Episode 148
Listen to the Episode
Listen once for the main idea. Then use the transcript and repeat useful sentences aloud.
Download and study
Episode Resources
Download a file or continue to the transcript.
Best order: listen once, read while listening, then listen again without the text.
Full lesson
Read the Transcript
Follow the text while you listen, then repeat useful sentences aloud.
Hi, everybody! I am Georgiana, your English teacher and founder of SpeakEnglishPodcast.com. My mission is to help you speak English fluently.
Today, I’ll talk about how we use conditionals in English.
After that, we'll practice them with a Point Of View Story.
Ok, let's get started!
I'm going to review the different conditionals in English. I don't recommend you to memorize them, but to understand them. You need plenty of contexts, and the best way to practice the conditionals is by using the Point of View story technique.
Conditionals in English aren't complicated. I'm going to give you some examples:
Zero conditional
Here, we talk about things which are always true. For example:
If you heat water, it boils.
If you heat ice, it melts.
If it rains, the grass gets wet.
First Conditional
We use the first conditional when we talk about a probable result. For example:
If you study more, you'll pass the exam.
If I have time, I'll help you.
Second Conditional
We use the second conditional in case we want to express less probability.
I know you're busy, but if you went to the cinema, you'd enjoy the new Star Trek movie.
If you studied more, you'd pass the exam.
As you can see, this is more hypothetical. "If you went to the cinema", means you won't probably go, but if you went, then you'd like the movie. In the second example happens the same: If you studied more…it seems that you aren't currently studying enough.
Third Conditional
This third conditional is in the past. We talk about an alternative result about something that happened in the past. For example:
If you had studied more, you would've passed the exam.
If I had had more time, I would've helped you.
If I had visited you, I could've helped you.
In the third conditional, everything happens in the past, and we just express a different result if things weren't different in the past.
Let's quickly review the first, second, and third conditional with a common example:
If I have enough money, I'll buy a ticket to travel to New York.
If I had enough money, I would buy a ticket to travel to New York.
If I had had enough money, I would've bought a ticket to travel to New York.
Can you see how the tenses change?
Now, let’s practice.
Want more speaking practice? Continue with a complete audio course.
GRAMMAR MADE EASY
POV Story: Grammar in Context
Read the same story in two different points of view and notice how the grammar changes naturally.
| 01 |
First version Future Tense |
This is how it works: I'll tell you a short story more than one time. Every time, I'll change a grammar point. For example, I can change the tense or the person. This way, you'll intuitively recognize the changes.
Ok, let's start:
Emily wants to travel to another country. She thought about several options, but if she goes to Russia, she will see her friend Lily.
When she arrives at the airport in Moscow, it's freezing. If Emily doesn't want to get cold, she'll have to wear a jacket, so she buys a new one. Her friend Lily suggests that if she visits the Red Square, she'll like it very much, so they go there, and later they eat at a fine restaurant.
Emily complains that if Lily doesn't translate the menu, she won't be able to order anything. Lily helps her friend with that.
The next day, Lily suggests going to the river. Emily thinks that if they go there, she won't take a bath. It's too cold.
Finally, Emily returns to her country. She decides that if she ever goes back to Russia, she'll bring her warmest jacket with her.
| 02 |
Second version New Point of View |
Emily wants to travel to another country. She thought about several options, but if she went to Russia, she would see her friend Lily.
When she arrives at the airport in Moscow, it's a bit cold. Emily isn't too cold, but if she wanted to be perfectly warm, she would have to wear a jacket. She buys a new one. Her friend Lily suggests that if she visited the Red square, she would like it very much. They go there, and later they eat at a fine restaurant.
Emily complains that if Lily didn't translate the menu, she wouldn't be able to order anything. Lily helps her friend with that.
The next day, Lily suggests going to the river. Although the temperature isn't cold, Emily thinks that if they finally went to the river, she wouldn't take a bath.
Finally, Emily returns to her country. She decides that if she went to Russia again, she would bring a jacket with her.
| 03 |
Third version Past Tense |
Emily just traveled to France. She thought that if she had gone to Russia instead, she would have spent more time with Lily.
Russia is usually cold, so if Emily had visited this country, she would've had to wear a warm jacket.
Lily told Emily that she would've liked it very much if she had gone to Red Square. Besides, if they had eaten at a restaurant, Lily would've translated the menu to her friend.
In Russia, they would've visited the river. If they had gone to the river, Emily wouldn't have taken a bath.
Emily thought that if she had visited Russia, she would've brought a warm jacket with her.
Ok, this is the end of this short lesson. Don't worry if you find the third conditional a bit difficult. It is not something that is commonly used. The zero, the first and the second conditional are more common.
You see, just by changing a point of view of the story, you can learn grammar intuitively. Today, we have practiced all the conditionals of English. My recommendation: Listen to the Point of View many times. It'll help a lot.
Thanks for listening, and I’ll see you in the next episode.
Review
Vocabulary
Review the most useful words and expressions before listening again.
Zero conditional
A conditional used for things that are always true.
First conditional
A conditional used to talk about a probable result.
Second conditional
A conditional used for less probable or more hypothetical situations.
Third conditional
A conditional used to imagine a different result for something that happened in the past.
Probable result
An outcome that is likely to happen.
Hypothetical
Imagined rather than certain or real.
Alternative result
A different possible outcome from what actually happened.
Tense
The verb form that shows when an action or situation happens.
Want more speaking practice? Continue with a complete audio course.
With Georgiana’s lessons I have learned a lot, I started speaking English in easy way. And I have no fear to speak English with my friends. I love this language and also started to enjoy this language.thank you, Georgiana!”from India
Thank you so much You are the best
This is an excellent way to know about the conditionals, thank you Georgiana, kind regards.