Practice
Provided that and as long as
You can borrow my car as long as you bring it back by six. The speaker agrees, but only if one condition is met.
Use provided that and as long as to state a condition clearly, and choose the expression that suits a formal or everyday context.
Read and practice
Read the examples and try the written questions in this guide. Listening recordings are not available for this lesson yet.
Try the written questions
You can borrow my car as long as you bring it back by six. /ju kən ˈbɑr.oʊ maɪ kɑr æz lɔŋ æz ju brɪŋ ɪt bæk baɪ sɪks/
The short answer
Use provided that or as long as before the condition that controls the result. Choose provided that for a more formal rule and as long as for a more everyday agreement.
You may use the meeting room provided that you reserve it first.
Why it works: The reservation is a condition. The sentence sounds suitable for a written workplace rule.
5 more examples
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We can have lunch outside as long as the rain stops.
The plan depends on one future condition. The present form stops is normal after as long as.
Not this:We will have lunch outside
if the rain stops. What changes: Both sentences refer to a possible future condition, so the condition clause uses stops, not will stop. -
Provided that the figures are correct, the team will send the report today.
The condition comes first, so a comma separates it from the result. This form suits a formal update.
Not this:The team will send the report today
provided that the figures are correct. What changes: The meaning stays the same when the condition follows the result. -
I will watch the children as long as you are back before midnight.
The speaker makes an everyday agreement. Being back before midnight is the required condition.
Not this:I will watch the children
while you are at the concert. What changes: While gives a period of time. As long as in the first sentence gives a condition. -
The warranty remains valid provided that the device is used as instructed.
The formal wording fits a rule about a product. Correct use is necessary for the warranty to remain valid.
Not this:The warranty remains valid
during the first year. What changes: During names a time period. Provided that introduces a requirement. -
As long as the train is on time, we will reach the airport before noon.
The result depends on the train's schedule. The condition clause comes first and takes a comma.
Not this:
Because the train is on time, we will reach the airport before noon. What changes: Because gives a reason that the speaker treats as true. As long as gives a condition.
Read the full guide
Start by finding the result and the condition. In the sentence You can join us as long as you arrive by eight, joining is the result and arriving by eight is the condition. Put either expression before the condition. The condition can come first or after the main clause.
Find the result and the condition
A conditional sentence has a result and a condition. First ask what will happen. Then ask what must be true for that result to happen. Provided that and as long as introduce the condition.
You can keep the library book as long as you renew it online.
Keeping the book is the result. Renewing it online is the condition that allows the result.
What is the condition in the sentence Maya can attend the course provided that she completes the form?
The condition is that Maya completes the form. Attending the course depends on that action.
Choose a suitable tone
Provided that often appears in formal rules, notices, and agreements. As long as is more common in everyday speech. The condition can be similar, but the choice changes the tone.
The refund is available provided that you show the receipt.
This sounds like a store policy. Provided that makes the requirement sound formal and official.
You can sit here as long as you save me a seat later.
This is an everyday request between people. As long as fits the relaxed context.
Which expression fits a written event rule more naturally: provided that or as long as?
Provided that often fits a written event rule because it has a more formal tone.
Use present forms for future conditions
When the result is in the future, the condition clause normally uses a present form. Do not add will inside the clause after provided that or as long as.
We will sign the lease provided that the landlord agrees to the repairs.
Will sign is the future result. Agrees is present because it appears in the condition clause.
I will send the link as long as the file opens correctly.
The future action is will send. Opens describes the condition, so it stays in the present form.
Choose the correct form: We will start provided that everyone ___ ready.
Use is: We will start provided that everyone is ready. The condition clause uses the present form.
Move the condition when it helps
You can put the condition before or after the result. Put it first when the condition needs attention before the main point. Use a comma after a condition clause that comes first.
As long as the roads are clear, the delivery will arrive tomorrow.
The condition comes first, so the sentence uses a comma before the result.
The delivery will arrive tomorrow as long as the roads are clear.
The same condition follows the result. A comma is usually unnecessary in this order.
Where does the comma go when a provided that clause starts the sentence?
Put the comma after the condition clause and before the main result.
Separate condition from duration
As long as can introduce a condition, but it can also describe how long something continues. Look for a requirement in the sentence. If there is no requirement, the phrase may describe duration instead.
You can stay in the studio as long as you keep the noise down.
Keeping the noise down is a condition for staying in the studio.
You can stay in the studio as long as you need.
This sentence describes duration. It says how long the person may stay.
Does as long as you need state a condition or a period of time?
It states a period of time. The phrase tells the listener how long staying is possible.
Before you go
Remember this
Use provided that and as long as to introduce a condition. Put a present form in a future condition clause, use a comma when the condition comes first, and choose provided that when a more formal tone fits. Check whether as long as means a condition or a period of time.
Practice with the written examples
You can practice with the written questions in the Learn tab. Each answer includes an explanation.
Try the written questionsListening test not available yet
This lesson does not have the recordings needed for a listening test. Use the written questions in the guide to check your understanding.
Try the written questionsQuestions about "Provided that and as long as"
What does provided that mean?
Provided that means only if a stated condition is met. In the meeting-room example, reserving the room is necessary before the permission applies. The phrase is common in formal rules and written instructions.
You may use the meeting room provided that you reserve it first.
Can provided that and as long as have the same meaning?
They can both introduce a condition. The lunch-outside example with as long as makes the plan depend on the rain stopping, just as a version with if would. Provided that often sounds more formal than as long as.
You may use the meeting room if you reserve it first.
Do I use will after provided that?
Use will in the main result when you need a future meaning, but use a present form in the condition clause. In the figures example, correct is present even though the team will send the report in the future.
We can have lunch outside as long as the rain stops.
Can a condition clause come at the end of a sentence?
Yes. You can place the result first and add the condition after it. The children example gives the offer first, then states that the other person must return before midnight. This word order is common in conversation.
We will have lunch outside if the rain stops.
Does as long as always mean a condition?
No. It can also mean for the period that something continues. In the train example, it gives a condition for reaching the airport before noon. In other sentences, the phrase can answer the question of how long.
Provided that the figures are correct, the team will send the report today.