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Lesson 8.1 · Conditionals

Things which will maybe happen: ‘If they accept, we will…’

When we talk about things which will maybe happen in the future – and what we will do if they happen – we use if + present simple and will. (In grammar books, this is called the first conditional.)

From How to Use English Verb Tenses in Business by David Cox · 200+ diagrams for professional English

The forms: no ‘will’ after ‘if’

We don’t use ‘will’ with ‘if’. We use the present simple instead, and we don’t use ‘will’ until the other part of the sentence. This is one of the most common mistakes to avoid:

If we willwinthe contract, wewill hiretwo new engineers.
If the client willagreesto our terms, wewill signon Friday.
If the price will beistoo high, theywill goto a competitor.
If I will beamlate, the clientwill getannoyed.

present simple after ‘if’‘will’ in the other part

Negative sentences

Be careful with negative sentences. Because we need the present simple in the ‘if’ part of the sentence, ‘If we won’t…’ is always incorrect:

If wewill not / won’twin the contract, we’ll have to cut costs. ✗
If wedon’twin the contract, we’ll have to cut costs.
If the supplierdoesn’tdeliver on time, we’ll miss the launch.
If Iam notat the meeting, Anna will present.
If the clientisn’thappy, we’ll offer a discount.
If our pricesaren’tcompetitive, we’ll lose market share.

Three common business uses

There are many good uses for this in business:

Future plans“If they don’t accept our first offer, we will lower the price.” Future suggestions“If we organise a weekend away with the team, it will bring everyone closer together.” Future warnings“If the economy doesn’t improve soon, many people will lose their jobs.”

1 · Talking about future plans

What will we do if something happens?

If they don’t accept our first offer,

‘If’ + present simple to talk about a possible future event, which may or may not happen

we will lower the price.

‘Will’ to talk about a future event which will happen if the first event happens

Other examples: If the board approves the budget, we’ll hire three new developers. If the flights are too expensive, we’ll hold the meeting online.

2 · Making suggestions for the future

What will be the result if we do something?

If we increase the price by 2%,

‘If’ + present simple to talk about a possible future event, which may or may not happen

we will be able to make $3 million extra profit next year.

‘Will’ to talk about a future event which will happen if the first event happens

Other examples: If we go by train, we will save a lot of money. If we leave early, we’ll have time to get lunch before the meeting. If we post this video, it will be great for our brand image. I believe that if we organise a weekend away with everyone in the team, it will really bring them closer together.

3 · Giving warnings about the future

What will happen if something does – or doesn’t – happen?

If profits don’t improve soon,

‘If’ + present simple to talk about a possible future event, which may or may not happen

we will have to change our strategy.

‘Will’ to talk about a future event which will happen if the first event happens

Other examples: If we lose this client, we will lose 20% of our whole client base. If the economy doesn’t improve soon, many people will lose their jobs.

Practise this lesson

Real plan or extreme scenario? Every question gives you the context – and the context decides the answer.

Teachers: use these diagrams

You are welcome to use these diagrams in your lessons and materials. Please credit Fluency Space with a link to this page.

Diagram: Fluency Space – fluencyspace.com/grammar/verb-tenses/first-conditional-plans-and-warnings/

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