ESL Vietnam Zone

“If” is so often used by English learners. The “if … will” form is called first conditional, another discouraging terminology. A Vietnamese friend told me that he get scared whenever he takes an English Grammar book in his hands. A lot of pompous words there but when you start reading the context everything is simple (not always). Keep reading …

First conditional – wow ….
If + present …. Will + base form …. This is first conditional.

Rules for first conditional
-          Use if + present, will + base form to talk about a possible future situation and it’s consequesces.
-          If + present is a clause and can come first or second

Examples:
-          If I miss the train, I will go by bus. (“If” means a possible future, maybe, it is a possibility …. “I will” shows what will you do if “if” happened)
-          She will not like if you go abroad. (“if” clause comes in the second part of the sentence and will + base form comes first)
-          If you miss the bus, get a taxi (some kind of imperative form …. Seems to be like a command)
If you miss the bus you can get a taxi (notice the difference between those 2 sentences)
 
Is first conditional a difficult topic? I won’t say that. Despite its name, The First Conditional is a nice and easy topic that should be mastered.