Conditionals 0, 1 & 2 — One Ice Cream, Three Realities

B1 — grammar, listening, reading, writing

Kenji: If I place ice cream under the sun, it melts. That's just physics.

Sofía: If I place ice cream under the sun tomorrow, it will melt — so I'm going to eat it now.

Ben: If I placed ice cream under the sun... wait. I already ate it.

Abuela Carmen: If I were you, I would buy more ice cream. Problem solved.

Common mistake: “If I will study, I will pass the exam.” — Correct: “If I study, I will pass the exam.”

Conditionals connect a condition and a consequence: zero for facts that always happen, first for real future possibilities, second for imaginary situations.

One sentence, three conditionals
Conditional	Structure	The ice cream test
Zero — always true	If + present, present	If I place ice cream under the sun, it melts
First — real future	If + present, will + verb	If I place ice cream under the sun, it will melt
Second — imaginary	If + past, would + verb	If I placed ice cream under the sun, it would melt
Order swap	consequence first → no comma	The ice cream melts if I place it under the sun
Note	'were' for all persons in the 2nd conditional	If I were you, I would buy more ice cream

If I place ice cream under the sun, it melts.
If I study for the exam, I will pass.
If I had a million dollars, I would travel the world.
The ice cream melts if I place it under the sun.
We'll stay at home if it rains.
If you don't water the plants, they die.
If I don't study, I won't pass the exam.
If I were rich, I wouldn't work on Mondays.
What happens if you place ice cream under the sun?
Will you pass if you don't study?
What would you do if you had a million dollars?
If you could live anywhere, where would you live?
Will you come if I invite you? Yes, I will.
Would you travel if you had the money? Yes, I would.
Does ice melt if you heat it? Yes, it does.

Practice

If I study for the exam, ___ (I will pass., I would passed., I will passed.)
If you heat ice, ___ (it would melt., it melts., it will melted.)
If I had a million dollars, ___ (I will buy a house., I buy a house., I would buy a house.)
We'll go to the beach ___ (if the weather is nice., if the weather would be nice., if the weather will be nice.)
If I were you, ___ (I will apologize., I would apologize., I apologize.)
The ice cream melts ___ (if you would leave it under the sun., if you will leave it under the sun., if you leave it under the sun.)
In the first conditional, 'will' goes in the consequence, never after 'if'.
'If I was you' is the standard form of the second conditional.
If you ___ (not / water) the plants, they die.
If I ___ (be) rich, I would travel the world.
If it rains tomorrow, we ___ (stay) at home.
Unscramble: the, ice, cream, melts, if, you, heat, it
Unscramble: what, would, you, do, if, you, had, a, million, dollars
Find the mistake: If I will study, I will pass the exam.
Find the mistake: If I would have money, I would travel.
If I study, I will pass. — Change it to the second conditional (imaginary).
If you heat ice, it melts. — Rewrite it with the consequence first.
Will you come if I invite you? — Answer with a short answer (Yes).
If I study, I will pass the exam. — Write both parts in negative.
Would you travel the world if you had the money? (short answer)

Listening

Kenji: Sofía, if you won the lottery, what would you do?

Sofía: If I won the lottery, I would open my own design studio.

Ben: I would buy a boat. If you have a boat, people think you are rich.

Abuela Carmen: If I won the lottery, I wouldn't change anything. Well... maybe I would buy a bigger kitchen.

Kenji: And if it rains tomorrow, what will you do?

Sofía: If it rains, we'll stay here and cook. Abuela needs that bigger kitchen first!

Reading

Abuela Carmen has a rule for every situation. Some rules are facts: 'If you cook beans with love, they taste better.' Some rules are warnings: 'If you go out with wet hair, you will catch a cold.' (Science doesn't agree, but nobody argues with Abuela Carmen.) And some rules are dreams: 'If I were president, every town would have a big market and a bigger kitchen.' Ben once asked her: 'What happens if I break one of your rules?' She smiled: 'If you break my rules, you wash the dishes. That one is a fact, my dear.'

According to Abuela Carmen, beans taste better if you cook them with love.
Science agrees that wet hair causes colds.
If she were president, every town would have a big market.
If Ben breaks her rules, nothing happens.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between the First and Second Conditional?

The First Conditional (If + Present Simple, will + verb) talks about real, possible future situations: 'If it rains, I will take an umbrella'. The Second Conditional (If + Past Simple, would + verb) talks about imaginary, hypothetical, or improbable present/future situations: 'If I won the lottery, I would buy an island'.

Why do we say 'If I were you' instead of 'If I was you'?

'Were' is the traditional subjunctive mood used for hypothetical conditions with all subjects (I, he, she, it). While 'If I was you' is heard in informal conversation, 'If I were you' is the standard, grammatically formal English tested on Cambridge and IELTS exams.