FluencyLab

GrammarHub

B1+ Upper-intermediate
B1+ grammar contents
B1+Conditionals, wishes and regrets

Zero and first conditional

Distinguish general cause-and-effect truths from realistic future conditions.

Overview

What this grammar does

Distinguish general cause-and-effect truths from realistic future conditions.

Form and rules

How it works

1

Zero conditional commonly uses present + present for general truths, routines or predictable results: If you heat ice, it melts.

2

First conditional commonly uses present in the condition and will/can/may/imperative in the future result.

3

Use when instead of if when the result is treated as certain rather than conditional.

4

Unless can replace if...not in many first-condition meanings.

5

Condition clauses can come first or second; punctuation changes, but core meaning usually does not.

A closer look

Meaning and use

Unless can replace if...not in many first-condition meanings.

Condition clauses can come first or second; punctuation changes, but core meaning usually does not.

Examples

See the pattern in complete sentences

If I skip breakfast, I get hungry by ten.

If the client agrees, we'll start Monday.

When water reaches 100°C, it boils.

Call me if you need help.

Unless prices fall, we won't move.

Common mistakes

What to avoid

If you mix blue and yellow, you will get only future green.
If you mix blue and yellow, you get green.

A general predictable result uses the zero conditional.

If the weather improves tomorrow, we would have eaten outside.
If the weather improves tomorrow, we will eat outside.

A realistic future condition uses first conditional.

Ready to practise?

The test combines multiple choice, gap completion, error correction, and sentence building so students have to recognise and produce the grammar, not simply reread the rule.

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