar →

  • Presentation

    First and Second Conditional Presentation

    First and Second Conditional presentation (B1) for teens and adults: the rule, a form table, 10 examples and practice with answers. Free PPTX and PDF.

  • Worksheet

    First and second conditional — worksheet

    Put the verb in the right form, build the sentence, choose the correct one — answers at the bottom.

  • Lesson Plan

    Present perfect continuous

    How long something has been going on, and why your hands are covered in paint: duration with for and since, and the visible results of a recent activity.

  • Lesson Plan

    Present perfect vs past simple

    Finished time or a period that is still open? The contrast teens and adults get wrong longest, and the time words that decide it.