The first conditional has the present simple
after 'if', then the future simple in the other
clause:: if + present simple, ... will + infinitive
First vs. Zero Conditional:
The first conditional describes a
particular situation, whereas the
zero conditional describes what
happens in general.
EXAMPLES:
(first conditional): if you sit in the sun,
you'll get burned (here I'm talking about
what will happen today, another day
might be different)
(zero conditional): if you sit in
the sun, you get burned (here
I'm talking about every time a
person sits in the sun - the
burning is a natural consequence
of the sitting)
For what do you use it?
It's used to talk about things which might happen in the future.
Of course, we can't know what will happen in the future, but this
describes possible things, which could easily come true.
EXA,MPLES
If it rains, I won't go to the
park. If I study today, I'll go
to the party tonight. If I
have enough money, I'll buy
some new shoes. She'll be
late if the train is delayed.
She'll miss the bus if she
doesn't leave soon. If I see
her, I'll tell her.
First vs. Second
Conditional:
The first conditional describes
things that I think are likely to
happen in the future, whereas
the second conditional talks
about things that I don't think will
really happen. It's subjective; it
depends on my point of view.
EXamples
(first conditional):
If she studies
harder, she'll
pass the exam (I
think it's possible
she will study
harder and so
she'll pass)
(second conditional): If she
studied harder, she would pass
the exam (I think that she won't
study harder, or it's very
unlikely, and so she won't pass)