Zero Conditional

Question

?If you don’t brush your teeth, you get cavities.

?When people smoke cigarettes, their health suffers.

I saw the examples above supposed to be something of general truth, so simple present tense is used in both clauses. But do we get cavities or our health suffers straight away? No, I don't think so. Why can't we use simple future tense in the main clause since everything happens takes time even if it is general truth? However if we use simple future tense in the main clause, it becomes the first conditional and whatever described is no longer regarded as a constant truth but only a likely scenario.

The question I want to ask is 1. whether the general truth for zero conditional is something purely subjective to the speaker, not necessarily a well-recognised constant truth. Secondly, 2. why can't the main clause of the zero conditional be in future tense since some results take time after the cause even though they will absolutely happen?

Thanks for comment!

CalifJim · Accepted Answer

healerThe question I want to ask is 1. whether the general truth for zero conditional is something purely subjective to the speaker, not necessarily a well-recognised constant truth.

It is subjective to the speaker. Another speaker might prefer any of the following:

If you don't brush your teeth, you will get cavities.
If you don't brush your teeth, you can get cavities.
If you don't brush your teeth, you may get cavities.

All conditionals — anything you write or say, really — are based on how the writer or speaker wants to present the information in that sentence.

healerwhy can't the main clause of the zero conditional be in future tense since some results take time after the cause even though they will absolutely happen?

Putting the main clause in the future tense makes it a first conditional.

It's a matter of how these patterns are defined:

Zero: IF present, present.
First: IF present, WILL base-form
Second: IF past, WOULD base-form
Third: IF past perfect, WOULD HAVE past-participle

The definitions above are not based on meaning. Just because you have analyzed the real world meaning of an idea and decided that you prefer to express it in a zero conditional doesn't mean that someone else couldn't analyze the same idea in a different way and decide to express it in a first or second conditional.

Don't make the mistake of thinking there is only one correct conditional pattern that will make a correct sentence with the same basic information. Sometimes that's clear; sometimes it's not.

CJ

Zero Conditional

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