Conditional means depending on certain conditions or requirements being met. In grammar, a conditional sentence describes something that might happen if something else happens first.
From Late Latin 'condicionālis', from 'condiciō' ('condition, situation, agreement'). It keeps the sense of something that is not guaranteed but depends on a 'if this, then that' setup.
Any time you hear 'if', you’re probably in the land of the conditional—'If you study, you’ll pass.' Much of life is conditional: opportunities open or close based on whether certain conditions are met.
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