11 structures · CEFR A2–C1
English conditionals
A conditional says: if this, then that. English has four of them and they are separated by how real the situation is, not by when it happened. The zero and first are real, the second is imagined, the third is over and cannot be changed. The single most common error here is putting "will" in the if-half — "If I will get time" — which English never does.
Common conditionals & wishes mistakes
Every one of these is a sentence Indian-English speakers genuinely produce — not a textbook example.
| Commonly said | Correct English |
|---|---|
If you will heat water, it boils. | If you heat water, it boils. After "if" in this pattern, use the present. Zero conditional → |
If it will rain, we will stay. | If it rains, we will stay. The "if" half stays in the present. First conditional → |
If I was you, I would go. | If I were you, I would go. This is the one place English keeps "were" for "I". Second conditional → |
If I would have known, I would have come. | If I had known, I would have come. The "if" half takes "had", not "would have". Third conditional → |
I wish I have more time. | I wish I had more time. "Wish" about now takes the past. wish / if only → |
If I had studied harder, I would have a job now — I would have had it. | If I had studied harder, I would have a job now. The result is about today, so it takes "would have", not "would have had". If I had studied, I would have a job now → |
If I had been braver, I would have asked her then — but I am still not brave. | If I were braver, I would have asked her then. The bravery is a lasting fact about now, so that half stays in the past simple. If I were braver, I would have asked → |
I wish I would be taller. | I wish I were taller. You cannot complain about your own behaviour this way — a fact about yourself takes "were". I wish you would… → |
All 11 conditionals & wishes structures
Grouped by CEFR band so you can start where you actually are, rather than at the top.
A2 · Everyday
2 structures at this level.
B1 · Independent
2 structures at this level.
B2 · Confident
4 structures at this level.
C1 · Fluent
3 structures at this level.
Dimmed tiles are structures whose example bank is still being written. The explanation and the mistake are there; the sentences are not, yet.
Reading it is not the same as saying it.
CoCap turns conditionals & wishes into practice you can actually do: a Hindi sentence, your English answer, and one correction at a time.
Practise this, free →