If Clause Type 1, Conditional Type 1

English Conditional Sentences, If Clause Type 1, Conditional type 1

TYPE 1: TRUE IN THE PRESENT OR FUTURE

We express events with type 1 (if clause) at the moment or in the future when a certain condition is met. Tenses that can be used as a basis are simple present (do / does) in the conditional sentence and simple future (will) in the basic sentence.

Example;

• If it doesn’t rain next week, we will go on a beach.

If the action in the condition statement belongs to the future tense, simple present tense is used instead of future tense. We can give the meaning of future time to the sentence by using ‘future tense’ in the basic sentence.

Perhaps she will get her salary tomorrow. Then she’ll pay back what she owes me.

• If she gets her salary tomorrow, she will pay back what she owes me.

Example Sentences;

• If you do not win scholarship, your father will be very sad.
• If I have enough strawberries, I will bake a strawberry cake for you.
• If it doesn’t rain tomorrow, We will go on a picnic.
• If I go out, I can get something with me to eat.

 

Structures that we can use in the basic sentence;

1- Will (will be doing, will have done, will have been doing)

• She has been working for us for exactly nine years now, and if everything goes alright, she will have been working here for fifteen years by the time she retires.

2- May/might/could (possibility)

• If the rain continues like this, we may/might/could cancel the garden party at the weekend.

 

3- Must/ have to/ have got to (necessity) – should/ ought to/ had better(advisability) – request/ advice

• If you don’t want to be late for the beginning of the film, you have to/must/have got to leave at once.
• If you don’t want to put on weight, don’t eat burger so much.

 

4- The Simple Present Tense

The use of this tense in the basic sentence is not very common. When a certain condition is met, we can use it if we are talking about our habits and natural phenomena.

• If someone shouts at me when I don’t deserve it, I get angry.

 

Structures that can be used in conditional sentence;

Simple present tense is most commonly used in the condition statement.

1- Can (permission/ability)

• If you can leave work earlier, shall we meet up?

 

2-Have to (necessity)

• He has an exam this evening, so he may have to prepare for it now.

 

3- Should

The use of the word ‘should’ in the condition statement emphasizes that the probability is slightly less.

Note; If we refer to an ongoing action during the conversation, we can use present continuous tense in the condition statement.