Conditionals Exercises: 50+ Practice Questions (2026)
Free conditionals exercises with answers. Practice zero, first, second, third, and mixed conditionals with 50+ structured questions.
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Conditionals Exercises: 50+ Practice Questions
Master English conditionals with free, structured exercises. Includes zero, first, second, third, and mixed conditionals with a full answer key.
Quick Grammar Reference
A reminder of the four main conditional structures before you start.
| Type | Structure | Example | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zero | If + present simple, present simple | If you heat ice, it melts. | General truth / fact |
| First | If + present simple, will + base verb | If it rains, I will take an umbrella. | Real future possibility |
| Second | If + past simple, would + base verb | If I won the lottery, I would travel. | Unreal present / hypothetical |
| Third | If + past perfect, would have + past participle | If I had studied, I would have passed. | Unreal past / regret |
Tip: Check the tense carefully
The verb tense in the "if" clause tells you which conditional to use. Present simple = zero or first. Past simple = second. Past perfect = third. Look for "would" as a clue for second/third.
Zero Conditional Exercises
Fill in the blanks. Zero conditional describes general truths and facts.
1. If you ___ (heat) water to 100°C, it ___ (boil).
2. If plants ___ (not/get) enough sunlight, they ___ (die).
3. If I ___ (feel) tired, I ___ (drink) coffee.
4. If you ___ (mix) blue and yellow, you ___ (get) green.
5. When my brother ___ (be) hungry, he ___ (eat) everything in the fridge.
6. If you ___ (press) this button, the machine ___ (start).
7. If I ___ (stay) up too late, I ___ (feel) awful the next day.
8. Metal ___ (expand) if you ___ (heat) it.
9. If there ___ (be) no rain, plants ___ (not/grow).
10. When I ___ (speak) too fast, people ___ (not/understand) me.
Common Mistake: Using "will" in zero conditionals
Zero conditionals describe facts, not future possibilities. Do NOT use "will" in the main clause. "If you heat ice, it will melt" is incorrect for zero conditional (it is technically a first conditional, but for facts, use present simple in both clauses).
First Conditional Exercises
First conditional describes real future possibilities. If clause = present simple, main clause = will + verb.
11. If it ___ (rain) tomorrow, I ___ (stay) at home.
12. She ___ (be) late if she ___ (not/leave) now.
13. If you ___ (study) hard, you ___ (pass) the exam.
14. We ___ (order) pizza if everyone ___ (agree).
15. If they ___ (arrive) early, we ___ (have) coffee together.
16. He ___ (not/get) the job if he ___ (not/prepare) for the interview.
17. If you ___ (not/hurry), you ___ (miss) the bus.
18. The teacher ___ (be) happy if we ___ (finish) the project on time.
19. If they ___ (offer) me the job, I ___ (accept) it.
20. What ___ you ___ (do) if the weather ___ (be) nice this weekend?
Common Mistake: Using "if" + "will" in the same clause
Do NOT use "will" in the "if" clause. "If it will rain..." is wrong. Use present simple after "if": "If it rains, I will stay home." The word "will" only goes in the main clause.
Second Conditional Exercises
Second conditional describes hypothetical or unreal situations. If clause = past simple, main clause = would + verb.
21. If I ___ (have) a million dollars, I ___ (travel) the world.
22. If she ___ (speak) Spanish, she ___ (apply) for the job in Madrid.
23. I ___ (not/live) in the city if I ___ (have) a choice.
24. If we ___ (know) the answer, we ___ (tell) you.
25. He ___ (lose) weight if he ___ (exercise) regularly.
26. If I ___ (be) you, I ___ (apologize) to her.
27. What ___ you ___ (do) if you ___ (find) a wallet on the street?
28. If they ___ (build) a park near my house, I ___ (go) there every day.
29. She ___ (feel) happier if she ___ (stop) comparing herself to others.
30. If I ___ (can) fly, I ___ (visit) every country in the world.
Common Mistake: Using "would" in the "if" clause
Never put "would" after "if" in second conditionals. "If I would have..." is incorrect. Use past simple: "If I had..." The "would" belongs only in the main clause. Exception: "If I were you..." (use "were" not "was" for all subjects).
Third Conditional Exercises
Third conditional describes unreal past situations (regrets, missed opportunities). If clause = past perfect, main clause = would have + past participle.
31. If I ___ (study) harder, I ___ (pass) the exam.
32. We ___ (not/get) lost if we ___ (bring) a map.
33. If she ___ (leave) earlier, she ___ (catch) the train.
34. He ___ (become) a doctor if he ___ (go) to medical school.
35. If they ___ (tell) us about the problem, we ___ (help) them.
36. I ___ (not/make) that mistake if I ___ (read) the instructions carefully.
37. If the weather ___ (be) better, we ___ (go) to the beach.
38. She ___ (not/marry) him if she ___ (know) the truth.
39. If I ___ (save) more money, I ___ (buy) that house.
40. We ___ (arrive) on time if the traffic ___ (not/be) so bad.
Common Mistake: Mixing second and third conditional forms
Second conditional = present unreal ("If I had money, I would buy..."). Third conditional = past unreal ("If I had had money, I would have bought..."). Check if the situation is still possible (second) or already finished (third). "If I knew" = I dont know now. "If I had known" = I didnt know then.
Mixed Conditional Exercises
Mixed conditionals combine different time references. Most common: third conditional if-clause (past) with second conditional main clause (present result).
41. If I ___ (not/break) my leg last month, I ___ (play) in the tournament now.
42. She ___ (be) a manager now if she ___ (accept) the promotion last year.
43. If they ___ (invest) in that company, they ___ (be) rich today.
44. He ___ (not/feel) so tired today if he ___ (go) to bed earlier last night.
45. If I ___ (pay) attention in class, I ___ (know) the answer now.
46. We ___ (live) in a bigger house if we ___ (sell) our old apartment.
47. If she ___ (study) medicine, she ___ (work) as a doctor today.
48. They ___ (have) more experience now if they ___ (take) that internship.
49. If you ___ (save) money every month, you ___ (not/struggle) financially right now.
50. I ___ (speak) better English today if I ___ (practice) more when I was younger.
51. If he ___ (not/spend) all his savings on a car, he ___ (have) enough for a house deposit now.
52. She ___ (not/be) so stressed today if she ___ (start) the project earlier.
Common Mistake: Forgetting the time shift in mixed conditionals
Mixed conditionals are tricky because the if-clause and main clause refer to different times. The if-clause uses past perfect (past action), and the main clause uses "would + verb" (present result). Think: "past condition leading to present situation."
Answer Key with Explanations
Zero Conditional Answers
1. heat / boils
Scientific fact. Both verbs in present simple.
2. don't get / die
General truth about plants. Negative in the if-clause.
3. feel / drink
Personal habit presented as a general pattern.
4. mix / get
Universal fact about colors.
5. is / eats
"When" can replace "if" in zero conditionals. Same meaning.
6. press / starts
Instruction or known result of an action.
7. stay / feel
Cause and effect, personal experience.
8. expands / heat
Scientific fact. Note the comma is optional when the if-clause comes second.
9. is / don't grow
Negative result in the main clause. General truth about nature.
10. speak / don't understand
"When" used to describe a repeated personal experience.
First Conditional Answers
11. rains / will stay
Future possibility. Present simple after "if", "will" in the main clause.
12. will be / doesn't leave
Negative in the if-clause. "Will be" starts the main clause here because the if-clause is second.
13. study / will pass
Real future condition with a positive result.
14. will order / agrees
Present simple "agrees" (he/she/it form) after "if".
15. arrive / will have
Simple future plan. Both actions are in the future.
16. won't get / doesn't prepare
Negative result ("will not get") with a negative condition ("does not prepare").
17. don't hurry / will miss
Warning about a future consequence.
18. will be / finish
Positive outcome from completing a task.
19. offer / will accept
Clear future plan contingent on an offer.
20. will / do / is
Question form: "will" moves to the front, present simple in the if-clause.
Second Conditional Answers
21. had / would travel
Hypothetical situation. The speaker does NOT have a million dollars.
22. spoke / would apply
Unreal present. She does NOT speak Spanish currently.
23. wouldn't live / had
Negative main clause. The person does live in the city and has no choice.
24. knew / would tell
We do NOT know the answer. This is an unreal present situation.
25. would lose / exercised
He does NOT exercise regularly, so he is not losing weight.
26. were / would apologize
"If I were you" is a fixed expression. Always use "were", not "was".
27. would / do / found
Question form with a hypothetical scenario.
28. built / would go
There is no park currently. This is a wish about the present.
29. would feel / stopped
Advice framed as a hypothetical. She does compare herself to others.
30. could / would visit
"Could" is the past simple of "can" and works in second conditional if-clauses.
Third Conditional Answers
31. had studied / would have passed
Regret about the past. The person did NOT study hard and did NOT pass.
32. wouldn't have gotten / had brought
Negative result in the past. They did NOT bring a map and DID get lost.
33. had left / would have caught
She did NOT leave early and did NOT catch the train.
34. would have become / had gone
He did NOT go to medical school and did NOT become a doctor.
35. had told / would have helped
They did NOT tell us, so we did NOT help.
36. wouldn't have made / had read
The person made a mistake because they did NOT read the instructions.
37. had been / would have gone
The weather was bad, so they did NOT go to the beach.
38. wouldn't have married / had known
She got married without knowing the truth.
39. had saved / would have bought
The person did NOT save enough and did NOT buy the house.
40. would have arrived / hadn't been
The traffic was bad, so they did NOT arrive on time.
Mixed Conditional Answers
41. hadn't broken / would play
Past condition (broke leg) affecting the present (cant play now). If-clause = past perfect, main clause = would + verb.
42. would be / had accepted
She did not accept the promotion (past), so she is not a manager now (present result). Note: if-clause comes second.
43. had invested / would be
They did not invest (past). Result: they are not rich today (present).
44. wouldn't feel / had gone
He went to bed late (past). Result: he feels tired today (present).
45. had paid / would know
Did not pay attention in class (past). Result: does not know the answer now (present).
46. would live / had sold
They did not sell their apartment (past). Result: they live in a small house now (present).
47. had studied / would work
She did not study medicine (past). Result: she does not work as a doctor now (present).
48. would have / had taken
They did not take the internship (past). Result: they lack experience now (present).
49. had saved / wouldn't struggle
Did not save money (past). Result: struggling financially now (present).
50. would speak / had practiced
Did not practice English in childhood (past). Result: limited English skills today (present).
51. hadn't spent / would have
Spent savings on a car (past). Result: no house deposit now (present).
52. wouldn't be / had started
Did not start the project early (past). Result: stressed today (present).
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