FIRST CONDITIONAL

We use this to express things that are possible in the future. The structure is:

CONDITION CLAUSE	MAIN CLAUSE
If + present tense If you hurry,	future simple you will catch the train.
Unless you hurry,	you will miss the train.

Conditional clauses often start with the conjunction IF, but conditionals can also start with other conjunctions, such as AS LONG AS  or UNLESS.

Here are some examples:

CONDITION CLAUSE	MAIN CLAUSE
If + present tense	first conditional: future simple
If it is warm, Provided that it is warm, Provided it is warm, Providing it is warm, As long as it is warm, So long as it is warm, Unless it is cold,	I will go for a walk tomorrow.

This last conjunction,  UNLESS means ‘IF… NOT’ so it has a negative meaning.

So, what is the difference between these conjunctions?

o                                                        PROVIDED, PROVIDED THAT and PROVIDING are more formal. They are often used in Business, Academic and Legal English.

o                                                        AS LONG AS and SO LONG AS  are more emphatic. So they emphasise the condition, and these sentences sound stronger.

o                                                        WHEN and IF are more general.

Watch this video: Learn If-Clauses (First Conditional) with "Hercules" 

In this section you'll be able to practise the use of the First Conditionals in English. Pay attention to verb tenses. 

Activity 1

Activity 2

Activity 3

Activity 4

 Match-up

 BrainPOP