Songs with Conditionals: 11 Songs for Zero, First, Second, Third and Mixed (Free Worksheets)
April 17, 2025
Table of Contents
- Zero conditional songs
- First conditional songs
- Second conditional songs
- Third conditional songs
- Mixed conditional songs
- Mistakes your students will make
- Homework: conditionals in the wild
- Lessons by conditional type
Conditionals are easier to remember when they come with a tune. Pop songs are full of if-lines: promises, wishes, regrets and imaginary lives. This list gives you eleven songs, sorted by conditional type, so you can pick the right one for the structure you are teaching.
For each song you get the conditional it practises, the level it suits and two or three classroom tasks. Play the official video, let students listen for the pattern, then move them into speaking or writing.
The activities at a glance
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Free · printable PDFs Five free song worksheets One worksheet per song, one song per conditional. Each opens with real data, introduces the singer and the song, teaches the pattern, then gives seven exercises. They work for self-study, and students read the lyrics on the official video or a streaming app. Zero Conditional with IronicA2-B1zero conditionalStudent PDFTeacher's version First Conditional with Count on MeA2-B1first conditionalStudent PDFTeacher's version Second Conditional with If I Were a BoyB1-B2second conditionalStudent PDFTeacher's version Third Conditional with If It Hadn't Been for LoveB2-C1third conditionalStudent PDFTeacher's version Mixed Conditionals with White FlagB2-C1mixed conditionalStudent PDFTeacher's version |
Zero conditional songs
The zero conditional describes things that are always true: if/when + present simple, present simple. Songs use it for rules of life, which makes them easy to discuss.
1of 11ZeroA2-B1Free worksheet Ironic Alanis Morissette, 1995 · Watch the official video
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2of 11ZeroA2-B1 If You Love Somebody Set Them Free Sting, 1985 · Watch the official video
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More zero conditional practice The Amazing Nature worksheet uses the same pattern for surprising facts about plants and animals, from octopuses to chameleons. |
First conditional songs
The first conditional is for a real possibility in the future: if + present simple, will + verb. Use when instead of if when the speaker is sure it will happen.
3of 11FirstA2-B1Free worksheet Count on Me Bruno Mars, 2010 · Watch the official video
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4of 11FirstA2-B1 Fix You Coldplay, 2005 · Watch the official video
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5of 11FirstB2-C1 I'm Your Man Leonard Cohen, 1988 · Watch the official video
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6of 11First and secondB1-B2 The Sweet Escape Gwen Stefani, 2006 · Watch the official video
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First conditional in a full lesson Fashion Tips practises zero and first conditionals through advice on what to wear, so students move from songs to giving real tips. |
Second conditional songs
The second conditional imagines a different present: if + past simple, would + verb. It is the most common conditional in pop music, because songs love imaginary lives.
7of 11SecondB1-B2Free worksheet If I Were a Boy Beyoncé, 2008 · Watch the official video
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For the If I were you… sentences Healthy Lifestyle teaches the second conditional for giving advice, with an authentic article about bad habits. |
8of 11SecondB1-B2 Kings & Queens Ava Max, 2020 · Watch the official video
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For the If I were the boss… tasks Getting a Raise is a Business English lesson on asking for more money, full of what-if planning before the conversation. |
9of 11SecondB1-B2 If You Were a Sailboat Katie Melua, 2007 · Watch the official video
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Third conditional songs
The third conditional imagines a different past: if + past perfect, would have + past participle. It is the language of regret, so it fits story songs.
10of 11ThirdB2-C1Free worksheet If It Hadn't Been for Love The SteelDrivers, also recorded by Adele, 2008 / 2011 · Watch the official video
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Third conditional, lesson length Vacations Gone Wrong practises the third conditional through holiday disasters; Life's Biggest Regrets adds I wish and If only. |
Mixed conditional songs
Mixed conditionals connect two times: a past cause with a present result, or a present situation with a past result. They are the natural next step once students can tell the other types apart.
11of 11MixedB2-C1Free worksheet White Flag Dido, 2003 · Watch the official video
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Mixed conditionals, step by step Butterfly Effect contrasts third and mixed conditionals through real stories; the free Mixed Conditionals worksheet drills both patterns. |
All five song worksheets are free Ironic (zero) · Count on Me (first) · If I Were a Boy (second) · If It Hadn't Been for Love (third) · White Flag (mixed) |
Mistakes your students will make
Teacher's reference The conditional slips to listen for
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Homework: conditionals in the wild
Ask students to collect real conditionals for a week, from songs, series, conversations or the news. In the next lesson they share them and decide which type each one is. It turns the grammar into something they notice outside the classroom.
Lessons by conditional type
| Type | Lesson | Level |
| Zero | Zero Conditional: Amazing Nature | A1-A2 |
| Zero and first | Fashion Tips | A2-B1 |
| Second | Healthy Lifestyle | B2-C1 |
| Second | Getting a Raise | B2-C1 |
| Third | Vacations Gone Wrong | B2-C1 |
| Third, I wish | Life's Biggest Regrets | B2-C1 |
| Third and mixed | Butterfly Effect | B2-C1 |
| Mixed | Mixed Conditionals | B2-C1 |
