diff --git a/autotests/folding/Makefile.fold b/autotests/folding/Makefile.fold
--- a/autotests/folding/Makefile.fold
+++ b/autotests/folding/Makefile.fold
@@ -34,3 +34,20 @@
 foo := a b c
 bar := foo
 hello := $($(bar):a=$(rempl))
+
+# Conditionals
+bar =
+foo = $(bar)
+<beginfold id='2'>ifdef</beginfold id='2'> bar
+frobozz = yes
+<endfold id='2'></endfold id='2'><beginfold id='2'>else</beginfold id='2'> ifdef foo
+frobozz = no
+<endfold id='2'>endif</endfold id='2'>
+
+error_type := 0
+check:
+<beginfold id='2'>ifeq</beginfold id='2'> ($(error_type),0)
+<endfold id='2'></endfold id='2'><beginfold id='2'>else</beginfold id='2'> ifeq ($(error_type),1)
+<endfold id='2'></endfold id='2'><beginfold id='2'>else</beginfold id='2'> ifeq ($(error_type),2)
+<endfold id='2'></endfold id='2'><beginfold id='2'>else</beginfold id='2'> ifeq ($(error_type),3)
+<endfold id='2'>endif</endfold id='2'>
diff --git a/autotests/html/Makefile.html b/autotests/html/Makefile.html
--- a/autotests/html/Makefile.html
+++ b/autotests/html/Makefile.html
@@ -40,4 +40,21 @@
 <span style="color:#0057ae;">foo </span><span style="color:#924c9d;">:=</span><span style="color:#bf0303;"> a b c</span>
 <span style="color:#0057ae;">bar </span><span style="color:#924c9d;">:=</span><span style="color:#bf0303;"> foo</span>
 <span style="color:#0057ae;">hello </span><span style="color:#924c9d;">:=</span><span style="color:#bf0303;"> </span><span style="color:#924c9d;">$($(</span><span style="color:#0057ae;">bar</span><span style="color:#924c9d;">)</span><span style="font-weight:bold;">:</span><span style="color:#ff5500;">a</span><span style="font-weight:bold;">=</span><span style="color:#924c9d;">$(</span><span style="color:#0057ae;">rempl</span><span style="color:#924c9d;">))</span>
+
+<span style="color:#898887;"># Conditionals</span>
+<span style="color:#0057ae;">bar </span><span style="color:#924c9d;">=</span>
+<span style="color:#0057ae;">foo </span><span style="color:#924c9d;">=</span><span style="color:#bf0303;"> </span><span style="color:#924c9d;">$(</span><span style="color:#0057ae;">bar</span><span style="color:#924c9d;">)</span>
+<span style="font-weight:bold;">ifdef</span> bar
+<span style="color:#0057ae;">frobozz </span><span style="color:#924c9d;">=</span><span style="color:#bf0303;"> yes</span>
+<span style="font-weight:bold;">else</span> <span style="font-weight:bold;">ifdef</span> foo
+<span style="color:#0057ae;">frobozz </span><span style="color:#924c9d;">=</span><span style="color:#bf0303;"> no</span>
+<span style="font-weight:bold;">endif</span>
+
+<span style="color:#0057ae;">error_type </span><span style="color:#924c9d;">:=</span><span style="color:#bf0303;"> 0</span>
+<span style="color:#b08000;">check:</span>
+<span style="font-weight:bold;">ifeq</span> (<span style="color:#924c9d;">$(</span><span style="color:#0057ae;">error_type</span><span style="color:#924c9d;">)</span>,0)
+<span style="font-weight:bold;">else</span> <span style="font-weight:bold;">ifeq</span> (<span style="color:#924c9d;">$(</span><span style="color:#0057ae;">error_type</span><span style="color:#924c9d;">)</span>,1)
+<span style="font-weight:bold;">else</span> <span style="font-weight:bold;">ifeq</span> (<span style="color:#924c9d;">$(</span><span style="color:#0057ae;">error_type</span><span style="color:#924c9d;">)</span>,2)
+<span style="font-weight:bold;">else</span> <span style="font-weight:bold;">ifeq</span> (<span style="color:#924c9d;">$(</span><span style="color:#0057ae;">error_type</span><span style="color:#924c9d;">)</span>,3)
+<span style="font-weight:bold;">endif</span>
 </pre></body></html>
diff --git a/autotests/input/Makefile b/autotests/input/Makefile
--- a/autotests/input/Makefile
+++ b/autotests/input/Makefile
@@ -34,3 +34,20 @@
 foo := a b c
 bar := foo
 hello := $($(bar):a=$(rempl))
+
+# Conditionals
+bar =
+foo = $(bar)
+ifdef bar
+frobozz = yes
+else ifdef foo
+frobozz = no
+endif
+
+error_type := 0
+check:
+ifeq ($(error_type),0)
+else ifeq ($(error_type),1)
+else ifeq ($(error_type),2)
+else ifeq ($(error_type),3)
+endif
diff --git a/autotests/reference/Makefile.ref b/autotests/reference/Makefile.ref
--- a/autotests/reference/Makefile.ref
+++ b/autotests/reference/Makefile.ref
@@ -34,3 +34,20 @@
 <Variable>foo </Variable><Operator>:=</Operator><String> a b c</String><br/>
 <Variable>bar </Variable><Operator>:=</Operator><String> foo</String><br/>
 <Variable>hello </Variable><Operator>:=</Operator><String> </String><Operator>$($(</Operator><Variable>bar</Variable><Operator>)</Operator><RealOperator>:</RealOperator><VarModifier>a</VarModifier><RealOperator>=</RealOperator><Operator>$(</Operator><Variable>rempl</Variable><Operator>))</Operator><br/>
+<Normal></Normal><br/>
+<Comment># Conditionals</Comment><br/>
+<Variable>bar </Variable><Operator>=</Operator><br/>
+<Variable>foo </Variable><Operator>=</Operator><String> </String><Operator>$(</Operator><Variable>bar</Variable><Operator>)</Operator><br/>
+<ControlFlow>ifdef</ControlFlow><Normal> bar</Normal><br/>
+<Variable>frobozz </Variable><Operator>=</Operator><String> yes</String><br/>
+<ControlFlow>else</ControlFlow><Normal> </Normal><ControlFlow>ifdef</ControlFlow><Normal> foo</Normal><br/>
+<Variable>frobozz </Variable><Operator>=</Operator><String> no</String><br/>
+<ControlFlow>endif</ControlFlow><br/>
+<Normal></Normal><br/>
+<Variable>error_type </Variable><Operator>:=</Operator><String> 0</String><br/>
+<Target>check:</Target><br/>
+<ControlFlow>ifeq</ControlFlow><Normal> (</Normal><Operator>$(</Operator><Variable>error_type</Variable><Operator>)</Operator><Normal>,0)</Normal><br/>
+<ControlFlow>else</ControlFlow><Normal> </Normal><ControlFlow>ifeq</ControlFlow><Normal> (</Normal><Operator>$(</Operator><Variable>error_type</Variable><Operator>)</Operator><Normal>,1)</Normal><br/>
+<ControlFlow>else</ControlFlow><Normal> </Normal><ControlFlow>ifeq</ControlFlow><Normal> (</Normal><Operator>$(</Operator><Variable>error_type</Variable><Operator>)</Operator><Normal>,2)</Normal><br/>
+<ControlFlow>else</ControlFlow><Normal> </Normal><ControlFlow>ifeq</ControlFlow><Normal> (</Normal><Operator>$(</Operator><Variable>error_type</Variable><Operator>)</Operator><Normal>,3)</Normal><br/>
+<ControlFlow>endif</ControlFlow><br/>
diff --git a/data/syntax/makefile.xml b/data/syntax/makefile.xml
--- a/data/syntax/makefile.xml
+++ b/data/syntax/makefile.xml
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@
 <!-- v4 by Alex Richardson <arichardson.kde@gmail.com>
      added bmake support -->
 <language name="Makefile" section="Other"
-          version="8" kateversion="3.4"
+          version="9" kateversion="3.4"
           extensions="GNUmakefile;Makefile;makefile;GNUmakefile.*;Makefile.*;makefile.*;*.mk"
           mimetype="text/x-makefile" priority="11"
           author="Per Wigren (wigren@home.se)" license="">
@@ -185,8 +185,8 @@
         <keyword attribute="Keyword" context="bmake_for_loop" String="bmake_for_stmt" firstNonSpace="true" beginRegion="for"/>
         <keyword attribute="Keyword" context="#stay" String="bmake_endfor_stmt" firstNonSpace="true" endRegion="for"/>
 
-        <RegExpr attribute="Section"  context="prereq" String="^\.[^.][^:]*:"/>
-        <RegExpr attribute="Target"   context="prereq" String="^[^:]*:"/>
+        <RegExpr attribute="Section"  context="prereq" String="^\.[^.][^:]*:" column="0"/>
+        <RegExpr attribute="Target"   context="prereq" String="^[^:]*:" column="0"/>
         <DetectIdentifier/>
         <DetectChar attribute="String" context="string&quot;" char="&quot;"/>
         <DetectChar attribute="String" context="string'" char="'"/>
@@ -203,10 +203,16 @@
         <DetectChar attribute="Comment" context="Comment" char="#"/>
       </context>
 
-      <context name="gmake_else" attribute="Error" lineEndContext="#pop">
+      <context name="gmake_else" attribute="Normal" lineEndContext="#pop">
         <DetectSpaces attribute="Normal"/>
         <keyword attribute="ControlFlow" String="gmake_if_keywords" context="#stay"/>
         <IncludeRules context="strings_and_vars"/>
+        <Detect2Chars attribute="Special" context="#stay" char="\" char1="#"/>
+        <Detect2Chars attribute="Special" context="#stay" char="\" char1="\"/>
+        <!-- NOTE: Allow highlighting any variable name (see bug #417379), for example:
+                 else ifdef foo
+                 else ifeq (bar, foo)
+        -->
       </context>
 
       <context name="bmake_include" attribute="Normal" lineEndContext="#pop">