B1 + ZERO, AND FIRST CONDITIONALS
Explicación
⭐
Zero Conditional vs First Conditional
Grammar · B1–B2
📌 What Are Conditionals?
Conditionals help us talk about situations and their results. They show:
🧱 A Conditional Sentence Has Two Parts
📋 The Two Parts
| Part | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Condition | The situation (IF clause) |
| Result | The consequence |
💡 Quick Example
"If you study, you pass the exam."
- Condition → If you study
- Result → you pass the exam
🟢 Zero Conditional
🟢
Zero Conditional
Facts · Routines · General Truths · Always True
📌 When to Use
- ✔ Facts
- ✔ Routines
- ✔ General truths
- ✔ Things that always happen
👉 Real and permanent situations
🧱 Structure
IF + Present Simple
→
Present Simple
✅ General Examples
If you heat water, it boils.
If people exercise regularly, they stay healthy.
If I skip breakfast, I feel tired.
💼 Business Examples
If customers call, we answer immediately.
If the system crashes, we restart it.
If workers follow instructions, production improves.
🔵 First Conditional
🔵
First Conditional
Real Future Possibilities · Likely Situations · Decisions & Plans
📌 When to Use
- ✔ Real future possibilities
- ✔ Likely situations
- ✔ Decisions and plans
👉 Possible and realistic future results
🧱 Structure
IF + Present Simple
→
WILL + base verb
✅ General Examples
If it rains, I will stay home.
If she studies, she will pass the test.
If we invest more, we will grow faster.
💼 Business Examples
If sales increase, we will hire more staff.
If the client agrees, we will start the project.
If we finish early, we will deliver today.
✨ Sentence Order
1️⃣ Start with the Condition (IF)
"If you study, you pass the exam."
"If it rains, I will stay home."
"If it rains, I will stay home."
2️⃣ Start with the Result
"You pass the exam if you study."
"I will stay home if it rains."
"I will stay home if it rains."
📌 Important Rule About Commas
✔ IF First → Use a comma
If employees work hard, they succeed.
If the client accepts the proposal, we will begin next week.
✗ Result First → NO comma
Employees succeed if they work hard.
We will begin next week if the client accepts the proposal.
🟡 Comparison: Zero vs First
| 🟢 Zero Conditional | 🔵 First Conditional |
|---|---|
| Always true | Real future possibility |
| Facts | Likely future |
| Present Simple + Present Simple | Present Simple + Will + base verb |
| Timeless / permanent | Specific future moment |
🧩 Example Contrast
🟢 Zero Conditional
"If you don't charge the battery, the device stops working."
📌 Fact — always happens
🔵 First Conditional
"If you don't charge the battery, the device will stop working."
📌 Future possibility
🟢 Zero — Routine
"If employees arrive early, meetings start on time."
📌 General workplace truth
🔵 First — Future
"If employees arrive early tomorrow, meetings will start on time."
📌 Specific future plan
📊 Key Vocabulary
| Word | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| improve | make better | Improve results |
| increase | go up | Increase sales |
| hire | give a job | Hire new staff |
| deliver | send something | Deliver a project |
| crash | stop working | System crash |
| agree | say yes | Client agrees |
| follow | obey | Follow rules |
| succeed | achieve goals | Succeed in work |
🧠 Final Tip — Which One to Use?
🧠 Ask Yourself…
👉 Is this always true — a fact, routine, or general truth?
🟢 Zero Conditional
👉 Is this about the future — a real and possible upcoming situation?
🔵 First Conditional
Ejercicio 1
Instrucción: Use the scrambled words to form a correct conditional sentence. Remember to use the right punctuation — capital letter at the start, full stop at the end, and a comma after the IF clause when it comes first.
Zero Conditional
IF + Present Simple → Present Simple · facts & routines
First Conditional
IF + Present Simple → WILL + base verb · future possibilities
Comma Rule
IF first → use comma · Result first → no comma
🟢 Zero Conditional — Facts & Routines
1
🟢 Zero
boilheatyouwaterifit
2
🟢 Zero
missemployeeslateifarrivetheymeetings
3
🟢 Zero
systemcrashesrestartweifitthe
4
🟢 Zero
iffollowworkersimproveproductioninstructionsthey
5
🟢 Zero
tiredfeelIskipifbreakfastI
6
🟢 Zero
healthystayexercisepeopleifregularlythey
7
🟢 Zero
answercustomerscallifweimmediately
🔵 First Conditional — Future Possibilities
8
🔵 First
stayifIrainshomewillit
9
🔵 First
finishweearlywilldeliverifwe
10
🔵 First
ifstudiesshepasswillshe
11
🔵 First
increasesalesifhirewewillstaffmore
12
🔵 First
agreeclientstartwillprojectifwethe
13
🔵 First
ifrainscancelwewillmeetingthe
14
🔵 First
iffinishwetodaywilldeliverwe
Ejercicio 2
Instrucción: Choose the correct verb form to complete each Zero Conditional sentence. Remember: Zero Conditional uses Present Simple → Present Simple for facts that are always true.
Zero Conditional
IF + Present Simple → Present Simple
Key Signal
always true · fact · routine → NO "will"
Remember
He/She/It → adds -s · boils · stays · improves
🟢 Choose the Correct Zero Conditional Form
1
If you heat ice, it ___.
2
If employees arrive late, they ___ meetings.
3
If I skip lunch, I ___ tired.
4
If people exercise, they ___ healthy.
5
If customers call, we ___ immediately.
6
If water freezes, it ___ solid.
7
If workers follow rules, production ___.
8
If the system crashes, we ___ it.
9
If students study, they ___.
10
If it rains heavily, streets ___ flooded.