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If you cut a carrot horizontally into slices, you (will) get round sliced carrots.

[my sentence]

Is "will" necessary, or should it be removed?

My intuition tells me that my sentence sounds better without "will" (in which case, my sentence is a zero conditional sentence).

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    Be careful to correctly match singular and plural nouns. If you only cut up one carrot ('a carrot') what you (will) get is a sliced carrot. If you cut carrots horizontally you (will) get sliced carrots. You might (perhaps) use 'will' if you are discussing one hypothetical action (e.g. for instructional purposes) or omit it if you wish to make a present-tense general statement. Most native speakers would probably not consider the difference important enough to worry about.
    – Michael Harvey
    Commented Nov 13 at 9:45
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    Well, in terms of cutting carrots, you are mistaken. If you cut them horizontally, you'll get julienned carrots.
    – Lambie
    Commented Nov 13 at 15:02
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    "Horizontally" is not a clear enough word, as @Lambie points out. You get rounds from "horizontal" cuts only if the carrot is "vertical." If you are using a mandoline slicer, this may be the case; if using a knife and a cutting board, the carrot usually lies "on its side." I assume Michael's suggestion of using a knife while standing the carrot on its end is a joke, or maybe an exhibition-cooking stunt! But none of this is the focus of your question.
    – Andy Bonner
    Commented Nov 13 at 15:59
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    @Lambie Sorry; yeah, I'm saying, as you did, that "horizontal cuts make rounds" is not true when using a chopping board. It could be true when using a mandoline or other device like a food processor, or when doing wacky stunts like whatever Michael is envisioning.
    – Andy Bonner
    Commented Nov 13 at 16:22
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    @Kaguyahime No, I would not. Think of a sushi guy: they often slice fish horizontally. It's the knife that is horizontal to the thing cut. In normal cutting of any kind of food, we wouldn't usually specify perpendicular, as in to cut carrot rounds. It's taken for granted.
    – Lambie
    Commented Nov 14 at 15:08

2 Answers 2

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The word will is not needed:

If you cut a carrot with the knife perpendicular to it, you get carrot rounds.

But sometimes it is better with will:

If you drive over the speed-limit along that stretch of the parkway, you will get a speeding ticket; the State Police training compound is located nearby.

In both cases we are talking about a necessary result when the condition is met, but will emphasizes that the result is unavoidable or guaranteed. With cutting a carrot and other simple physical truths there is no need to emphasize the unavoidability of the result; but with something that seems to allow for the element of chance, if the result is guaranteed, you can use will to advantage.

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    Thank you very much, @TimR. I now think I should have used "perpendicularly" instead of "horizontally".
    – Kaguyahime
    Commented Nov 13 at 11:59
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    @Kaguyahime No, it's as TimR: perpendicular to it, if you must use it.
    – Lambie
    Commented Nov 14 at 15:31
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The structure of the zero conditional is:
If + [present simple], … [present simple]..
For example, “If you heat ice, it melts.”

In this case, OP’s sentence (simplified) can be expressed as a Zero Conditional sentence:

If you cut a carrot horizontally, you get round-shaped carrot slices.

The zero conditional is used to state general truths or facts. It implies that cutting the carrot horizontally consistently results in round slices (habitual action).

Some grammar books don’t include the term “zero conditional,” but it’s often used to describe sentences expressing general truths.

If you add “will,” the sentence becomes a First Conditional sentence:

If you cut a carrot horizontally, you will get round-shaped carrot slices.

This version can be used when explaining or giving instructions to someone who may be inexperienced in cutting carrots horizontally, and indicates a specific future result.

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  • Thank you very much, @James Mathai. I now think the version with "will" is likely to be understood as an instruction.
    – Kaguyahime
    Commented Nov 13 at 11:57

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