Mastering English Conditionals and Reported Speech

English Grammar Essentials

The Conditionals

Zero Conditional

Use: Scientific truths, general facts.

Structure: If + Present Simple ... Present Simple

First Conditional

Use: Real and possible future situations (Cause and consequence).

Structure: If + Present Simple ... will/won’t + Infinitive

Example: If you study, you will pass the exams.

Second Conditional

Use: Unreal or hypothetical present/future cases.

Structure: If + Past Simple ... would/wouldn’t + Infinitive

Example: If I were (not was) rich, I would buy myself a car.

Third Conditional

Use: Impossible situations in the past (something that did not happen).

Structure: If + Past Perfect ... would/wouldn’t have + Past Participle

Example: If I had known you were coming, I would have baked a cake.

Reported Speech Rules

Tense Shifts

• Present Simple $\rightarrow$ Past Simple
• Present Continuous $\rightarrow$ Past Continuous
• Present Perfect, Past Simple $\rightarrow$ Past Perfect

Examples:

• Direct: "He works in a bank." $\rightarrow$ Reported: She said that he worked in a bank.
• Direct: "Where is he?" $\rightarrow$ Reported: She asked me where he was.
• Direct: "She's living in Paris for a few months." $\rightarrow$ Reported: She said that she was living in Paris for a few months.
• Direct: "What are you doing?" $\rightarrow$ Reported: She asked me what I was doing.
• Direct: "I didn't go to the party." $\rightarrow$ Reported: She said that she hadn't gone to the party.
• Direct: "Did he arrive on time?" $\rightarrow$ Reported: She asked me if he had arrived on time.

Modal Verb Shifts

• will $\rightarrow$ would
• can $\rightarrow$ could
• may $\rightarrow$ might
• must, have to $\rightarrow$ had to

Vocabulary Units

Unit 3: Phrasal Verbs and Idioms

• To eat up – Consumir
• To give up – Abandonar
• To cut back on sth – Reducir algo
• To work on – Treballar-hi
• To turn down – Rechazar
• To keep up with – Seguir el ritme
• It isn’t everyone’s cup of tea – No a todo el mundo le gusta
• To bite off more than I can chew – Morder más de lo que puedo masticar
• To stuff yourself with sth – Atiborrarse de algo
• It’s food for thought – Es comida para pensar

Unit 4: Social and Emotional Vocabulary

• To meet up – Quedar
• I’ve been stood up – M’han deixat plantat
• To turn up – Aparecer
• To make up a story – Inventar una història
• It’s going on – Seguir adelante
• To give in – Rendirse
• To give up – Tirar la tovallola o dejar de hacer algo no beneficioso
• To put in their two cents – Aportar su grano de arena
• See eye to eye with someone – Estar de acuerdo con alguien
• To say his piece – Decir lo que piensa
• To be on the same wavelength – Estar en la misma onda

Heart Idioms

• A broken heart – Corazón roto
• A heart of gold – Corazón de oro
• A hearty meal – Buena comida
• From the bottom of your heart – De todo corazón
• Good-hearted – De buen corazón
• Hand on heart – Con la mano en el corazón
• The heart of the matter – El quid de la cuestión (el corazón del tema)