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    If Clauses Si Clauses

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    Roberto Andres Villanueva Ortega
    This document provides information on using "si" (if) clauses in Spanish. It discusses the difference between real and unreal conditions. For real conditions, the indicative mood is used in both the if-clause and main clause. For unreal conditions, the if-clause uses a past subjunctive tense and the main clause uses a conditional tense. It provides examples of present, future, and past unreal conditions and the tenses that should be used in the if-clause and main clause for each. The document concludes with reminders that the present subjunctive is not used after "si" and gives examples of tip-offs in English that indicate an unreal conditional should be used in the Spanish translation.

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    If Clauses Si Clauses

    Uploaded by

    Roberto Andres Villanueva Ortega
    107 views3 pages
    This document provides information on using "si" (if) clauses in Spanish. It discusses the difference between real and unreal conditions. For real conditions, the indicative mood is used in both the if-clause and main clause. For unreal conditions, the if-clause uses a past subjunctive tense and the main clause uses a conditional tense. It provides examples of present, future, and past unreal conditions and the tenses that should be used in the if-clause and main clause for each. The document concludes with reminders that the present subjunctive is not used after "si" and gives examples of tip-offs in English that indicate an unreal conditional should be used in the Spanish translation.

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    This document provides information on using "si" (if) clauses in Spanish. It discusses the difference between real and unreal conditions. For real conditions, the indicative mood is used in both the if-clause and main clause. For unreal conditions, the if-clause uses a past subjunctive tense and the main clause uses a conditional tense. It provides examples of present, future, and past unreal conditions and the tenses that should be used in the if-clause and main clause for each. The document concludes with reminders that the present subjunctive is not used after "si" and gives examples of tip-offs in English that indicate an unreal conditional should be used in the Spanish translation.

    Copyright:

    Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    107 views3 pages

    If Clauses Si Clauses

    Uploaded by

    Roberto Andres Villanueva Ortega
    This document provides information on using "si" (if) clauses in Spanish. It discusses the difference between real and unreal conditions. For real conditions, the indicative mood is used in both the if-clause and main clause. For unreal conditions, the if-clause uses a past subjunctive tense and the main clause uses a conditional tense. It provides examples of present, future, and past unreal conditions and the tenses that should be used in the if-clause and main clause for each. The document concludes with reminders that the present subjunctive is not used after "si" and gives examples of tip-offs in English that indicate an unreal conditional should be used in the Spanish translation.

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    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
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    Real and effective solutions for all your Spanish language needs!

    Si clauses (If clauses)


    FUTURE POSSIBLE Si tengo el dinero, comprar la casa.
    presente ind. futuro

    If I have the money, I will buy the house.


    present future

    PRESENT UNREAL Si tuviera el dinero, comprara la casa.


    imperfecto de subjuntivo condicional

    If I had the money, I would buy the house.


    past conditional

    PAST UNREAL Si hubiera tenido el dinero, habra comprado la casa.


    pluscuamperfecto de subjuntivo (past perfect -pluperfect- subjunctive) condicional perfecto

    If I had had the money, I would have bought the house.


    past perfect conditional perfect

    __________________________________________________________ Meaningful, Advanced, Specialized, Committed Instruction


    Tel: 604.299.3594 E-mail: [email protected] Web: www.eliomasci.com

    Real and effective solutions for all your Spanish language needs!

    Real vs. unreal conditions


    A real condition is one which may actually come about or at least is viewed as a possibility; thus, in Spanish, the indicative is normally used both in the ifclause and in the main part of the sentence: Si ella viene maana, iremos al If she comes tomorrow [she may actually come], we will go to the movies. cine. Si nieva mucho, podr esquiar. If it snows a lot [it may really snow], I can ski. Note that the English versions of the above conditions suggest the indicative by the lack of hypothesis-suggesting words such as would, and by not using the past tense to refer to a present-time situation. In contrast, an unreal or contrary-to-fact condition is one which will not come about or is viewed as being completely hypothetical. In this case, the if clause in normally in a past subjunctive tense, and the main verb is in a conditional tense. Present or future time situations. The imperfect subjunctive is used in the if clause, and the conditional in the main clause: Si yo fuera rico comprara un coche. Qu haras si fueras presidente? Si Juana estuviera aqu, le diras la verdad? If I were rich [I am not rich] I would buy a car. What would you do if you were president? [you aren't] If Juana were here [she isn't here], would you tell her the truth?

    Past time situations. Past perfect subjunctive in the if clause, conditional perfect in the main clause: Si la hubiera visto, habra dicho algo. Si hubieras venido, te habras divertido mucho. Habras ido a la fiesta si yo la hubiera planeado? If I had seen her [I didn't see her] I would have said something. If you had come [you didn't come] you would have had a great time. Would you have gone to the party if I had planned it? [I didn't plan it]

    __________________________________________________________ Meaningful, Advanced, Specialized, Committed Instruction


    Tel: 604.299.3594 E-mail: [email protected] Web: www.eliomasci.com

    Real and effective solutions for all your Spanish language needs!

    Reminders/tips
    The present subjunctive is NOT used after si (if)! In unreal conditions the standard pattern is a past subjunctive in the ifclause and a conditional tense in the main clause: if clause si + imperfect subjunctive Si hablaras, If you spoke, main clause conditional te creeran. they would believe you. present/future time actions (but expressed by the past tense in both English and Spanish) time aspect

    si + past perfect subjunctive Si hubieras hablado, If you had spoken,

    conditional perfect past time actions (expresed by previous-past te habran credo. time tenses both in English and Spanish) they would have believed you.

    There are frequent tip-offs in English sentences that the conditional/past subjunctive combination is required in the corresponding Spanish sentence. (Compare with the examples above): 1. 2. 3. Use of the past tense (spoke) in the if clause to indicate a present/future situation. (If you spoke [right now]...). Use of the word would in the main clause to indicate conjecture for present/future time. (...they would believe you [now or in the future]). Use of would have to in either clause to indicate conjecture/hypothesis in past time. (...they would have believed you).

    __________________________________________________________ Meaningful, Advanced, Specialized, Committed Instruction


    Tel: 604.299.3594 E-mail: [email protected] Web: www.eliomasci.com

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