First Conditional – Real Possibility
It’s used to talk about real possibilities in the future. It’s a structure that expresses a condition and its probable result.
•If it rains tomorrow, I will stay at home.
•Yoo bor ni rooba ta’e, manan tura.
•She will buy a new car if she gets a promotion.
•Yoo sadarkaa guddinaa argatte, konkolaataa haaraa ni bitatti.
•Used for real possibilities, things that could happen in the future.
•The “if” clause can come first or second in the sentence.
•We can use “when” instead of “if” to talk about future events that are very likely to happen.
Examples:
•If I finish my work early, I will go to the gym.
•She will buy a new car if she gets a promotion.
•We will have a picnic if the weather is nice.
•If he calls you, you should go.
•If I have time, I will finish that letter.
•If you drop that glass, it will break.
•Nobody will notice if you make a mistake.
Second Conditional – Hypothetical situation
It talks about hypothetical or imaginary situations and their possible results. It’s often used to express wishes, dreams, or unlikely scenarios.
•If I won the lottery, I would travel the world.
•Osoon lootorii mo’adhe, addunyaan naanna’a ture.
•If I had more time, I would learn to play the guitar
•Osoon yeroo qabaadhe, gitaran baradha true.
•Used for unreal or unlikely situations.
•The verb “were” is often used instead of “was” with “I” and “he/she/it” in the if clause for more formal style.
•It can also be used to give advice.
Examples:
•If I were you, I would drive more carefully in the rain. — this is unreal.
•Paula would be sad if Jan left. — that’s not going to happen.
•If dogs had wings, they would be able to fly. — that’s impossible.
Third Conditional – Imagining a Different Past
It’s used to talk about hypothetical situations in the past. It’s used to express regret, criticism, or just imagination about how things could have been different.
•If I had studied harder, I would have passed the exam.
•If we had taken a taxi, we wouldn’t have missed a bus.
•Used for situations that are impossible to change now because they happened in the past.
•Both parts of the sentence refer to the past.
•We often use the third conditional to express regrets or criticisms.
Examples:
•She would have become a doctor if she had studied medicine.
•They would have bought a house if they had saved more money.
•If you had told me about the meeting, I would have come.
•If you had told me about the meeting, I wouldn’t have missed it.
