Conditionals apuntes PDF

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Apuntes de gramática sobre "Conditional"...

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Zero conditionals (zero) Time reference

Verb in main clause

Verb in conditional clause

all time

Present, usually Present simple

Present, usually Present simple

If you put oil on water, does it float? (Si pones aceite sobre agua, ¿flota?) You get tired if you run a long way. (Te cansas si corres mucho.) If the weather is bad, there are more accidents. (Si hace mal tiempo, hay más accidentes.) If you've been warned, you've got no excuse. (Si te han avisado, no tienes excusa.)

9.5.3 First conditionals Time reference

Verb in main clause

Verb in conditional clause

future

will, (might)

Present, usually present simple

If you talk to Jenny, she'll help you. (Si hablas con Jenny, te ayudará.) We'll have a barbecue if it doesn't rain. (Haremos una barbacoa si no llueve.) We might have a barbecue if it doesn't rain. (Tal vez hagamos una barbacoa si no llueve.) We can also make conditional sentences with unless (a menos que), as long as (siempre que) and provided (or providing) (that)(siempre que), e.g.: I can't help them unless they give me more information. (No las puedo ayudar a menos que me den más información.) Unless she finds the receipt, there is nothing we can do. (Si no encuentra el recibo, no hay nada que podamos hacer.) You can stay and watch as long as you keep quiet. (Os podéis quedar y mirar siempre que os mantengáis en silencio.) They will sign the contract provided/providing the new clause is inserted. (Firmarán el contrato siempre que la nueva cláusula esté incluida.) Provided/providing that we finish by tomorrow, they will pay us at the end of this month. (Siempre que acabemos mañana, cobraremos al final de este mes.) Notice that in case is similar, but it does not express a condition, e.g.: I'll take my umbrella in case it rains. (Me llevaré el paraguas por si llueve.) They packed extra jerseys in case the weather turned cold. (Empaquetaron más jerseis por si empezaba a hacer frío.)

Second conditionals The standard structure is: Time reference

Verb in main clause

Present or future

would, (could, might)

Verb in conditional clause Past, usually past simple

If you won a fortune, what would you do? (Si ganaras una fortuna, ¿qué harías?) We wouldn't be surprised if there was a strike. (No nos sorprendería que hubiera una huelga.) If Jane came, she might be able to help us. (Si viniera Jane, tal vez nos podría ayudar.) If your cousins were staying longer, we could visit the mountains. (Si vuestros primos se quedaran más tiempo, podríamos ir a la montaña.) You will sometimes meet second conditionals with a different structure including should, e.g.: If you should win a fortune, what would you do? (Si ganaras una fortuna, ¿qué harías?) There are variant conditional structures, which are less frequent, but which have a similar meaning, e.g.: If you were to win a fortune, what would you do? (Si ganaras una fortuna, ¿qué harías?) If you should win a fortune, what would you do? (Si ganaras una fortuna, ¿qué harías?) Were you to win a fortune, what would you do? (Si ganaras una fortuna, ¿qué harías?) Should you win a fortune, what would you do? (Si ganaras una fortuna, ¿qué harías?) Supposing (that) you won a fortune, what would you do? (Suponiendo que ganaras una fortuna, ¿qué harías?) These variants usually suggest a more improbable condition. Just as in Spanish, the condition is not always made explicit, e.g.: I wouldn't live there for all the money in the world. (No viviría allí ni por todo el dinero del mundo.) But for John's courage, we would all be dead. (Si no fuera por la valentía de John, estaríamos todos muertos.)

We also use would rather and it's time with a past verb form that refers to present or future time, e.g.: A: Is it all right if the representative comes this afternoon? (¿Va bien si el representante viene esta tarde?) B: I'd rather he came tomorrow. (Preferiría que vinieras mañana.) It's late. It's time we went home. (Es tarde. Es hora de irnos a casa.)

Would rather This expression goes with an infinitive (without to) and expresses a present preference, e.g.: A: How about going to the cinema this evening? (¿Qué tal si vamos al cine esta tarde?) B: I'd rather stay in tonight. (Preferiría quedarme en casa esta noche.) Bill would rather suffer in silence than express his feelings. (Bill prefiere padecer en silencio antes de expresar sus sentimientos.)

When the preference relates to a different person, then the verb form is past, e.g.: C: Can Geoff park his car in the garage? (¿Geoff puede aparcar su coche en el garaje?) D: I'd rather he left it on the road. (Preferiría que lo dejara en la calle.)

Cause, reason and consequence We typically express cause or reason with because, e.g.: We stayed at home because it was raining. (Nos quedamos en casa porque llovía.) Because the first train was late, we missed the connection. (El primer tren llegaba con retraso y, por tanto, perdimos la correspondencia.) We can also use since and as, most usually when the information is not new, e.g.: The weather was terrible. Since/As the weather was so bad, we decided to stay at home. (Hacía un tiempo horrible. Como hacía mal tiempo, decidimos quedarnos en casa.) We can also express cause or reason with the prepositions because of, due to and owing to, e.g.: We stayed at home because of the rain. (Nos quedamos en casa por la lluvia.) The newspaper claims that the accident was due to human error. (El periódico sostiene que el accidente se debió a un error humano.) Owing to shortage of supplies, production is delayed. (Como faltan suministros, la producción va atrasada.) Notice that we do not usually express cause or reason with for, but for is used for criminal activities, etc., e.g.: Jones was sent to prison for theft/shoplifting. (Condenamos a Jones a la prisión por robo/robar en tiendas.) The girls were punished for copying in the exam. (Las chicas fueron castigadas por copiar durante el examen.) We typically express consequence with so, e.g.: It was raining so we stayed at home. (Llovía y, por tanto, nos quedamos en casa.) There was a bus strike so a lot of people had to walk to work. (Hubo una huelga de autobuses y, por tanto, mucha gente tenía que ir al trabajo andando.) More formally we can express consequence with a new sentence that begins with consequently or therefore, e.g.: Many of the reports have been critical. Consequently/Therefore it has been decided ... (Muchos informes han sido críticos. Como consecuencia, se ha decidido...)...