A real possibility in the future The First Conditional A real possibility in the future

A First Conditional sentence is one connecting two future actions. One must take place before the second is possible. For example: Fatima wants to go to university but she hasn’t got her CEPA results yet. She cannot go to university until she has received her results. Fatima is a good student. She works hard. Everyone expects her to get good marks so there is a good possibility her achieving the marks required to get to university. The following sentence could be used:

Structure of the First Conditional If Condition Result Present simple Will + base verb Fatima gets good marks she will go to university We are talking about the future, but we use a present tense for the condition and will for the result .

A future event This is Mary. She is 7 months pregnant. She will have her baby in May. She doesn’t know if she is going to have a girl or a boy.

Choosing a name for the baby If she has a girl, Mary will call the baby Sara. (present simple – will + base form of ‘call’) If she has a boy, Mary will call the baby John.

The 1st Conditional – talking about the future We are talking about the future. We are thinking about a particular condition or situation in the future, and the result of this condition. There is a real possibility that this condition will happen. For example: It is morning. You are at home. You plan to play tennis this afternoon. But there are some clouds in the sky. Imagine that it rains. What will you do?

Condition  Result If Condition Result Present simple Will + base verb it rains I will stay at home It is not raining yet. But the sky is cloudy and you think that it could rain. We use the present simple tense to talk about the possible future condition. We use WILL + base verb to talk about the possible future result. The important thing about the first conditional is that there is a real possibility that the condition will happen.

Condition then result If Condition Result Present simple Will + base verb I see Mary I will tell her. they do not pass their exams their teacher will be sad it rains tomorrow what will you do?

Result  Condition. RESULT IF CONDITION Will + base verb Present simple I will tell Mary if I see her. Their teacher will be sad they do not pass their exams. What will you do it rains tomorrow?