Name: How to use the zero and first conditional - 6 Minute Grammar
Uploaded: 2025-11-28T08:38:43.000Z
Duration: 5 min 59 s
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Six Minute Grammar from BBC Learning English.

Hello and welcome to Six Minute Grammar with me, Neil and me, Catherine.

Now, Catherine, would you like to have some of this delicious chocolate I've got here?

When I eat chocolate, I get terrible headaches.

You see, I can eat whatever I want because of all the cycling.

Now, in this program, we're looking at the zero conditional and the first conditional.

We'll be discussing why and when we use them, we'll see how to form them.

We'll help you decide which ones to use in which situation, and

we'll bring you a quiz at the end of the show.

Let's start by looking at the zero condition.

We use it to talk about things which always happen in particular situations.

For example, I always get a headache if I eat chocolate.

And we also use a zero conditional to talk about facts and truths.

If you drop an apple, it falls to the ground.

Now, there are two parts to the sentence.

The part with if plus the present simple tells us the situation.

And the other part is in the present simple tense and tells us what happens as a result of the if situation.

Here's Finn with an example of the if situation.

If you drop an apple, and I'll say that again, if you drop an apple, and

And this result happens every time the situation happens.

It is a scientific fact and it was first identified by Isaac Newton, I believe.

Let's compare it with an example of the first conditional.

And once again, if you drop that glass, it'll break.

Now, in this sentence, the if plus present simple part gives us a possible future situation.

The other part is made with will plus an infinitive without to, and

it gives us the result of this possible future situation.

If you drop that glass, and this is only a possible situation, it'll break.

We use will to show that we're certain that the glass will break.

When we are less certain of the result, we can use might.

Like this if you drop the glass, it might break.

And once again, if you drop the glass, it might break.

It's sometimes difficult to choose between the zero and first conditional.

It helps to remember that as well as using the zero conditional for truths, we also use it for general situations.

If you're talking about a specific situation or a one off situation, the first conditional is probably best.

For example, to describe a general situation that is true for everyone, we can use the 0 conditional to if you sit in the sun too long, you get burned.

But if your friend's about to go sunbathing, perhaps without any sun cream, you can use the first conditional to talk about that specific situation and its possible result.

Like this if you sit in the sun too long, you will get burned.

Six Minute Grammar from BBC Learning English and it's quiz time.

Are these sentences grammatically correct or wrong?

Ok, this first conditional sentence is correct.

If I fail my exams again, I feel terrible, and that's wrong.

It's a specific situation and it's describing a possibility, not a certainty.

Here's the correct if I fail my exams again, I I will feel terrible.

Now, before we go, there's just enough time for a top tip.

If they will leave now, they'll be home for lunch.

You need to use present simple without will in the if part.

If they leave now, they'll be home for lunch.

So that's a zero conditional with the present tense in both parts for things which always happen.

And that's the first conditional with if plus present simple together with will plus an infinitive for possible future situations.

There's more about this on our website@bbclearningenglish.com Join us again for more Six Minute Grammar Bye.