Conditionals

A conditional sentence is a sentence containing the word if. There are three
common types* of conditional sentence:
1. if clause > present simple tense : main clause > future tense (will)
o If you help me, I will help you.
o If I win the lottery, I will buy a new car.
o If it snows tomorrow, we will go skiing.
2. if clause > past simple tense : main clause > would
o If you knew her, you would agree with me.
o If I won the lottery, I would buy a new car.
o If it snowed tomorrow, we would go skiing.
3. if clause > past perfect tense : main clause > would have
o If you had helped me, I would have helped you.
o If I had won the lottery, I would have bought a new car.
o If it had snowed yesterday, we would have gone skiing.
Of course, it is possible to start conditional sentences with the main clause:

I will buy a new car if I win the lottery.

I would buy a new car if I won the lottery.

I would have bought a new car if I had won the lottery.

English speakers choose one of the three conditional structures as follows:

1. Conditional one - to express a simple statement of fact or intent
o I will buy a new car if I win the lottery.

o I will go home if you don't stop criticizing me.

o You will fail your exams if you don't start working harder.
o She will lose all her friends if she continues to talk about them
behind their backs.

2. Conditional two - to refer to a present unreal situation or to a situation

in the future that the speaker thinks is unlikely to happen
o If I had a lot of money, I would buy a new car. (but I don't have
a lot of money)
o If I were you, I would tell him you're sorry. (but I am not you)
o If I won the lottery, I would buy a new house. (but I don't
expect to win the lottery)
o If it snowed tomorrow, we would go skiing. (but I don't have
much hope that it will snow)

3. Conditional three - to refer to the past and situations that did not
happen
o If it had snowed yesterday, we would have gone skiing. (but it
didn't snow, so we didn't go skiing)
o If you had studied harder, you would have passed your test. (but
you didn't study hard, so you didn't pass your test)
o If I had known that, I would have told you. (but I didn't know,
so I didn't tell you)
o If she hadn't been driving slowly, she would have had an
accident. (but she was driving slowly, so she didn't have an
accident)
* Note: The way native speakers of English express conditions (use ifclauses) is much more varied than the 3 rigid combinations of tenses

exemplified on this page. Learners should consult a good grammar reference

work for a deeper understanding of this complex aspect of English grammar.
http://esl.fis.edu/grammar/single/cond_r.htm