We spend years telling students, "Don't use will or would in the "IF" clause."
But actually ...
✅ Polite requests: here "will" = are willing to
● If you will sit down for a second, the doctor will examine you in a moment.
● If you will be so kind and give me your house, I'll be eternally grateful.
● If you would listen to me for just a second, my love, we might be able to escape this burning building. (would is more polite)
✅ Insisting on something: you MUST stress "will" here!
● "I'm fat, Paul!" - "Well, yeah, if you WILL constantly eat cakes all the time, no wonder you can't see your feet!"
● "Dad, my brother keeps kicking me!" - "Paul, if you WILL keep on bloody annoying him, I'm not surprised!"
✅ Results: we use WILL here to mean something will be a later result, not a condition of something:
● I'll lend you my car if it will make you happy! (being happy is the result of getting the car)
● Ok, we'll get married if it will make you feel better!
✅ If we are quite certain about something / if we know now that:
● If students WON'T come today, then I'll cancel the class.
● If John will land that dream job, McDonald's will be so lucky!
✅ And of course with Indirect Questions - I don't know if...
● I really have no idea if I'll come tonight.
● I really don't know if she'll marry me because I am so ugly.
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