The Zero 0 Conditional in English Grammar

The Zero 0 Conditional in English Grammar

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The zero 0 conditional

The zero 0 conditional in action – English grammar

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The Zero 0 Conditional in English Grammar

What is the meaning of the Zero conditional in English grammar?

Daily grammar lesson with Elo Kasia. What is zero conditional (factual conditional)? Practical lesson with an easy explanation and plenty of examples to practice with.

 What are conditional sentences?

1. factual conditional (zero 0 conditional)
2. possible conditional (1st conditional),
3. present unreal conditional (2nd conditional) and
4. past unreal conditional (3rd conditional)

 What is a factual conditional (zero conditional)?

Factual conditional (usually known as zero  0 conditional) is probably the easiest conditional to learn. A conditional sentence is made up of two parts (clauses), the “if clause” and the “main clause”. In the 0 conditional we use the same tense in both clauses.

• If – clause — Main (result) clause
• If / when / unless + Present Simple — Present Simple

(NOTE: We can also change the order of clauses and have the main clause first followed by the if clause and also use “when”, or “unless”)   It is used to talk about habits, scientific facts and general truths, if something else happens first.

This conditional is used when the result will always happen. So, if water reaches 100 degrees, it always boils. It’s a fact.

We use it to talk about things in general, not a particular situation. We can usually replace “if” with “when” and the meaning stays the same.

 Have a look at these examples:

• If you heat ice, it melts.
• If you get too cold, you shiver.
• If people eat too much, they put on weight.
• You get water if you mix hydrogen and oxygen.
• You pay higher income taxes when you earn more money.
• If babies are tired, they cry.
• When John is out of the office, I take his calls.
• When you press the button, the doorbell rings.
• If I am late for work, my boss gets angry.
• If your husband dies, you become a widow.
• Unless you keep milk in the fridge, it goes off quickly.
• Children feel tired at school unless they get proper sleep.
• If you get angry, you should take a few minutes to compose yourself.
• You can’t send your children to school when they are sick.

 What is the difference between the zero conditional and the 1st conditional?

The zero 0 (factual) conditional describes a general situation, something that always happen. We cannot use it to describe a particular, specific situation. If we want to talk about a specific situation, we have to use the 1st conditional.

 Study these examples:

• If the weather is good at weekends, we usually go to the beach. ( a general habit, something that we usually do whenever the weather is good.)
• If the weather is good at the weekend, we will go to the beach. (here we describe a future event, a particular situation that is likely to happen at the coming weekend)
• If it snows, the roads become slippery. (general truth, it always happens whenever it shows)
• If it snows, the road will become slippery. (a particular situation, it is likely that will snow, in which case the road will become slippery)
• If you mix white and red, you get pink. (fact)
• If you mix white and red, you will get pink. (particular situation, future result of an action, for example, instructions given to a child who is painting at the moment)
• If I don’t know a word, I look it up in a dictionary. (habit, I always do that)
• If I don’t know a word, I will look it up in a dictionary. (particular situation, you are reading a book, or doing an exercise; you decide that every time you see a word you don’t know you will look it up)
• If I study hard, I always get good marks. (general habit)
• If I study hard, I will get good marks. (particular situation, before a test, you make a decision to study hard)

An important rule to remember is that the zero conditional refers to general situations, not specific ones and 1st conditional describes particular situations which are likely to happen in (usually) the near future.

In order to practise the zero 0 conditional, make sentences about things around you and everyday phenomena, such as what happens if something else happens. It is a very good way to practise and achieve fluency.

Make sure you follow our *TT exercises which will help you become a confident speaker.

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Director at Eloquent Learning Online, educational institution based in the UK. www.eloquentlearning.com. Grammar Rules

The Zero 0 Conditional in English Grammar

The Zero 0 Conditional in English Grammar

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