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© Shayna Oliveira 2014
If it's raining, I take an umbrella.
If I get to class early, I spend a few minutes reading.
If my husband forgets to take out the trash,
I remind him to do it.
In the zero conditional, both verbs (the verb in the condition
and the verb in the result) are in the present tense.
The word if implies that a situation happens less frequently, and the
word when implies it happens more frequently:
If I have a day off from work, I usually go
to the park. (implies that having a day off
from work is not frequent)
When I go to my favorite restaurant, the
waiters greet me by name. (implies that I
go to this restaurant frequently)
We can use the words whenever and every time to say that
a certain result always follows the condition:
Whenever I stay up too late, I oversleep the next morning.
Every time I go to that store, it's crowded.
Put it into practice!
Use the zero conditional (with verbs in the simple present tense) to answer these
questions:
What do you do if you can't fall asleep?
o If I can't fall asleep, I...
What do you normally do if you have a day off from your responsibilities?
o If I have a day off, I...
Where do you go when you want to have some fun?
o When I want to have some fun, I...
What's one thing you do every time you leave the house?
o Every time I leave the house, I...