Learn Present Real Conditional in English
Express facts and general truths using if + present simple.
- Learning goal
- Recognize and use this pattern in context.
- Practice
- 10 randomized questions with explanations.
- Suggested workflow
- Study the examples, then take the quiz.
Grammar Focus
The present real conditional (also called the zero conditional) expresses facts, general truths, scientific laws, and habitual results. When a particular condition is always true, the result is also always true — there is no uncertainty involved. This structure is different from other conditional forms because it does not describe a hypothetical situation; it describes something that reliably happens every time.
- Use if + present simple in the condition clause (the *if* clause)
- Use present simple in the result clause (the *main* clause)
- The if clause can come first or second in the sentence — when it comes first, use a comma after it
- You can replace if with when to emphasise that the result is inevitable or automatic
- Common signal words: always, usually, generally, every time, whenever
Form & Structure
Affirmative
Negative
Questions
Common Mistakes
Using 'will' in the if-clause
Tip: In the present real conditional, never use will in the *if* clause. Both clauses use the present simple because you are describing a fact, not a prediction.
Using future tense in the result clause
Tip: The zero conditional result clause stays in the present simple because the outcome is always true, not just a future possibility. Save 'will' for the first conditional.
Forgetting the comma when the if-clause comes first
Tip: When the if clause comes at the beginning of the sentence, always place a comma between the two clauses. No comma is needed when the result clause comes first.