CONDITIONALS: First vs. Second | Advanced English Grammar Practice

Go Natural English Podcast | Listening & Speaking Lessons

I’m sure most of you know that it’s correct to say I was, she was, he was, it was in the simple past. But, did you know that there is a time that you should say I were, she were, he were, and it were? There is, and today you’re going to learn when and how to do that!

So, what are the 1st and 2nd conditionals?

Here’s an example of the first conditional. If I have time, I will call you. This is a true statement, and I believe it could really happen.

Now, here’s the second conditional. If I had time, I would call you. In this case, I am expressing my desire to call you, but because I used the second conditional, that means that I don’t think I will have time, and therefore will not be able to call you. A lot of times, we think of the first conditional as a real conditional and the second conditional as unreal because the speaker believes that what they’re saying is unlikely, or even impossible, to happen.