Zero Conditional

In the basic pattern, both the if/when clause and the result clause use the Present Simple. Do not add a special auxiliary after if simply because the sentence is conditional. Build an ordinary Present Simple affirmative or negative in each clause.

Check each clause’s subject separately: it freezes, the alarm rings, but people feel and batteries lose. For negatives, use do not / don’t with I, you, we, they and plural subjects; use does not / doesn’t with he, she, it and singular subjects. After do/does, the verb has its base form.

Be forms its negative without do/does: If the shop isn’t open, we go elsewhere. Choose am/is/are according to the subject.

Both if and when are often possible for a repeated or predictable pattern. If focuses on the condition: the result occurs under that condition. When readily means “every time that” and suits an expected recurring event.

These words are not interchangeable in every English sentence. When normally presents the event as occurring, while if can leave it merely possible. This lesson practises general and recurring situations in which both may sound natural, provided the intended meaning is preserved.

The condition can come first or follow the result. The underlying relationship remains the same: If the sensor detects movement, the light comes on and The light comes on if the sensor detects movement describe the same system behaviour.

An initial if/when clause normally takes a following comma. When it comes second in a short sentence like these, a comma before if/when is normally unnecessary. This is punctuation guidance, not a different tense.

Compare the time meaning as well as the form. If the bus is late, I walk to work expresses a habitual response. If the bus is late tomorrow, I’ll call my manager concerns one possible event tomorrow. The latter is grammatical but does not express the general pattern targeted here.

Consequently, will in a result clause is not always wrong. It is natural when predicting or planning the consequence of a particular future condition. For a task about a fact, rule or habit, choose the Present Simple in both clauses; a task about one future occasion may need another construction.

The basic Present Simple + Present Simple pattern clearly illustrates general facts and recurring consequences at A2. Real conditionals in English can also contain modals or imperatives: If you are tired, rest; If the road is icy, you should drive slowly. Do not call these ungrammatical simply because they differ from the basic formula.

This lesson does not cover all conditional types, every modal nuance, recurring past conditions or will in an if-clause meaning willingness. These boundaries keep the focus on confidently building and understanding the canonical pattern for a general truth or habitual result.

First ask whether you are describing something generally or regularly occurring, or one particular event. For a general pattern, state the condition with if/when and use the Present Simple in both clauses. Then check third-person -s, do/does in negatives and the base form after them.

Finally choose clause order. If the condition is your starting point, put it first and add a comma. If you want to state the result immediately, begin with it. In open exercises, the model provides one natural version; other accurate paraphrases are possible.

Use the zero conditional for something generally true, a rule that operates, or a result that regularly follows a condition. It can describe a natural fact, system instruction, workplace procedure or personal habit.

In the typical form, both clauses use the present simple. Every time, usually, normally and descriptions of a standing procedure help establish recurrence, but meaning remains decisive.

The first conditional describes a particular future condition considered real or possible and its expected result. The event has not happened, so this is not a fact about the future; it can be a prediction, decision, promise or warning.

In the typical form, use the present simple after if, even though a translation into another language may use a future tense. The main clause usually contains will + base verb.

In both basic constructions, the if-clause uses the present simple: if it rains, if she finishes, if they do not call. Remember -s for third-person singular and does not + base form for its negative. Be has different negatives: isn’t/aren’t, as in if she isn’t ready.

In the zero conditional, the main clause normally also uses the present simple. In the first conditional, will takes a base form without -s or a past ending: will call, will go, will be.

Change the clause order without changing the core meaning. An initial if-clause normally takes a following comma in writing; a final if-clause normally does not.

Usually, every time or a description of a rule supports the zero conditional. Tomorrow, tonight, this weekend or a specific plan supports the first. Do not choose solely from one marker: first establish whether the result is recurring or concerns a particular occasion.

If you eat too much, you will feel sick can be a particular warning or a general prediction: will can describe typical consequences too. “Every time / this time” is a useful learning guide, but will alone does not prove there is only one occasion.

When is often natural in a zero conditional when the result actually occurs each time. If keeps the focus on the condition. The detailed distinction between if and when is a related topic; both can introduce a regular connection.

Will is typical but not the only result form in a first conditional. Can, may or might can express possibility or permission, and an imperative can give advice or an instruction. Such sentences are not ungrammatical merely because they lack will.

In this lesson’s ordinary predictions, do not use will after if: If it rains, we will stay home. Special uses of will expressing willingness or insistence exist, but are not the target of this A2 material.

First establish the time frame: always, usually or as a rule, versus tomorrow, tonight or a particular event. Build the if-clause in the present simple. Then choose the result: present simple for a recurring consequence, or will or an appropriate modal for a particular future situation.

Check three things: the intended meaning, absence of will from an ordinary if-clause, and the base form after will. You need not use personal facts; invent workplace, everyday or study situations if you prefer.

Within this rule, both clauses use Present Simple. The when clause names the repeated event, and the main clause gives the typical result.

Remember the -s ending with he, she, it and singular subjects: When the sensor detects smoke, the alarm sounds. With I, you, we and they, use the base form.

The when clause can come first or second. If it comes first, put a comma after it. If the main clause comes first, a comma is usually unnecessary.

Changing the order does not change the basic relationship, but can change what the speaker puts in focus.

For repeated or predictable situations, Cambridge allows both if and when with a present-tense form. When focuses on the timing of a regular or expected event; if focuses on a condition that may or may not be met.

Replacing one with the other therefore often keeps the main fact, but may slightly change the speaker’s viewpoint. Do not learn a mechanical rule that if always equals when.

The most natural contexts are general facts, predictable processes, instructions about a typical result and repeated habits. The condition should provide enough context for the reader to recognise a rule or repetition, rather than one chance event.

Words such as always, usually and every time, or a description of a device’s function, can help but are not compulsory. The sentence’s meaning itself should show regularity.

When can introduce a future time clause: When I finish work, I’ll call you. Here the speaker expects work to finish, and the main clause gives a future result. This is grammatical, but is not a zero conditional with two Present Simple forms.

If I finish early, I’ll call you means finishing early is possible but uncertain. In a single future situation, when and if therefore change the degree of expectation; do not replace them mechanically.

First identify whether you are describing a habitual repetition, a predictable process, a rule’s condition or a single future event. Then choose the focus: when for the regular occasion, if for the condition.

Check three things: is repetition or predictability clear, is Present Simple correctly formed in both clauses of the zero conditional, and does when avoid adding unwanted certainty about a single event?