English grammar: Had better/ would rather Conditionals I

1. English class 18
Elementary level
Juan José Simón Pérez
learnenglishesol.weebly.com

2. HAD BETTER / WOULD RATHER
 Had better y would rather son expresiones
muy utilizadas en inglés.
 No son modales (aquí el único modal es
‘would’), aunque cumplen algunas reglas de
estos.
You had better tell him the truth.
I would rather watch another movie.

3. HAD BETTER / WOULD RATHER
 HAD BETTER = es aconsejable (sería mejor
que...)
 A pesar de que HAD es pasado, had better solo
se utiliza para presente y futuro.
He had better pay today
I had better talk to the boss tomorrow
 En inglés hablado se contrae ‘HAD’
I’d better go now
She’d better take a taxi

4. HAD BETTER / WOULD RATHER
 ESTRUCTURA:
 (+) Subject + had better (‘d better) + infinitive…
It’s getting cold, you’d better take a coat.
 (-) Subject + had better not (‘d better not) +
infinitive
You had better not go out tonight.
 (?) (Wh..) + Had + subject + better + infinitive…?
Where had I better go on holiday?

5. HAD BETTER / WOULD RATHER
 WOULD RATHER significa prefiero / preferiría
(prefer / would prefer) dependiendo del caso:
 Preferencias específicas:
Would rather = would prefer to + infinitive
I’d prefer to take a taxi = I’d rather take a taxi
 Preferencias generales:
Would rather = prefer + infinitive –ing
I prefer swimming than running = I’d rather swim
than run

6. HAD BETTER / WOULD RATHER
 ESTRUCTURA:
 (+) Subject + would rather + infinitive…
I’d rather stay at home.
 (-) Subject + would rather not + infinitive…
I’d rather not play videogames so late
(?) Would + subject + rather + infinitive…?
Would you rather rent a house than a flat?

7. HAD BETTER / WOULD RATHER
 Al hablar se suele contraer ‘WOULD’:
I’d rather… / You’d… / He’d… / She’d… / It’d… /
We’d…/ You’d… They’d…
 Si la acción afecta a terceros, se pone el verbo
en pasado, aunque suela referirse al presente o
al futuro.
I’d rather they went early.
I’d rather we had some coffee before to go.

8. HAD BETTER / WOULD RATHER
 Para comparar entre dos o mas opciones
utilizamos
a) ‘…WOULD RATHER…THAN’
I’d rather have tea than coffee
b) ‘WOULD PREFER…RATHER THAN…’
I’d prefer to go out rather than watch TV

9. HAD BETTER / WOULD RATHER
 Exercise . Fill in the gaps with ‘had better’ or
‘would rather’.
1) I ____ ____ take a bus than go walking.
2) He ___ ____ save some money for its
retirement.
3) You ___ ____ not drink more beer tonight.
4) ____ you ____ buy a car than a house?
5) I’m going to England, so I ___ ____ study
English hardly.
6) I ___ ___ you didn’t come late today.
7) Tim ___ ___ pay off all his debts soon.

10. HAD BETTER / WOULD RATHER
 Answers.
1) I WOULD RATHER take a bus than go walking.
2) He HAD BETTER save some money for its
retirement.
3) You HAD BETTER not drink more beer tonight.
4) WOULD you RATHER buy a car than a house?
5) I’m going to England, so I HAD BETTER study
English hardly.
6) I WOULD RATHER you didn’t come late today.
7) Tim HAD BETTER pay off all his debts soon.

11. CONDITIONALS I
 Condicionales son estructuras utilizadas para
expresar que una situación ocurrirá solo si
ocurre otra previamente.
 La condición pude ser real o imaginaria, y el
resultado puede ser definido o simplemente
posible.
 Las frases condicionales mas comunes se
forman con la partícula ‘IF’. También se
sustituye ‘IF’ por: WHEN (la mas común),
UNLESS, BEFORE, AFTER, AS SOON AS…

12. CONDITIONALS I
 En inglés existen cuatro tipos de condicionales,
dependiendo de la situación:
1. Zero conditional
2. First conditional
3. Second conditional
4. Third conditional
 Se pueden formar otros tipos mezclando los tipos
anteriores.
 En esta unidad estudiaremos los tres primeros
tipos.

13. CONDITIONALS I
 ZERO CONDITIONAL
 El ‘zero conditional’ se usa al hablar de hechos o
situaciones que siempre son verdad.
If you have children, you worry about them all
the time.
 ESTRUCTURA:
 If + subject + present simple… , subject + present
simple…
When people laugh, they reduce their stress.

14. CONDITIONALS I
 Exercise 1. Make sentences in Zero
conditional using the correct verb tenses.
1) If I _____ (to eat) too much, I always _____ (to
have) stomach ache.
2) When it _____ (to snow), the landscape ____
(to become) white.
3) Mike always ____ (to tell) me the same when
he ____ (to be) in trouble.
4) If I ____ (not / sleep) 7 hours at least, I _____
(to have) problems to wake up.

15. CONDITIONALS I
 Answers.
1) If I EAT too much, I always HAVE stomach
ache.
2) When it SNOWS, the landscape BECOMES
white.
3) Mike always TELLS me the same when he IS
in trouble.
4) If I DON’T SLEEP 7 hours at least, I HAVE
problems to wake up.

16. CONDITIONALS I
 FIRST CONDITIONAL.
 El ‘first conditional’ se usa al hablar de posibles
resultados futuros de hechos o situaciones.
If I start running again, I’ll be exhausted after a
week.
 ESTRUCTURA:
 If + subject + present simple… , subject + will +
infinitive…
If they don’t come within 20 minutes, I’ll go
home.

17. CONDITIONALS I
 Exercise 2. Make sentences in First
Conditional using the correct verb tenses.
1) If you _____ (to continue) drinking too much,
you _____ (to have) a terrible hangover.
2) If it _____ (not / to stop) raining, we ____ (to
get) wet.
3) I ____ (to buy) a new phone when I ____ (to
get) paid.
4) If he ____ (to spend) so much money, he
_____ (to have) economic problems soon.

18. CONDITIONALS I
 Answers.
1) If you CONTINUE drinking so much, you WILL
HAVE a terrible hangover.
2) If it DOESN’T STOP raining, we’LL GET wet.
3) I’LL BUY a new phone when I GET paid.
4) If he SPENDS so much money, he’LL HAVE
economic problems soon.

19. CONDITIONALS I
 SECOND CONDITIONAL.
 El ‘second conditional’ se usa al hablar de
situaciones imaginarias e improbables, tanto en
presente como en futuro.
If I had a car, I’d visit a new town every week.
 ESTRUCTURA:
 If + subject + past simple… , subject + would +
infinitive…
If you didn’t call me, I wouldn’t see you.

20. CONDITIONALS I
 A pesar de usar el pasado simple, el ‘second
conditional’ nunca se refiere al pasado. El
pasado da la idea de ‘imaginario’.
If I won the lottery tomorrow,I’d buy a palace!
 A menudo se utiliza WERE para todas las
‘personas’ en el ‘second conditional’
If he weren’t unemployed, he would go out more
often.

21. CONDITIONALS I
 En el condicional segundo se puede sustituir
WOULD por:
a) MIGHT: hace mas dudoso el resultado. Se
traduce por ‘quizá …ía’.
If we worked hard, we might earn more money
b) COULD: se sustituye cuando hablamos de
habilidades.
If I trained more, I could win the competition

22. CONDITIONALS I
 Exercise 3. Make sentences in Second
conditional using the correct verb tenses.
1) If we ____ (be) rich, we _____ (not / work) so
hard.
2) If they ____ (not / come), I ____ (not / be) so
happy.
3) I ____ (travel) to England if there _____(be) a
job for me.
4) If I ____ (study) more English, I ____ (can) get
better marks in the exams.
5) You ____ (be) more efficient if you ____
(sleep) enough hours.

23. CONDITIONALS I
 Answers.
1) If we WERE rich, we WOULDN’T WORK so
hard.
2) If they DIDN’T COME, I WOULDN’T BE so
happy.
3) I WOULD TRAVEL to England if there WERE a
job for me.
4) If I STUDIED English HARDER, I COULD get
better marks in the exams.
5) You WOULD BE more efficient if you SLEPT
enough hours.

24. CONDITIONALS I
 Exercise 4. Complete the following (first and
second) conditional sentences.
1) If you practice English, you _____ (improve)
your fluency.
2) I ____ (be) happy if I ____(win) the lottery.
3) What ____ (do) if you ____ (see) a being from
Mars?
4) If I save money now, I ____ (have) it for my
retirement.
5) Tom ____ (be) surprised if we ____ (can) visit
him.

25. CONDITIONALS I
 Exercise 4. Complete the following (first and
second) conditional sentences.
1) If you practice English, you WILL IMPROVE
your fluency.
2) I WOULD BE happy if I WON the lottery.
3) What WOULD YOU DO if you SAW a being
from Mars?
4) If I save money now, I WILL HAVE it for my
retirement.
5) Tom WOULD BEsurprised if we COULD visit
him.

26. Thank you for your attention!