What is the first conditional?
The first conditional describes a real or likely situation in the future. It has two parts: an if-clause (the condition) and a result clause (what will happen). The key rule: after if, use the present simple — not a future form. The result clause uses will + a base verb.
Structure: If + present simple, will + base verb
You can see this structure at work in the FAA’s announcement about the $12.5 billion ATC rebuild: “If it is delivered on time, it will be the biggest upgrade to US airspace management since GPS navigation was introduced in the 1990s.”
Try these
Rewrite each pair of sentences as a single first conditional sentence. All items use vocabulary from the FAA’s $12.5 billion air traffic control rebuild.
- The new system might be delivered on time. In that case, it will be the biggest upgrade to US airspace management since the 1990s.
- The FAA may install all 27,000 new radios by 2028. In that case, controllers will have modern digital equipment at every site.
- The public might track progress on the Modern Skies website. In that case, they will be able to see when each project is expected to finish.
- Old radar and communication equipment might not be replaced. In that case, delays and near-misses will continue.
- The government may not maintain transparency. In that case, modernisation efforts will fail again, as they did in the past.
When you are ready to go further, Structure: ‘Conditionals 2’ builds on this foundation — it shows how the second conditional changes the meaning when the outcome is less certain or hypothetical.