English First Conditionals

This module covers first conditionals in English, which are statements about future that are likely to happen.

The first conditional is used to express things that are possible and likely to happen in the future. It consists of two components: an “if” clause in the present simple tense, and a future simple main clause. As a reminder, the future simple contains the auxiliary verb “will” followed by an infinitive.

Examples:
If it hails, I will seek shelter.
They will call if they get lost.
He will eat a snack, if he gets hungry.
If the weather is good, we will go to the beach.

There are contractions used with the verb “will,” so here’s a refresher to help you recognize those forms:

Personal pronoun + ‘ + ll
– I’ll, you’ll, he’ll, she’ll, it’ll, we’ll, they’ll

Personal pronoun + will + not (negative form) + infinitive
– I won’t go, you won’t go, she won’t go, we won’t go, they won’t go

The first conditional differs from the zero conditional in that it is about a specific situation, whereas the zero conditional is about more general things (facts, truths, etc.).

Examples:
If you exercise daily, you feel better. (general statement)
If you exercise today, you will feel better. (specific time [“today”])

As can be seen, it is generally accepted that daily exercise can improve your health, but exercising specifically today is likely to happen and make that person feel better.