Skip to main content
conditional

conditional

2 3.8
A sentence that says what will happen if something else happens
  • noun
  • /kənˈdɪʃənl/
  • Specialized
translation icon : oración condicional
  • If it rains tomorrow, the picnic will be canceled; this is a classic conditional statement.
  • future conditional

It's kind of past perfect conditional type thing.

Examples

  • What role do subjunctive conditionals play in the formulation of physical laws?

    Blog text (25)
  • So this is a conditional test, an if test.

  • So they have to use the conditional, they have to use the subjunctive.

  • Just take out all the conditionals.

  • You had both of these in your list, plus a 'Mixed Conditional' which mixes past and present.

    Blog text (31)
  • The interpretation of conditionals is an important topic given their widespread usage in areas such as health, legal, and everyday settings.

    Academic text (2018)
  • What are the appropriate semantics we should adopt for counterfactual conditionals?

    Blog text (25)
  • Several studies have subsequently shown that these cues are used in the online comprehension of conditionals (Haigh et al., 2014; Stewart et al., 2013).

    Academic text (2018)
  • Understanding the basic structure of a conditional is crucial for mastering English grammar.

  • In programming, the use of a conditional allows the code to execute different actions based on whether a statement is true.

Synonyms

implication
vsconditional
  • Specialized
3 6.8

A logical relation where if one statement is true, another must be true

is a sentence that expresses a condition and its possible result
logical implication
vsconditional
  • Specialized
1 7.7

A connection between two statements that makes the second true if the first is true

is a sentence stating a condition and a possible outcome
conditional relation
vsconditional
  • Specialized
8.3

A link between two statements that says if one is true then the other must be true

is an actual sentence showing a condition and its result possibility

Compounds

1 6.7

The chance that an event happens when you know another event already happened

An agreement that only starts to have effect if a certain event happens

conditional reaction
  • Specialized
7.4

A learned response that happens when a certain sound or signal appears, for example a dog drooling at a bell

conditional reflex
  • Specialized
6.5

An automatic learned reaction to a signal after repeated practice, for example a dog drooling at a bell

conditional relation
  • Specialized
8.3

A link between two statements that says if one is true then the other must be true

conditional response
  • Specialized
7.2

A learned reaction to a sound or signal after it happens many times

7.0

An agreement where the seller keeps ownership of the goods until the buyer pays in full

Surface Forms

conditional singular
conditionals plural

Morphology

conditional = conditional (semi-transparent) = condition + al

This noun use is a nominalized grammatical term built from the adjective 'conditional', so the form is easy to recognize but the specific sense is specialized.

Etymology

Conditional for a sentence comes from the same Latin parts con- 'together' and dic- 'to say', so a conditional is really a 'statement of conditions'. In grammar, a conditional often starts with 'if' and shows a condition and its result, which is why the name fits.