If it rains...

If it rains, I will/won't...

Finish the sentence, the possibilities are endless!

If it rains, I'll have a nap. If it rains, I won't go for a walk. If it rains, my dog will bring a bunch of mud inside my house...

This sentence is an example of the first conditional tense. Conditionals can be tricky in English, but they each have their own structures and rules. This blog is the first of 3 posts in a series, all about each different conditional tense, so stay tuned in the coming weeks if you need a crash course on how to use them in English!

---

The first conditional - the possible conditional

​Grammar structure

If + present simple + will/won't

If it rains, I won't go for a walk.

You will pass the test if you study hard.

​Purpose

This is the conditional we use to talk about plausible (possible) causes and effects. We use it when talking about every day, run of the mill situations. Let's analyze this sentence:

If it rains, I won't go for a walk.

Unless you live on the moon (does it rain on the moon?), rain is not a strange phenomena. When you look out the window and see dark clouds, it's only logical that you think it might rain. Of course, it might not rain, which is why we use the conditional if. There is always the possibility that the dark clouds blow over and the sun will come out again, but it's also quite probable that those dark clouds will produce rain, which is why I call the first conditional the "possible" conditional.

It's that simple! Leave a comment with your ending to the sentence, "if it rains...", and stay tuned for next week's post on the second conditional!

---

Glossary

• crash course: a short, quick lesson on how to do something

• run of the mill: an expression to say - ordinary, normal

• blow over: an expression used to say that bad weather (or a bad situation) pass, leaving room for nice weather (or a better situation)