La buena noticia
El español tiene exactamente las mismas estructuras — solo hay que mapearlas:
- First: Si llueve, me quedaré en casa. → If it rains, I will stay home.
- Second: Si ganara la lotería, viajaría. → If I won the lottery, I would travel.
- Third: Si hubiera estudiado, habría aprobado. → If I had studied, I would have passed.
Si dominas estas frases en español, solo necesitas la mecánica inglesa. Vamos allá.
Zero Conditional — verdades generales
If + present simple, present simple
Para hechos que siempre son verdad:
- If you heat water to 100°C, it boils.
- If I drink coffee at night, I can't sleep.
Aquí if casi significa when — no hay incertidumbre, solo causa y efecto.
First Conditional — futuro realista
If + present simple, will + infinitivo
Para situaciones futuras posibles o probables:
- If it rains tomorrow, we will cancel the picnic.
- If you study, you will pass the exam.
- I will call you if I need help.
El error nº1 de hispanohablantes: poner will después de if.
❌ If it will rain, we will stay home. ✅ If it rains, we will stay home.
En español decimos "si lloverá" jamás — y en inglés tampoco. Después de if: presente.
Second Conditional — hipotético o improbable
If + past simple, would + infinitivo
Para situaciones imaginarias en el presente o futuro improbable:
- If I had a million euros, I would buy a house in Mallorca.
- If she spoke English, she would get that job.
- What would you do if you saw a celebrity?
Nota clave: el past simple aquí NO habla del pasado — expresa distancia de la realidad, igual que el imperfecto de subjuntivo español (si tuviera, si hablara).
If I were you — la frase estrella para dar consejos:
- If I were you, I would accept the offer. (Yo en tu lugar, aceptaría)
Third Conditional — el pasado que no fue
If + past perfect, would have + participio
Para lamentar o imaginar un pasado diferente — lo que ya no se puede cambiar:
- If I had studied more, I would have passed. (pero no estudié y no aprobé)
- If we had left earlier, we wouldn't have missed the flight.
- She would have come if you had invited her.
Es el condicional de los arrepentimientos — y el más difícil mecánicamente. Práctica: piensa en tres decisiones de tu vida y formula "qué habría pasado si..."
Tabla resumen
| Condicional | If... | Resultado | Uso | |---|---|---|---| | Zero | present | present | verdades | | First | present | will + inf | futuro real | | Second | past | would + inf | hipotético | | Third | past perfect | would have + part. | pasado imposible |
Test final — 8 frases
- If you ___ (mix) blue and yellow, you ___ (get) green. → mix / get
- If I ___ (see) her tomorrow, I ___ (tell) her. → see / will tell
- If I ___ (be) taller, I ___ (play) basketball. → were / would play
- If they ___ (leave) earlier, they ___ (catch) the train. → had left / would have caught
- She ___ (be) happier if she ___ (change) jobs. → would be / changed
- If it ___ (not rain), we ___ (go) to the beach later. → doesn't rain / will go
- What ___ you ___ (do) if you ___ (lose) your passport abroad? → would you do / lost
- I ___ (help) you yesterday if you ___ (ask) me. → would have helped / had asked
Los condicionales se practican a fondo en el nivel B1 con ejercicios interactivos y explicaciones en español.