How to teach conditionals: zero, first, second and third

Conditionals make sense to students when they learn what each one is for, one at a time, not four formulas at once. Here is an order that works, how to show the difference, and the mistakes to listen for.

November 6, 2026 · 7 min read

Many students meet the conditionals as four formulas in a table. They can recite it and still say If I will see him, I will tell him. The table is a good summary, but a poor starting point. Teach what each conditional is for, one per lesson, and show the difference by putting the same situation into more than one form.

What each conditional is for

Zero conditional: always true

If + present simple, present simple. For facts, rules and things that always happen:

  • If you heat ice, it melts.
  • If I drink coffee after four, I can't sleep.
  • If a customer doesn't pay in 30 days, we send a reminder.

Here if means "every time," so when works too: When you heat ice, it melts.

First conditional: a real possibility

If + present simple, will + verb. For something that can really happen, usually in the future, and its result:

  • If it rains tomorrow, we'll stay home.
  • If you don't leave now, you'll miss the bus.
  • What will you do if they offer you the job?

The result can also use might or can, or be an instruction: If you see Tom, tell him to call me.

Second conditional: imagined or unlikely

If + past simple, would + verb. For situations that aren't true now, or that probably won't happen:

  • If I had more time, I'd learn the guitar. (I don't have time.)
  • If I won the lottery, I'd buy a house by the ocean.
  • What would you do if you lost your job?

Make this point early: the past form here does not mean past time. If I had more time is about now. Coursebooks teach were for all persons (If she were here…), and in everyday speech many people say If I was. Keep If I were you, I'd… as a fixed phrase for advice.

Third conditional: an imagined past

If + past perfect, would have + past participle. For a past that didn't happen and its imagined result. It's the conditional of regrets, excuses and lucky accidents:

  • If I had left earlier, I wouldn't have missed the train. (I didn't leave earlier. I missed the train.)
  • If she hadn't called me, I would have forgotten.

In speech, both had and would shorten to 'd: If I'd known, I'd have come. Point this out, or students won't recognize it when they hear it. Would have also sounds like would've, which is why some people write would of. It's always have.

Mixed conditionals (B2)

These mix the times of the second and third conditionals: a past condition with a present result, or a present fact with a past result.

  • If I had taken that job, I would be living in Denver now.
  • If I weren't so shy, I would have talked to her at the party.

Teach them only when the second and third conditionals are solid, because they are built from both.

Commas

When the if part comes first, put a comma after it. When it comes second, there's no comma: We'll stay home if it rains.

A sensible order across levels

Most CEFR coursebooks spread the conditionals over three levels:

  • A2: the first conditional. Some courses add the zero conditional here; others leave it for B1.
  • B1: the zero conditional and unless, then the second conditional. The third conditional comes toward the end of B1 or at the start of B2.
  • B2: mixed conditionals, wish and if only, and conditions without if (unless, as long as, provided that, in case, even if).

Give each new conditional its own lesson, and bring the previous one back for contrast: zero with first, first with second, second with third.

How to show the difference

The clearest way is to keep the situation and change how real it is. A student has had a job interview:

  • If I get the job, I'll move to Chicago. (The interview went well. It's possible.)
  • If I got the job, I'd move to Chicago. (I don't think they'll offer it to me.)
  • If I had gotten the job, I would have moved to Chicago. (I didn't get it.)

Ask the same concept-check questions every time:

  • Is it about the past, now or the future?
  • Is it possible, unlikely or impossible?
  • Did it happen? Is it true now?

The answers depend on the speaker, and that's worth showing. If I move abroad next year, I'll… is right for someone who is planning it. If I moved abroad, I'd… is right for someone who is only imagining it.

For the third conditional, draw what really happened on the whiteboard as a line (I stayed in bed, I missed the train), and the imagined past (If I had gotten up earlier…) as a branch going off it.

Mistakes to listen for

  • If I will see him, I will tell him. → If I see him, I'll tell him.
  • If I would have more money, I would travel. → If I had more money, I would travel.
  • If I had known, I would came. → If I had known, I would have come.
  • If I would have known, I would have helped. → If I had known, I would have helped.
  • If I knew about the party, I would have come. → If I had known about the party, I would have come. (It's about the past, so the past perfect.)
  • Unless you don't hurry, you'll be late. → Unless you hurry, you'll be late. (Unless already means "if not.")
  • When I win the lottery, I'll buy a boat. → If I win the lottery, I'll buy a boat. (When is for things we expect to happen.)

The will mistake comes from logic: the action is in the future, so students reach for will. Give them the rule plainly. When you talk about the future after if, when, as soon as, before and after, use the present: I'll call you when I get home.

Activities

  • If-chains (first conditional). Start with If I eat this cake, I'll feel sick. The student continues from the result: If I feel sick, I'll stay home tomorrow. If I stay home tomorrow, I'll… Aim for a chain of six.
  • Likely or unlikely? (first and second). Give prompts like change jobs, move to another country, get a dog, run a marathon. The student decides how likely each one is for them and chooses the conditional to match: If I change jobs next year, I'll ask for more vacation. If I ran a marathon, I'd need new knees.
  • What would you do if…? (second). Ask questions with a real choice in them: What would you do if you found a wallet with $500 in it? What would you do if a coworker took credit for your work? Ask a follow-up for every answer.
  • How it works (zero). The student explains the rules at their job, school or gym: If you're late three times, you get a warning.
  • Superstitions (first). If you break a mirror, you'll have seven years of bad luck. The student shares the ones they grew up with.
  • Life-changing moments (third). The student tells you about a decision or an accident that changed their life. You ask What would have happened if…? and they answer with the third conditional, or at B2 with a mixed one: If I hadn't taken that course, I wouldn't be a nurse now.

Ready-made lessons on conditionals

Each of these lessons from the SnappySchool library teaches one conditional, is ready to teach online, and downloads as a PDF:

Questions

In what order should I teach the conditionals?

Usually the first conditional at A2, the zero and second at B1, the third at the end of B1 or in B2, and mixed conditionals at B2. Teach one at a time and compare each new one with the one before it.

Can you use will after if?

Not in the if part of a first conditional: If it rains, not If it will rain. Will after if appears only in special cases, such as a polite request (If you'll wait here, I'll get the manager), which most students don't need before B2.

Is "If I was" wrong?

No. If I were is the form coursebooks teach, but If I was is common in everyday speech. If I were you doesn't change, so teach it as a fixed phrase.

What's the difference between the second and third conditional?

The second is about now or the future: If I had a car, I'd drive to work. (I don't have one.) The third is about the past: If I had had a car, I would have driven. (I didn't have one then.)

How many conditionals should I teach in one lesson?

One. Review an earlier conditional for contrast, but give each new one its own lesson.

Build a lesson on any topic in about a minute, then teach it live.

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