Topic 1.7.2 First and Second Conditional
FIRST AND SECOND CONDITIONALS
Warm up
- If your company offers you a promotion, will you accept it? Why or why not?
- How do you think the world will change if more people start working from home permanently?
- If the weather is good this weekend, what will you do?
- If you could have dinner with any historical figure, who would it be and why?
- What would you do if you were the CEO of your company for one day?
- If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be and why?
Listening
You’re going to listen to a news story about a company called VerdeTech Innovations and its bold plan to power all its production facilities using 100% renewable energy.
Listen again and answer the following questions.
Discussion questions
What long-term benefits might VerdeTech gain from using 100% renewable energy? Do these benefits outweigh the risks?
What challenges could companies face when switching to renewable energy? How can they prepare for these?
Should companies take more risks for sustainability, even if there are uncertainties? Why or why not?
Grammar
Look at these extracts from the article in italics. They are all examples of the first conditional:
“If we transition to renewable energy, we will significantly reduce our carbon footprint,”
“If more companies follow our lead, we could see a shift in the entire industry.”
“If we experience unexpected costs, we may need to reconsider hiring plans or delay expansion projects.”
How would the meaning of the sentences they differ from the following ones (all second conditional):
“If we transitioned to renewable energy, we would significantly reduce our carbon footprint,”
“If more companies followed our lead, we could see a shift in the entire industry.”
“If we experienced unexpected costs, we might need to reconsider hiring plans or delay expansion projects.”
Grammar Reference
| Forms | Examples and Use |
| First conditional | We use the first conditional when there is a real possibility that something will happen in the future. |
| If + present simple …, will … | If it rains, I’ll stay at home. |
| Instead of will, we can use other modal verbs, e.g. can, might, may, must, should | If it rains tomorrow, we will cancel the outdoor event. |
| Second conditional | We use the second conditional when we imagine a situation or when there is very little or no possibility that something will happen. |
| If + past simple …, I’d (= would) … | If I had more free time, I would travel the world. |
| Instead of would, we can use could or might. | If it wasn’t dark outside, we could go out. |
Notes:
We do not use will or would in the if-part of a conditional sentence:
- If it will rain rains, I’ll stay at home.
The if-part of the sentence can go at the beginning or at the end:
- If it rains, I’ll stay at home.
- I’ll stay at home if it rains.
In a first conditional sentence, we can use when instead of if for things that we are sure will happen:
- When she comes, I’ll call you.
In the second conditional we use if + past (if I did, if I didn’t, etc.), but the meaning is not past. In this type of structure, the past tense refers to an imaginary or hypothetical situation, such as finding a lot of money in the street:
- What would you do if you found a lot of money in the street?
Practice exercise 1
Practice exercise 2
Practice 3
Look at the situations below. Decide if they are impossible/hypothetical or possible and form a conditional sentence for each one. Where possible, try to use other modal verbs instead of will or would, for example can, could, might, may, should, must. Examples:
It will rain this weekend. >>>>>>> If it rains this weekend, I may not go out.
You will have a holiday next week. >>>>>>>> If I had a holiday next week, I might go to Portugal.
- You speak English fluently.
- You will win the lottery.
- Your country will win the football World Cup.
- You will go out tonight with some friends.
- You live in another country.
- You can fly.
- You will meet the president of your country.
- You will be late for your next lesson.
- You will go to bed later than usual tonight.
Phrasal verbs and nouns with “set”
In the audio they said: “If we learn from any setbacks, we will be better equipped to guide future innovations.”
Setback – A delay or problem that prevents progress or success.
The company experienced a setback when their primary supplier went out of business.
There are a number of phrasal verbs/nouns with “set”.
Phrasal verbs/nouns with “set”
| Set up (v) | To arrange, organize, or establish something. | We need to set up the conference room before the meeting starts. |
| Set-up (n) | The arrangement or preparation of something; the way something is organized or established. | The set-up for the conference was impressive, with all the equipment ready for use. |
| Set back (v) | To delay or hinder progress. | The project was set back by a week due to unforeseen problems. |
| Setback (n) | A delay or problem that prevents progress or success. | The company experienced a setback when their primary supplier went out of business. |
| Set (sth) off against (sth) (v) | to use or record one thing, especially the cost of something, in order to reduce or remove the effect of another | The company set its carbon emissions off against its environmental initiatives. |
| Setoff/Offset (n) | A counteracting or offsetting action, often used in financial or legal contexts. | The company applied a setoff to reduce the amount owed on the account. |
Practice exercise
Discussion questions
- How do you typically set up a new project in your company? What are the key steps to ensure success?
- What makes a good set-up for a business meeting? What factors should be considered to make it run smoothly?
- Can you think of a situation where a setback greatly affected your work or goals? How did you overcome it?
- What are some common setbacks companies face when launching a new product, and how can they be avoided?
- How do businesses set off their expenses against their income in financial reports? What impact does this have on taxes?
- In what ways can companies offset their carbon emissions or environmental impact? Do you think it’s enough, or should more be done?
Speaking activities
1.What If Scenarios
Pair students and have them discuss what they would do in various hypothetical situations. For example:
- “What would you do if you found a wallet on the street?”
- “What will you do if your boss asks you to work overtime tomorrow?”
2.Debate Game: Debate the following statements in pairs. Try and use first and second conditionals.
- If companies reduced work hours, productivity would increase.
- “If companies allowed employees to work remotely, productivity would increase.”
- “If businesses adopt more AI tools, employees will become less valuable”
- “What would happen if companies implemented a four-day workweek for everyone?”
- “If employees prioritize work-life balance, companies will see a higher turnover”
3.Chain Stories: Start a story and another student adds a sentence using a conditional:
– “If it rains tomorrow, the event will be cancelled.”
– “If the event is cancelled, I will reschedule for next week.”
4.Moral Dilemmas: Present a situation and ask (an)other student(s) what they would do:
- “If you discovered a colleague was stealing, would you report it?”
- “If you knew that bending the rules would guarantee you a promotion, would you do it?”
- “If a colleague was struggling to meet a deadline and asked for help, but assisting them would mean missing your own deadline, would you help?”
- “If your company asked you to follow a practice that was legal but unethical, would you comply?”
- “If you discovered that your company was involved in illegal activities, would you report it, knowing it might lead to significant consequences for you?”