SEMAINE 19 – JOUR 1 Conditionals (Zero & First)
SEMAINE 19 · JOUR 1 · GRAMMAIRE + LISTENING
Conditionals — Zero & First
Real Situations · Consequences
👋 Introduction
Aujourd'hui, tu vas apprendre à dire :
si quelque chose arrive → voilà le résultat
Exemples :
Si tu travailles → tu réussis
Si tu étudies → tu progresses
C'est essentiel pour parler naturellement.
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📄 Transcript
💬 DAILY IDIOM
The ball is in your court
Sens : C'est à toi de décider ou d'agir maintenant.
1. "I've given you all the information; now the ball is in your court."
2. "The company made an offer, so the ball is in your court now."
🔤 DAILY PHRASAL VERB
Point out
Sens : Signaler, faire remarquer quelque chose.
1. "My teacher pointed out several mistakes in my essay."
2. "She pointed out that the meeting had already started."
Real Conditions · Facts · Predictions
1) What Are Conditionals?
Conditionals describe a relationship between a condition (IF) and a result. The Zero and First Conditionals deal with real situations — things that are always true or likely to happen.
Zero Conditional → General truths · scientific facts · things always true
IF + Present Simple, Present Simple
"If you heat water to 100°C, it boils."
"If it rains, the streets flood."
First Conditional → Real & likely future situations · predictions
IF + Present Simple, WILL + base verb
"If it rains tomorrow, I will stay home."
"If she studies hard, she will pass."
2) Zero Conditional — General Truths & Facts
Use the Zero Conditional when the result is always true whenever the condition occurs. It expresses universal facts, scientific laws, habits and cause-and-effect relationships.
IF + subject + Present Simple, subject + Present Simple
→ Both clauses use the same tense: Present Simple
→ "If" can be replaced by "when" with the same meaning
→ Both clauses use the same tense: Present Simple
→ "If" can be replaced by "when" with the same meaning
If you heat water to 100 degrees Celsius, it boils. Si tu chauffes l'eau à 100°C, elle bout. (vérité scientifique)
Plants die if they don't get enough water. Les plantes meurent si elles ne reçoivent pas assez d'eau.
If you mix red and yellow, you get orange. Si tu mélanges le rouge et le jaune, tu obtiens de l'orange.
When people don't sleep enough, they feel tired and irritable. Quand les gens ne dorment pas assez, ils se sentent fatigués et irritables.
If Konan is late, his boss gets angry — every single time. Si Konan est en retard, son patron se fâche — à chaque fois.
💡 IF vs WHEN in Zero Conditional: Both are possible and mean the same thing. "If you heat water, it boils." = "When you heat water, it boils."
3) First Conditional — Real & Likely Future Situations
Use the First Conditional to talk about real, possible future situations and their probable consequences. The speaker believes the condition might genuinely happen.
IF + subject + Present Simple, subject + will + base verb
→ IF clause: Present Simple (never "will" in the IF clause)
→ Result clause: will + base verb
→ IF clause: Present Simple (never "will" in the IF clause)
→ Result clause: will + base verb
If Aminata studies hard, she will pass the BAC. Si Aminata travaille dur, elle réussira le BAC.
If it rains tomorrow, we will cancel the match. S'il pleut demain, nous annulerons le match.
I will call you if I need help. Je t'appellerai si j'ai besoin d'aide.
If you don't leave now, you will miss the bus. Si tu ne pars pas maintenant, tu rateras le bus.
⚠️ NEVER use "will" in the IF clause: ✘ If it will rain tomorrow, we will cancel the match. ✔ If it rains tomorrow, we will cancel the match.
4) First Conditional — Other Modals in the Result Clause
Instead of will, you can use other modals in the result clause to express different shades of meaning.
| Modal | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| will | Certain result | If she studies, she will pass. |
| might / may | Possible result (less certain) | If she studies, she might pass. |
| can | Ability / permission | If you finish early, you can leave. |
| should | Advice / recommendation | If you feel sick, you should rest. |
| must | Obligation / necessity | If you want to improve, you must practise. |
5) UNLESS — The Negative IF
Unless = if not. It introduces a negative condition. You can replace "unless" with "if… not" without changing the meaning.
UNLESS + Present Simple = IF + NOT + Present Simple
→ Unless is always followed by a positive verb (the negative is already in "unless")
→ Unless is always followed by a positive verb (the negative is already in "unless")
Unless you study, you will fail. = If you don't study, you will fail. À moins que tu n'étudies, tu échoueras.
We won't start the meeting unless everyone arrives. Nous ne commencerons pas la réunion à moins que tout le monde n'arrive.
Unless it rains, we will have the party outside. À moins qu'il ne pleuve, nous ferons la fête dehors.
⚠️ Never use "unless" with a negative verb: ✘ Unless you don't study, you will fail. ✔ Unless you study, you will fail.
6) Word Order & The Comma Rule
IF clause FIRST → use a comma between the two clauses: "If it rains, I will stay home."
Result clause FIRST → NO comma needed: "I will stay home if it rains."
💡 Both word orders are correct. In the exam and in writing, starting with the IF clause is more formal and clear.
7) Zero vs First — The Key Difference
| Zero Conditional | First Conditional | |
|---|---|---|
| Use | Always true / general facts | Real possible future result |
| IF clause | Present Simple | Present Simple |
| Result clause | Present Simple | will + base verb |
| Example | If you drop it, it falls. | If you drop it, it will break. |
| Replaces IF with | WHEN (same meaning) | WHEN (different: WHEN = more certain) |
Zero: If you heat ice, it melts. (always true — scientific fact) Si tu chauffes la glace, elle fond. (toujours vrai)
First: If it's very hot tomorrow, the ice will melt quickly. (specific future prediction) S'il fait très chaud demain, la glace fondra vite. (prédiction future)
8) Real-Life Dialogue — Using Both Conditionals
💬 Dialogue — Konan & Adjoua plan for the rainy season
A: If it rains heavily tomorrow, the road to the village will be flooded.
B: You're right. If the road is flooded, we won't be able to travel. That happens every rainy season if there is too much rain.
A: Unless we leave tonight, we might miss the celebration entirely.
B: Agreed. If we leave at 6pm, we will arrive before dark. And if the weather stays clear, the journey will take about two hours.
9) Common Mistakes to Avoid
✘ If it will rain tomorrow, we will cancel the trip. → ✔ If it rains tomorrow, we will cancel the trip.
Never use WILL in the IF clause. Use Present Simple.
✘ If you heat water, it will boil. (zero conditional) → ✔ If you heat water, it boils.
Zero Conditional = two Present Simple clauses. No WILL.
✘ Unless you don't study, you will fail. → ✔ Unless you study, you will fail.
UNLESS already means "if not" — never add "don't/doesn't" after it.
✘ If she will pass the exam, she can go to university. → ✔ If she passes the exam, she can go to university.
IF clause always takes Present Simple regardless of the modal in the result clause.
🎓 Coach Assoa vous conseille
Pour ne plus jamais confondre Zero et First Conditional, posez-vous une seule question :
① C'est toujours vrai ? (fait, loi, habitude) → Zero Conditional : if + Present, Present
② C'est possible dans le futur ? (prédiction, situation probable) → First Conditional : if + Present, WILL
Et pour les deux : jamais de WILL dans la clause IF. C'est la règle d'or.
Entraînez-vous en faisant des prédictions sur votre semaine : "If it rains on Saturday, I will study at home. If I study every day, I will improve."
Listen carefully to each dialogue. Each one uses Zero and/or First Conditional structures in a real-life context. You can listen up to 3 times. Then show the transcript to check your understanding.
Dialogue 1 — A teacher explains rules to her students
Teacher: Good morning, class. Before we begin, let me remind you of some important rules.
If you arrive late, you will not be allowed to enter the classroom.
If you use your phone during the exam, you will receive a zero.
And remember — if you study every day, you will see real progress.
If students don't respect these rules, there are consequences. That's how it works here — every time.
Do you have any questions?
Student: Yes, Miss — if we finish the exam early, can we leave?
Teacher: If you finish before time, you may review your work, but you cannot leave until the exam is over.
Dialogue 2 — Aminata and her coach discuss her preparation for the BAC
Coach: Aminata, the BAC is in three months. How are you feeling?
Aminata: I'm nervous, Coach. If I don't pass, my parents will be very disappointed.
Coach: I understand. But if you follow this study plan, you will be well prepared. And remember — if you practise English speaking every day, your oral skills improve automatically. That's just how it works.
Aminata: If I study in the mornings, will it be more effective?
Coach: Absolutely. Research shows that if students study in the morning, they remember more. Unless you are consistent, though, even the best plan won't work.
Aminata: I will follow the plan. If I need help, can I call you?
Coach: Of course. If you have any questions, send me a message and I will respond within the hour.
Dialogue 3 — A radio weather forecast with predictions
Radio presenter: Good morning, listeners. Here is your weather forecast for Bouaké and surrounding areas.
If the current weather pattern continues, we will see heavy rainfall throughout the afternoon.
If you are planning to travel by road today, we strongly advise you to leave before 10am. If the rain starts before noon, the main road to Yamoussoukro will likely flood.
Remember — if roads are wet, stopping distances increase significantly. Please drive carefully.
If conditions improve by evening, temperatures will drop to around 22 degrees. Unless there is unexpected sunshine, tomorrow will remain cloudy. Stay safe, and we will bring you the next update at noon.
💡 Active Listening Strategy: After listening, try to identify in each dialogue: ① One Zero Conditional (fact/habit) → Present + Present ② One First Conditional (prediction) → Present + will ③ One UNLESS structure. This is how you train your ear AND your grammar at the same time.
Test your knowledge of Zero · First · UNLESS · word order
❓ 12 questions
⏱️ 15 minutes
✅ Immediate correction after each answer
📊 Score by category at the end
QUESTION 1 / 12 · ZERO
🏁 Results
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