1. ZERO
CONDITIONALS
FIRST
CONDITIONALS
& TIME CLAUSES
Adapted from a presentation by Fernanda González

2. CONDITIONAL SENTENCES
• Conditional Sentences are also known as
Conditional Clauses or If Clauses.
• They are used to express that the
action in the main clause
(without if) can only take place if a
certain condition (in the clause
with if) is fulfilled.

3. CONDITIONAL SENTENCES
• Most linguists consider three types of
Conditional Sentences, but some of
them add one more type: zero
conditionals.

4. ZERO CONDITIONALS
• Zero conditionals are used to talk about
things that are always true as long as
the condition occurs.
If you heat water, it boils.
If I have coffee after 6pm, I don´t
sleep

5. ZERO CONDITIONALS
Zero Conditional sentences are formed
as follows:
Present simple
Present Simple
Present continuous
IF Present Continuous
Present Perfect
Present perfect

6. ZERO CONDITIONALS
• This use is similiar to, and can usually be
replaced by, a time clause using ‘when’.
If I am late for the school bus, my
father takes me to school.
When I am late for the school
bus, my father takes me to school.

7. FIRST CONDITIONALS
First Conditional sentences express a
possible condition and its probable
result in the future.
CONDITION RESULT
If you don’t revise, you’ll fail.
If you stay, I’ll leave.

8. FIRST CONDITIONALS
We can use the First Conditional to
express different functions:
Careful!, If you touch that you’ll get burnt.
A warning
If you do that again, I’ll kill you.
A threat

9. FIRST CONDITIONALS
I’ll post the letter if you like.
An offer
If you lend me the money, I’ll kiss you.
A promise

10. FIRST CONDITIONALS
First Conditional sentences are formed
as follows:
will
Present Simple
going to
IF Present Continuous
imperative
Present Perfect
can/must

11. FIRST CONDITIONALS
Examples:
• If you go to Greece for your holidays, I
can recommend a great hotel.
• If you haven’t finished by ten,
you’ll miss the bus.
• If you arrive early, wait for me.

12. FIRST CONDITIONALS
THINGS TO CONSIDER:
• The main clause and the if-clause can
often go in either order:
– If I feel like going out, I’ll give you a call.
– I’ll give you a call if I feel like going out.
• Use a comma after the if-clause.

13. FIRST CONDITIONALS
CONNECTORS:
• The most common connector is IF.
• Other connectors we can use are:
UNLESS
PROVIDED/ PROVIDING (THAT)
AS LONG AS
ON CONDITION THAT
SUPPOSE/ SUPPOSING
OTHERWISE
IN CASE/ IN CASE OF

14. FIRST CONDITIONALS
CONNECTORS:
• Unless you want to go today, we´ll go
tomorrow.
• We´ll let you have a pet provided/
providing that you look after it properly.
• We´ll go to Sierra Nevada this weekend
as long as the weather is ok.
• You can have a pet on condition that you
look after it properly.

15. FIRST CONDITIONALS
CONNECTORS:
• Suppose /Supposing the price of
electricity tripled tomorrow, what would
you do?
• You should study harder. Otherwise, you
will fail your exams.
• I´ll take a coat in case the weather
gets colder.
• In case of fire, leave the building
immediately.

16. TIME CLAUSES
• Time clauses and conditional sentences
have something in common:
• Conjunctions of time
– as soon as
– when
– until
– before
– after
are always followed by a present,
even though the time reference
is future.

17. TIME CLAUSES
EXAMPLES:
• I’ll phone you when I get home.
• As soon as I’ve finished reading the
book, I’ll lend it to you.
• Don’t press that button until I tell you.
• Before I get to work, I always
have a coffee at Starbuck’s.
• I’ll go shopping after he takes
the children to school.

18. “If” or “in case”?
“In case” is not exactly equivalent to “if”.
Consider these examples:
I´ll take a jacket if it´s cold.
It means I´ll take a jacket only if it´s
cold.
I´ll take a jacket in case it´s cold.
I´ll take a jacket anyway because it might
get cold later.

19. FIRST CONDIONALS
&TIME CLAUSES EXERCISES
Make true sentences about yourself:
• I won’t stop studying English until . . .
• I’ll be really annoyed if . . .
• I’ll always live in Marbella unless . . .
• I’d like to retire when . . .
• I’ll have a big party if . . .
• I´ll give you my phone number in case…