Если я не сдам зачёт с первого раза, мне придётся готовиться к пересдаче.

Russian and English handle future if-clauses differently.

In English, we normally say if I don’t pass, not if I won’t pass.
In Russian, a future condition can very naturally use the future form:

• Если я не сдам... = If I don’t pass...

Here сдам is the future of the perfective verb сдать. So even though English uses a present form, Russian uses a future form.

Yes. Сдать has several meanings depending on context, and one very common meaning is:

• сдать экзамен / зачёт = to pass an exam / a credit test

So in this sentence:

• не сдам зачёт = I won’t pass the зачёт

This is a very common Russian pattern. The same verb can also mean things like hand in, turn in, rent out, or give up, but here the educational context makes pass the correct meaning.

This is mostly about aspect.

• сдать = perfective, focused on the result
• сдавать = imperfective, focused on the process or repetition

In this sentence, the important idea is the result: either you pass the test or you do not. That is why Russian uses сдать:

• если я не сдам зачёт = if I do not pass the test

Compare:

• Я сдаю зачёт = I am taking / I take a credit test
• Я буду сдавать зачёт = I will be taking a credit test
• Я сдам зачёт = I will pass the credit test

So сдам fits best because the sentence is about the outcome.

Because зачёт is an inanimate masculine noun, and in Russian the accusative singular of inanimate masculine nouns is the same as the nominative.

So:

• nominative: зачёт
• accusative: зачёт

Here it is the direct object of сдам, so it is in the accusative, but it looks unchanged.

Compare with an animate masculine noun:

• я вижу студента — the form changes

But:

• я сдам зачёт — no visible change

Not exactly.

In Russian educational contexts, зачёт is usually a pass/fail assessment or course credit check, often less formal than an экзамен.

Very roughly:

• экзамен = exam
• зачёт = pass/fail credit test / course requirement check

Both can be used with сдать:

• сдать экзамен
• сдать зачёт

So the word is often translated simply as test, credit, or sometimes exam, depending on context, but it has its own specifically Russian academic meaning.

С первого раза is a very common expression meaning:

• on the first try
• at the first attempt

It is basically an idiomatic phrase.

Grammar:

• с
  • genitive
• первого = genitive of первый
• раза = genitive of раз

So literally it looks like from the first time/attempt, but the natural English meaning is on the first try.

You can make similar phrases:

• со второго раза = on the second try
• с третьего раза = on the third try

Because придётся is used here in an impersonal construction.

Russian often expresses necessity with:

• мне придётся
• тебе придётся
• ему придётся

The person affected goes in the dative case:

• мне = to me
• тебе = to you
• ему = to him

So:

• мне придётся готовиться = I’ll have to prepare

Literally, it is closer to something like it will fall to me / it will be necessary for me, though that is not how you would translate it naturally.

They are similar, but not identical.

• мне придётся = I’ll have to / I’ll be forced to / it will turn out that I need to
• я должен буду = I will have to / I will be obliged to

Придётся often suggests that circumstances are forcing the situation:

• Если не сдам, мне придётся готовиться...
• If I don’t pass, I’ll have to prepare...

It can sound a bit more like unfortunately, that’s what will be necessary.

Я должен буду is also possible, but it can sound more direct or obligation-based, rather than situation-based.

Because готовиться emphasizes the process of preparing.

• готовиться = imperfective, to be preparing / to prepare
• подготовиться = perfective, to get fully prepared / to finish preparing

After придётся, Russian often uses the imperfective infinitive when the focus is on the activity itself:

• мне придётся готовиться к пересдаче = I’ll have to prepare for the retake

If you said:

• мне придётся подготовиться к пересдаче

that would focus more on the need to get prepared successfully. It is possible, but the original sentence sounds more neutral and natural.

Because the verb готовиться requires:

• к + dative

So Russian asks:

• готовиться к чему? = prepare for what?

That is why пересдача becomes пересдаче:

• nominative: пересдача
• dative: пересдаче

So:

• готовиться к пересдаче = to prepare for a retake

This is a verb-preposition pattern you just need to learn as a unit.

Пересдача means a retake, especially of an exam, test, or зачёт.

It is built from the idea of сдавать / сдать again:

• prefix пере- often adds the meaning again / re-
• пересдача = retaking

Related words:

• пересдать = to retake
• идти на пересдачу = to go to a retake
• готовиться к пересдаче = to prepare for a retake

So in this sentence, the speaker may need to prepare for taking the assessment again.

Because this is a real, open possibility, not a hypothetical or contrary-to-fact situation.

• Если я не сдам..., мне придётся... = If I don’t pass..., I’ll have to...

This is an ordinary future condition.

Russian uses бы when the situation is more hypothetical or unreal:

• Если бы я не сдал..., мне пришлось бы...

That would mean something more like:

• If I didn’t pass / if I were not to pass, I would have to...

So the sentence without бы is the normal choice here.

Yes. Russian word order is fairly flexible.

The original sentence:

• Если я не сдам зачёт с первого раза, мне придётся готовиться к пересдаче.

You could also say:

• Мне придётся готовиться к пересдаче, если я не сдам зачёт с первого раза.

The basic meaning stays the same. The difference is mostly about emphasis:

• starting with Если... highlights the condition first
• starting with Мне придётся... highlights the consequence first

Also, я could sometimes be omitted if the context is already clear:

• Если не сдам зачёт с первого раза, мне придётся готовиться к пересдаче.

That sounds natural too.