Zero Conditional

• The zero conditional is used to talk about facts or situations that are always true.
• Structure: If + present simple, present simple.

Here are some zero conditional example sentences. All these examples are zero conditional sentences which express a general truth.

• If water reaches 100 Celsius, it boils.
• If you eat a lot, you put on weight.
• If I’m tired, I go to bed early.
• If it doesn’t rain, plants don’t grow.
• If the weather is nice, I bike to work.
• If the dog barks, it scares the cat.
• If people exercise, they feel better.
• When she goes shopping, she buys expensive clothes.
• When we eat out, we go to a nice restaurant.
• When you take a test, you need a pen.
• When you arrive tardy, there are consequences.
• When you drive too fast, you get a speeding ticket.
• When people get angry, they don’t think correctly.
• When you bring your phone to class, it needs to be on silent.
• When you take the test, you cannot use a calculator.

• Used for universal truths
• Used for scientific facts
• Used for rules or laws (e.g., laws of nature)

Mixing past or future tenses.

• Incorrect: If you heated water, it boils.
• Correct: If you heat water, it boils.

In the zero conditional, both clauses are in the present tense. A common mistake is to use ‘will’ in the main clause:

• If people eat too much, they get fat.
  they will get
• Water boils when it reaches 100°C.
  it will reach