Zero vs. Second Conditional: Fact vs. Fantasy
1. Zero Conditional (Real Life/Facts)
Used for things that are always true. It describes cause and effect.
(Wird für Dinge verwendet, die immer wahr sind – Ursache und Wirkung.)
Form: If + Present Simple, ... Present Simple.
Example: If you drop a stone, it falls.
2. Second Conditional (Imaginary/Dreams)
Used for hypothetical or unlikely situations. It is "dreaming" about how things could be different.
(Wird für hypothetische oder unwahrscheinliche Situationen verwendet – Träumereien.)
Form: If + Past Simple, ... would + Verb.
Example: If I were a bird, I would fly to Africa.
Practice: Zero vs. Second Conditional
Choose the correct verb form. The correct answer follows the 1, 2, 2, 1 sequence.
1. If you heat water to 100°C, it ______.
a) boils
b) would boil
(Wenn man Wasser auf 100°C erhitzt, kocht es. - Fakt)
2. If I won the lottery, I ______ a private island.
a) buy
b) would buy
(Wenn ich im Lotto gewinnen würde, würde ich eine Insel kaufen. - Traum)
3. If I were you, I ______ to the doctor immediately.
a) go
b) would go
4. If you don't eat, you ______ hungry.
a) get
b) would get
5. If it rains, the ground ______ wet.
a) gets
b) would get
6. If I had wings, I ______ to work.
a) fly
b) would fly
7. If she spoke ten languages, she ______ a great translator.
a) is
b) would be
8. If you cross an international date line, the time ______.
a) changes
b) would change
9. If you mix red and white, you ______ pink.
a) get
b) would get
10. If we lived on Mars, we ______ to wear space suits.
a) need
b) would need
11. If I met the President, I ______ very nervous.
a) am
b) would be
12. If you throw a ball up, it ______ down.
a) comes
b) would come
13. If you leave the tap open, the sink ______.
a) overflows
b) would overflow
14. If I could travel in time, I ______ the dinosaurs.
a) visit
b) would visit
15. If I found a dinosaur egg, I ______ it to a museum.
a) give
b) would give
16. If plants get no light, they ______.
a) die
b) would die
17. If you multiply any number by zero, the result ______ zero.
a) is
b) would be
18. If he were taller, he ______ a professional basketball player.
a) is
b) would be
19. If we had a spaceship, we ______ to Jupiter.
a) go
b) would go
20. If you freeze water, it ______ solid.
a) becomes
b) would become
21. If you add two odd numbers, you ______ an even number.
a) get
b) would get
22. If I were the King, I ______ everyone a free car.
a) give
b) would give
23. If magic ______ real, the world would be very different.
a) is
b) were
24. If the sun goes down, it ______ dark.
a) gets
b) would get
25. If people don't drink water for a long time, they ______.
a) die
b) would die