Grammar Flashcards
Si Clauses
If an action is likely to happen, the present tense is used in the “Si” clause and either the present tense, future tense, or imperative (command form) is used in the result clause.
PRESENT TENSE +PRESENT TENSE:
S’il neige, je reste à la maison.
If it snows, I am staying home.
PRESENT TENSE + FUTURE TENSE:
Si tu le construis, ils viendront.
If you (familiar) build it, they will come.
PRESENT TENSE + IMPERATIVE (COMMAND FORM):
Si vous ne réussissez pas du premier coup, réessayez encore et encore.
If at first you (formal) don’t succeed, try, try again.
If an action is not likely to happen, or if the action is contrary to fact, the imperfect tense is used in the “Si” clause and the conditional tense is used in the result clause.
IMPERFECT TENSE + CONDITIONAL TENSE:
Si j’avais un million de dollars, je t’achèterais un singe.
If I had (were to have) a million dollars, I would buy you (familiar) a monkey.
In a “Si” clause that expresses a hypothetical situation which is contrary to past fact (i.e., something that would have happened IF something else had happened), the pluperfect tense is used in the “Si” clause and the past conditional tense is used in the result clause.
PLUPERFECT TENSE + PAST CONDITIONAL TENSE:
S’il avait étudié, il aurait réussi à l’examen.
If he had studied, he would have passed the exam. (Hypothetical)
(Fact: He didn’t study, so he didn’t pass the exam.)
Here is a summary of the tenses to use in “Si” clauses:
If the “Si” clause is in present tense -> the result (“then”) clause is in present, future or imperative
If the “Si” clause is in imperfect tense -> the result (“then”) clause is in conditional tense
If the “Si” clause is in pluperfect tense -> the result (“then”) clause is in conditional perfect tense
