Zero and first conditional
The zero conditional is for facts that are always true: if you heat ice, it melts. Zero Conditional: Amazing Nature builds it on facts about the natural world, and Fashion Tips, a free lesson, uses it for advice that always works.
The first conditional is for real possibilities. The new First Conditional worksheet is a first conditional superstitions lesson in one page. It opens with beliefs from six countries, such as opening an umbrella indoors in the UK or sitting at the corner of the table in Ukraine, and students guess the country before they meet the rule. It is a first conditional worksheet with answers, plus a domino chain where each result becomes the next if. Understanding Road Signs practices the same structure with traffic rules.
Superstitions work because every one is already a first conditional, and adults enjoy comparing them with the beliefs in their own family. Ask students for one superstition from home and write it on the board as an if sentence before you open the conditionals worksheet.
Second conditional
The second conditional is for imagined situations now: if I won the lottery, I'd buy a boat. The Second Conditional worksheet starts with a real YouGov poll on which superpower adults would choose, then shows why If I had... is about now and not the past. It also covers If I were you for advice. Use it as a second conditional worksheet for B1 or as part of a second conditional ESL lesson plan, followed by Healthy Lifestyle at B2-C1.
Wishes are close relatives of the second conditional. I wish I had more time works the same way as If I had more time, I'd... Teaching them together saves a lesson later and helps students see the pattern behind real and imaginary situations.
Third and mixed conditionals
The third conditional is for an imagined past, usually regret: if I had left earlier, I wouldn't have missed the flight. Life's Biggest Regrets, Vacations Gone Wrong and Butterfly Effect each build a lesson around it, and Getting a raise uses it to negotiate a salary. The Mixed Conditionals worksheet, free to download, connects past and present: if I had studied medicine, I'd be a doctor now.
Adults usually need the third conditional for regrets and the mixed conditional for consequences that last until now. Both are about the past, so they work well together in one unit at B2-C1.
Which conditional for which level
| Conditional | Level | Material |
| Zero | A1-B1 | Zero Conditional: Amazing Nature, Fashion Tips |
| First | A2-B2 | First Conditional worksheet, Understanding Road Signs |
| Second | B1-C1 | Second Conditional worksheet, Healthy Lifestyle |
| Third | B2-C1 | Life's Biggest Regrets, Vacations Gone Wrong, Butterfly Effect, Getting a raise |
| Mixed | B2-C1 | Mixed Conditionals worksheet |
Use the table to plan a sequence, not to cover everything at once. One conditional per lesson, with the if clause and the result clause practiced separately first, works better than a review of all five.
Conditionals FAQ
Which conditional should I teach first?
Start with the zero and first together at A2, since both use the present after if. Bring in the second at B1 and the third at B2.
Can I teach the first and second conditional in one lesson?
Yes, once both are familiar. A sentence pair such as If I win and If I won makes the difference clear: one is a real chance, the other is not.
Do the conditionals worksheets have answers?
Yes. Every worksheet has a Teacher's Version with all the answers. For a lighter review, try our songs to revise conditionals.
All conditionals worksheets and lesson plans come with a teacher subscription.