even if + will?

Your intuition is working.   
But you can drop the will in the second sentence if you want.

Generally, even if works the same as if with regard to will.

Even the following, related to your second example, isn't bad:

If you'll have to think about it tomorrow, then don't bother to think about it now.

I think the contrast between two different times (present, future) when the same activity (thinking) might occur is influencing the situation and creating an exception to the rule of "no will after if".  I don't think the word even is what's causing the difference.

CJ

Kooyeen wrote:

Don't think about it now, even if you'll have to think about it tomorrow or sometime soon. <--- I'd say it's ok here.

I'd agree with all parties. "Even if" sounds concessive to me here, and very close to "even though", "even accepting the fact that".

In BrE at least, you can also use "will" after "if" where there's a sense of "be willing to", e.g.

1. If you'll just hold on to its collar for a moment, I'll get the muzzle.

2. If you'll just sign here, I'll get your key.

(I'm not sure why ESL examples always have to involve keys.)

MrP

I can confirm that.  will is used in American English when attempting to elicit cooperation from the listener.  I think that's why it's so common with the subject you (and with the adverb just -- to minimize the difficulty of complying).  It seems to me that this use of will occurs less often with other subjects, hardly ever with I or we.

I'm lukewarm on the idea that it has a very direct connection with willingness, though I accept it as an approximation.  I don't think the speaker is really very concerned about whether the listener is willing or not.  I think that even if loses a lot of its meaning in these quasi-imperative formulas.

If you'll just sign here, I'll get your key.

To me this is rather like

Please sign here while I get your key.

CJ

Re: keys

-- because key is one of the first words we learn in another language.  It's a small, but useful, object.  It's a small, but useful, word.  And it's very easy to pronounce.  And it's a great direct object with gobs of verbs.  You can put, take, throw, forget, carry, see, look at, ask for, send, use, find, drop,  ... (ad infinitum), a key.

(That's my story, and I'm sticking to it!)

Marius Hancu wrote:

>and with the adverb just -- to minimize the difficulty of complying Great obs, CJ

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