Decidir es imaginar consecuencias: para eso están los conditionals
La máquina de decidir: tres conditionals
| Tipo | Uso | Forma | Ejemplo |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zero | hechos/verdades siempre ciertas | If + present, present | If you heat ice, it melts |
| First | situación real y posible en futuro | If + present, will | If it rains, I will stay home |
| Second | hipotético/improbable presente | If + past, would | If I had money, I would travel |
- Trampa ortográfica: "If I WERE you…" — en second conditional el verbo to be suele ser WERE para todas las personas (I/he/she were) porque es subjuntivo irreal.
- "will" casi nunca va tras IF: no *"If I will go"; es "If I GO". El futuro va en la consecuencia.
Reading passage · "Choosing a major"
Notice the shift from FIRST (real plans) to SECOND (dreams):
If I choose business, I will probably earn more, and my parents will be happy. If I get an internship this summer, my CV will look stronger. But I keep asking myself what I would do if money were not a problem. If I didn't have to think about salary, I would study marine biology. If I lived near the sea, I would spend every day diving. The truth is that if you follow your passion, you work harder, and if you work harder, you usually get better. So maybe the real question is not "what should I choose" but "which version of my future can I live with."
Detrás del texto
- "If I choose business, I WILL earn" → FIRST: una decisión real que él baraja. Condición en present, consecuencia con will.
- "If money WERE not a problem, I WOULD study biology" → SECOND: es un sueño, NO la realidad (el dinero sí es un problema). Past irreal + would.
- "if you follow your passion, you work harder" → ZERO: una verdad general que él acepta; dos presentes.
Consejos con would rather y it depends (repaso con condiciones)
- "I'd rather you didn't smoke here" (would rather + sujeto + past para pedir a otro).
- "It depends on which one you can afford" (depend ON + oración con orden afirmativo, no "…can you afford").
- "If I were you, I'd think twice" — el consejo hipotético perfecto en second conditional.
Decision-making dialogue (listening)
A: "If you take this job, will you move?" B: "I would if they offered more. If they paid 20% more, I'd say yes tomorrow." A: "So, if it were only about money…?" B: "I'd stay where I am."
- Escucha los contractions: "I'd" = "I would" (second), no "I had."
Practice — Basic
Ejemplo resuelto — "If it rains tomorrow, I ___ at home."
El planteamiento
"If it rains tomorrow, I ___ at home."Razonamiento
Would stay sería hipotético (second); aquí es un plan concreto.Respuesta correcta
will stay
Paso 1 de 3
"If it rains tomorrow, I ___ at home."
"If you ___ water to 100°C, it boils."
"If I would have time, I would help you" es correcto.
Practice — Intermediate
Pon el verbo correcto: "If I (be) you, I (take) the job."
Match each conditional to its type:
Practice — Advanced
Which part is WRONG? "If I would have known about the meeting (A) / last week, (B) / I would have come (C) / earlier. (D)"
Marca la línea o las líneas con error y pulsa Comprobar.
Write 4 sentences giving a friend advice about a decision, mixing one first conditional (real) and two second conditionals (hypothetical, use "If I were you"). Bold the verbs.
Se evalúa first (If + present, will) y second (If + past, would) correctos, con "If I were you, I'd…".
Tu texto se guarda sólo en este dispositivo.
BBC Learning English · ConditionalsLos tres conditionals con ejemplos.
Key cards
Toca una tarjeta para ver la respuesta.
Decidir con las tres condiciones
Aquí se mira lo que ya fuiste acertando. Pulsa «Comprobar» para saber si puedes seguir.
El condicional cero comenta eventos con causa-efecto de la vida diaria. ¿Cuál construcción corresponde al cero conditional?
En el condicional cero tanto la condición como el resultado son hechos reales, como hábitos, fenómenos naturales, datos científicos o rutinas.
En el primer conditional, ¿cómo se distribuyen los tiempos entre las cláusulas?
First conditional (planes y clima): If it (llover) today, we will not go to the park.
Comentarios
Inicia sesión para comentar.
Todavía no hay comentarios. Sé la primera persona en opinar.