School of Foreign Languages

Grammar
First Conditional
CONTENTS

1. First conditional with WILL

2. First Conditional with UNLESS

3. First Conditional with WHEN and AS SOON AS

 WILL
So how are we going to get
to Lisa’s house? By bus or
by train? If we take the bus, it will
be quicker.

Let’s take the bus

then.
 If-clause + main clause
If + present simple + will/may/might/should

 If people learn only English at school, other languages will die out.

 If you come to my house first, we can go together.

 If he asks for your help, you should say ‘yes’.

We don’t use WILL in the if-clause

 When do we use First Conditional?

We use the First Conditional to speak about real possibilities.

If they don’t hurry, they’ll miss the train.

We can put the main clause first. If we do this, we don’t need
a comma.

 I might buy a car if I save enough money.

 I’ll revise more if it helps me to pass the exam.

 UNLESS

UNLESS IF NOT

 Unless we protect languages, they’ll become extinct.

 If we don’t protect languages, they’ll become extinct.

 We don’t use a negative structure in the
unless-clause.

Unless we don’t protect languages, they’ll become extinct.

 WHEN and AS SOON AS
We can use WHEN or AS SOON AS to replace IF in the first conditional.

 When they arrive, call me and I’ll meet them.

 As soon as they arrive, we’ll start the meeting.

Complete the second sentence so that it has a similar
meaning to the first.
If you don’t revise, you won’t pass your exams.

you’ll pass your exams

If you revise, ________________________.
I won’t go to the party if you don’t go.

you go
I won’t go to the party unless _________________
 We’ll go for coffee as soon as the class ends.

the class ends, we’ll go for coffee.

When ___________________________________
 If I don’t stop spending a lot of money, I’ll go broke.

I stop spending a lot of money, I’ll go broke.

Unless______________________________.
 Thank you
for your attention
References

1. Raymond Murphy. English Grammar in Use.

Cambridge. 2019.
2. Rachel Finnie. Top Grammar. Helbling Languages.
2010.
3. New Language Leader Intermediate. Digibook.