First Conditional

Intermediate

What is the first conditional?

• We use the first conditional to talk about things that are likely to happen in the future:

  • If it snows, I will stay home.

  • If she goes to the party, I will ask her to dance

  • If I read the book, I will pass the test.

How do we use the first conditional?

• We use the first conditional for situations that are possible or likely to happen in the future. We don’t use it for situations that aren’t likely to happen; we use the second conditional for this. (If I won the lottery, I would buy a car.)

• We can construct a sentence using the following structure:

  • “If” + subject + simple present + subject + “will” + base form verb

  • If Mary goes to school tomorrow, she will take the test.

  • If it starts to rain, I will bring my umbrella.

• We can also make the statement negative:

  • If Mary doesn’t go to school tomorrow, she won’t take the test.

  • If it doesn’t start to rain, I won’t bring my umbrella.

• We can also flip the sentence around to put the outcome first:

  • Mary won’t take the test if she doesn’t go to school tomorrow.

  • I will bring my umbrella if it starts to rain.

• Lastly, we can form questions which prompt a first conditional answer:

  • What will you do if it starts to rain?

  • What will Mary do if she doesn’t go to school tomorrow?

Activity

I. Fill in the blank with the proper form of the verb:

• If I ________ (go) to the movies tonight, I_______ (call) you.

• If she_________ (marry) him, she ________ (be) rich.

• If we _________ (leave) now, we _________ (not/miss) the bus.

• We ___________ (not/eat) if she __________ (arrive) late.