First Conditional

In a target future condition, use the Present Simple after if: I/you/we/they + V1, and add -s or -es with he/she/it. With be, use am, is, or are.

In a neutral prediction, do not move will into the if-clause: say If it rains tomorrow, not If it will rain tomorrow. This rule applies to the basic pattern; it is not a ban on will after if in every possible English construction.

In the main clause of the basic pattern, use will, followed by V1 without to, -s, or a past form. Will does not change with he, she, or it: she will call, the shop will close.

The contraction 'll is natural in conversation and does not change the structure: I'll call = I will call. In controlled gap-fill tasks, read carefully to see whether you need to enter will together with the verb or only the verb itself.

Form a negative condition with do not / don't or does not / doesn't + V1: if I don't finish, if she doesn't call. Do not add -s to the main verb after doesn't. With be, add not without do: if the room isn’t free.

A negative result has will not / won't + V1. The position of the negative changes the fact: If he doesn't call, I will leave negates the condition; If he calls, I won't leave negates the result.

The if-clause can come first or second. The meaning and verb forms do not change when the clauses are reordered: If the door is locked, I'll call you = I'll call you if the door is locked.

When the if-clause comes first, separate it with a comma in ordinary writing. When it comes after the main clause, there is usually no comma before if. In short sentences, actual punctuation sometimes varies, but the exercises in this lesson practice the neutral basic pattern.

In a yes/no question, will comes before the subject of the main clause: Will you call me if you are late? In a wh-question, put what, where, when, or another question word before will.

After if, keep normal word order and the Present Simple: if the shop is closed, not if is the shop closed. If the if-clause comes first, the question in the main clause still has inversion: If the train is late, will you wait?

This lesson practices the narrow form if + Present Simple, will + V1. In English, the main clause of a conditional sentence can contain can, may, might, should, or an imperative, but these are not hidden-key variants in exercises that explicitly specify will.

Will sometimes occurs after if with the meaning of willingness, a polite request, or a later result. Such constructions do not disprove the basic pattern, but they are outside the scope of this A2 lesson. This lesson also does not study in detail the functions of promises, warnings, or suggestions, unless, or the contrast among all types of conditional sentences.

Before writing your own answer, check: are there two complete clauses; is the Present Simple after if; is V1 after will; and do the negative, order, and comma match your meaning? You can use your own or invented safe situations.

In an ordinary future condition, use the Present Simple after if even though the meaning refers to the future: If Maya calls means if she calls at some future time. In the typical result clause, use will and the base form of the verb.

The clauses can change order. When the if-clause comes first, it is usually followed by a comma in writing; when it comes second, a comma is usually unnecessary.

This is the basic pattern for the exercises in this lesson. English also allows can, may, might, an imperative and other forms in the main clause; these change the nuance. Will sometimes appears after if to express willingness or in special constructions, so ‘never put will after if’ would be too broad a rule.

In a prediction, the speaker links a possible event to an expected consequence: the weather changes, so the flight is delayed. The speaker does not necessarily control the consequence.

In a conditional plan, people decide in advance what they will do if a situation develops in a particular way. It is often a backup option: if the place is full, they will meet somewhere else.

Words such as tomorrow, tonight and this weekend help establish a particular future time frame, but meaning remains decisive, rather than any single signal word.

In a promise, the speaker makes a commitment: if the condition is met, they will perform the stated action. The result clause usually contains I’ll or we’ll.

In an offer, the speaker voluntarily offers help or a service if the relevant condition is met. Context shows whether this is an actual offer of help rather than a prediction of someone else’s behaviour.

The distinction between a promise and an offer sometimes depends on the situation. There is no need to invent a single label without context: recognising a personal commitment or willingness to help matters more.

A warning describes an unwanted consequence so that someone can avoid it. The consequence often arises naturally or is outside the speaker’s control: a slippery floor can cause a fall.

In a threat, the speaker presents a negative consequence under their control as a way to make another person do or avoid doing something. The grammatical structure is the same, so its function cannot always be identified reliably without context.

Setting a firm boundary is not necessarily a threat in the broader ethical sense. In these exercises, consider the particular intention, control over the consequence, and the benefit or harm to the listener.

The Zero Conditional describes a general pattern or repeated habit: If ice gets warm, it melts. The First Conditional shifts attention to a particular possible future situation: If the ice gets warm in the car, it will melt.

The Second Conditional can present a future situation as more remote or hypothetical. The choice between the First and Second Conditional depends on the speaker’s perspective, not a fixed percentage probability.

Can, may and might can be grammatically appropriate in the result clause. They are not errors; the exercises for this particular rule simply practise the typical pattern with will and its communicative functions.

First, find the future condition: what might still happen? Then find the result: what will happen, or what will someone decide to do? Finally, ask why the speaker is saying this now.

A prediction centres on the expected connection between events; a plan on an action chosen in advance; a promise or offer on personal willingness; a warning on helping someone avoid harm; and a threat on applying pressure through a controlled negative consequence.

In your own answer, you can change the vocabulary and clause order as long as you preserve the condition, result and intended purpose. The model gives one natural option, not the only permitted wording.

First identify the negative condition after if. Then replace if and its negative with unless followed by an affirmative form. Preserve the rest of the meaning. For example, if you don't call becomes unless you call; if she isn't ready becomes unless she is ready.

This changes polarity within the condition rather than merely inserting a word. After a correct transformation, both sentences describe the same exception and the same result.

In a basic future condition, use Present Simple after unless even though the event concerns the future: unless it rains, unless she calls, unless the shop is closed. The main clause often uses will or won't + base verb.

In this basic pattern, do not add will after unless. Build a complete clause with a subject and finite verb. Reduced constructions such as unless necessary also exist, meaning 'except when necessary', but this lesson practises the full form.

The unless-clause can precede or follow the main clause. The conditional meaning stays the same: Unless you book, we won't go and We won't go unless you book describe the same dependency.

When the unless-clause comes first, put a comma after it. When it comes second in an ordinary short sentence, no comma is needed before unless.

Unless approximately corresponds to if ... not when the if-clause truly states an exception. Check that the transformation preserves who acts, any negative in the main clause, and the logical result.

For example, If Alex can't drive, Pete will drive does not become Pete will drive unless Alex can't: that names a different exception. The matching transformation is Pete will drive unless Alex can. Unless also cannot replace if in embedded questions such as I don't know if the shop is open.

In the ordinary transformation if you don't study → unless you study, do not add another don't. Unless you don't study, you'll fail is not automatically ungrammatical. It can mean 'you will fail except if you do not study', which is different and strange in an ordinary situation.

The useful question is therefore not 'are there two negatives?' but 'what exception is being named?'. In an exercise requiring the same meaning, a form with don't may be grammatical while failing the communicative task.

To use unless yourself, state an ordinary plan or rule and ask which condition would override it or allow an exception. In the basic if ... not transformation practised here, name that condition affirmatively after unless.

Then check in reverse: replace unless with if ... not. If the result preserves the same plan, participants and outcome, the logic is intact. The examples show one natural version; other accurate paraphrases are also possible.