Unit 12

Unit 12

Lesson A

Real Conditionals: The Zero Conditional

Before you can begin to understand what the zero conditional is, you must first get acquainted with the conditional tense itself. In English, the conditional tense is used to express what could have, might, or will happen IF a certain action occurs or has occurred. 

For example, mothers often say, “You can go play outside IF you eat the rest of your vegetables.” In this situation, something might happen (i.e., “you can go play outside”) IF a certain action occurs (i.e., “you eat the rest of your vegetables.”)

Overall, there are five main types of conditional sentences: zero conditional, first conditional, second conditional, third conditional, and mixed conditional. However, this article will help you get a grip on the zero conditional structure before you move on to the others.

What’s a zero conditional sentence?

Use & meaning

Zero conditional sentences are used to describe general truths. These include both personal realities and scientific facts. For instance, the sentence “If I eat too much candy, I feel sick” shows that this happens regularly to that particular individual.

Likewise, the sentence “Brown bears attack if they feel threatened” represents a permanent fact about the world around you.

Structure

There are several rules to follow when constructing a zero conditional sentence, which are outlined below:

• Clauses – Zero conditional sentences always consist of an “if clause” and a “main clause.” The “if clause” is the event that might happen, while the “main clause” is the action that does occur. Here are some examples…

• Tense – Both clauses in zero conditional sentences are written in the simple present tense, which is used to describe commonly known facts and repeated actions that take place regularly (e.g., “The bus to New York departs every half hour.”)
• Order – You can often switch the order of the “if clause” and the “main clause” without changing the meaning of the sentence, but make sure the subject of your sentence is clear. Also note that when the “if clause” comes first, you must put a comma between it and the “main clause.” When the “main clause” comes first, no comma is required.

• “If” vs. “when” – In zero conditional sentences, the word “if” can typically be replaced by the word “when” without changing the meaning of the sentence.

Zero conditional example sentences

Take a look at the different variations of zero conditional sentences that follow the guidelines shown above:

• If you put water in the freezer, it turns into ice
• I buy fast food if I forget to bring my lunch to work
• When it’s cold outside, I make hot chocolate and drink it by the fireplace
• You gain weight when you don’t exercise and eat healthy
• If we win our soccer game, we go out for drinks
• My boss complains when my coworkers are late to work

Based on what you’ve learned about the zero conditional, why not try your hand at completing the following sentences to assess your understanding? You can check your work using the answer key at the end of the article.