4. The First Conditional (Part 2) – English Grammar Guide

This is Part 2 of our series on The First Conditional. Have you already seen Part 1? If not, you can check it out here.

Transcript

This is our second look at the first conditional. Today, we’re considering going to results. In Part 1, we covered the two basic structures of the first conditional (as you can see here). Today, we’re going to look at using the going to future instead of will + verb.

We use will for predictions, but we use going to for predictions with evidence, so going to sounds stronger than will.

For example:

• If our sales don’t improve, we’re going to go out of business.
  • (That’s a strong statement.)
• If you don’t focus on the road, you’re going to crash the car.
• Carl’s going to go crazy if he doesn’t get a girlfriend soon.

A second use of going to is for plans. When we use will, it’s clear to the listener that we’re thinking right now. But if we use going to, it’s clear to the listener that we already have plans. We’ve thought about it already.

For example:

• We’re going to play tennis after school if one of the courts is free. That’s our plan, anyway.
• If I can get a moment alone with her, I’m going to tell her how I feel about her.
• Uh-oh! Mary’s going to kill you if she sees you!

OK, it’s practice time! Why not try using these structures in your own sentences? You can write them in the comments below or on our Facebook page.

Watch The First Conditional (Part 3) here.

We hope you liked this video! We have many more grammar videos available in our video library. Check out our grammar archive here and keep on strengthening your knowledge of useful structures in English. We recommend that you move on to learn about the second and third conditional next.