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Lesson 3 of 5Future, Conditional and Subjunctive
Unit 3 · Lesson 3 of 5

Si Clauses: Real and Hypothetical

Grade 9 covered si + présent → futur for real possibilities; Grade 10 adds si + imparfait → conditionnel for hypothetical situations, the full table of si patterns, the s'il / si elle spelling rule, and the one rule that never bends: no futur or conditionnel right after si meaning if.

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Key things to remember

  1. 1Real: si + présent → futur (or présent, or impératif): S'il fait beau, nous irons au lac.
  2. 2Hypothetical: si + imparfait → conditionnel: Si j'avais une voiture, je conduirais.
  3. 3Never the futur or the conditionnel directly after si meaning if.
  4. 4si + il / ils → s'il, s'ils; but si elle, si elles, si on (no elision).
  5. 5If I were… = Si j'étais…; If I were you = Si j'étais toi or À ta place.
  6. 6Comma after a si clause that comes first; none when it comes second.

In Grade 9 you learned the real si clause: Si tu finis tes devoirs, nous irons au cinéma (If you finish your homework, we'll go to the movies) — si + présent, then the futur. It describes something that can actually happen. But much of what we say is not about what will happen; it is about what would happen if things were different. If I had a car… If I lived in Paris… If I were the mayor… These are hypothetical si clauses, and in French they follow a second, equally fixed pattern: si + imparfait, then the conditionnel. With both patterns you can tell real plans from daydreams, give advice (If I were you…), make suggestions and argue about how things could be better — all things you will need for opinion writing later in this unit.

Si clauseMain clauseMeaningExample
si + présentprésenta general truth or habitSi je bois du café le soir, je dors mal. (If I drink coffee at night, I sleep badly.)
si + présentfutura real, likely possibility (Grade 9)S'il pleut demain, nous resterons à la maison. (If it rains tomorrow, we will stay home.)
si + présentimpératifan instruction that depends on a conditionSi tu as froid, mets ton manteau. (If you are cold, put on your coat.)
si + imparfaitconditionnela hypothetical or unreal situation (Grade 10)Si j'avais une voiture, je conduirais à l'école. (If I had a car, I would drive to school.)
The si clause can come first or second. When it comes first, put a comma after it: Si j'ai le temps, je t'appellerai. When it comes second, no comma: Je t'appellerai si j'ai le temps. The tenses stay the same either way.
Si clauses: the si tense decides the result tensethe si clause (condition)the result clauseRealpossible or likely;also general truthssi + présentfutur, présent or impératifS'il fait beau, nous irons à la plage.If it's nice out, we will go to the beach.Si tu as faim, mange une pomme!If you're hungry, eat an apple!Si je bois du café le soir, je dors mal.If I drink coffee at night, I sleep badly.Hypotheticalimaginary or unlikely:“would …”si + imparfaitconditionnelSi j'avais un million de dollars, je voyagerais.If I had a million dollars, I would travel.Si tu étudiais plus, tu réussirais.If you studied more, you would succeed.NEVER futur or conditionnel after si (if)✗ Si il fera beau …✓ S'il fait beau …✗ Si j'aurais le temps …✓ Si j'avais le temps …The futur or conditionnel goes in the OTHER clause.Si + il: elisionsi + il → s'il si + ils → s'ilssi elle, si on → no changeThe clauses can swap: Nous irons àla plage s'il fait beau. (no comma)
Fig 1The si clause patterns side by side: si + présent with a présent, futur or impératif for real conditions, and si + imparfait with the conditionnel for hypothetical ones.
The rule that never bends
Never put the futur or the conditionnel directly after si (meaning if). The future or would meaning lives in the other clause. English learners often write Si j'aurai le temps or Si j'aurais de l'argent, copying the meaning will or would into the si clause. French puts the présent or the imparfait there instead: Si j'ai le temps, je viendrai. Si j'avais de l'argent, j'achèterais un vélo. A quick self-check: look at the word right after the subject that follows si. If it ends in -rai, -ras, -ra… or -rais, -rait…, rewrite it.

Real or hypothetical? The speaker decides

AReal: si + présent → futur
  • Si je gagne le match, je serai en finale. — If I win the game, I will be in the final. (It could really happen.)
  • Si tu viens à Moncton, tu dormiras chez nous. — If you come to Moncton, you'll sleep at our place.
  • S'il neige, l'école sera fermée. — If it snows, the school will be closed.
BHypothetical: si + imparfait → conditionnel
  • Si je gagnais à la loterie, j'achèterais une maison. — If I won the lottery, I would buy a house. (A daydream.)
  • Si j'habitais à Moncton, je parlerais français tous les jours. — If I lived in Moncton, I would speak French every day.
  • S'il neigeait en juillet, tout le monde serait surpris. — If it snowed in July, everyone would be surprised.

The same situation can go either way, depending on how likely you think it is. Si j'ai le temps, je t'aiderai is a real offer. Si j'avais le temps, je t'aiderais tells the listener that you do not have the time — the imparfait hints that the condition is not true now. That is why English If I were… always becomes the imparfait in French: Si j'étais riche… (If I were rich…), Si j'étais toi… (If I were you…). The imparfait here does not describe the past at all; it signals not real.

S'il, but si elle
Si drops its i only before il and ils: s'il pleut, s'ils arrivent. Before every other vowel it stays whole: si elle vient, si elles veulent, si on part, si une amie appelle. This is the only elision of si in French, so s'elle and s'on are always wrong.
Two more uses worth knowing
Si on + imparfait as a question is a friendly suggestion: Si on allait au cinéma ? (How about going to the movies?) — there is no main clause at all. Même si (even if) follows the same tense rules as si: Même s'il pleut, nous irons au parc (Even if it rains, we'll go to the park). And a reminder: the si that means whether is a different word. After it, any tense is possible: Je ne sais pas s'il viendra (I don't know whether he will come). The no-futur rule applies only to si meaning if.
Looking ahead: if I had known
To imagine a different past, French uses si + plus-que-parfait, then the conditionnel passé (the conditionnel of avoir or être + past participle). You only need to recognise it this year: Si j'avais su, je serais venu (If I had known, I would have come). Si tu avais étudié, tu aurais réussi (If you had studied, you would have passed).
In context: a student blog post on the environment
Si j'étais mairesse d'Ottawa, je créerais beaucoup plus de pistes cyclables. Les gens prendraient moins la voiture et l'air serait plus propre. J'installerais aussi des stations de remplissage d'eau dans tous les parcs : si chaque personne avait une bouteille réutilisable, on jetterait beaucoup moins de plastique. Mais je ne suis pas mairesse ! Alors, qu'est-ce que je peux faire ? Si je vais à l'école à vélo cette semaine, je donnerai l'exemple à mes amis. Et s'ils aiment l'idée, nous organiserons une journée sans voiture au printemps. Si vous voulez participer, écrivez-moi !

Translation: If I were mayor of Ottawa, I would create many more bike lanes. People would drive less and the air would be cleaner. I would also install water refill stations in every park: if every person had a reusable bottle, we would throw away much less plastic. But I'm not the mayor! So what can I do? If I bike to school this week, I will set an example for my friends. And if they like the idea, we will organise a car-free day in the spring. If you want to take part, write to me! The first half is a daydream (si + imparfait → conditionnel); the second half switches to real plans (si + présent → futur, then si + présent → impératif). Mairesse is the usual Canadian feminine of maire; in France you will also see la maire.

Worked examples

Reveal one step at a time and try to beat it to the next line.

Example 1
Complete: S'il ___ (faire) beau samedi, nous ___ (aller) au lac.
Example 2
Translate: If I had more time, I would learn Spanish.
Example 3
Translate: If she were rich, she would travel around the world.
Example 4
Correct the sentence: Si tu viendras à la fête, je serai content.

Where marks get lost

  • Putting the futur after si: Si j'aurai le temps, je t'aiderai. Correct: Si j'ai le temps, je t'aiderai.
  • Putting the conditionnel after si: Si j'aurais de l'argent, j'achèterais un vélo. Correct: Si j'avais de l'argent, j'achèterais un vélo.
  • Mixing the patterns: Si j'avais une voiture, je conduirai à l'école. After si + imparfait, the main clause is conditionnel: je conduirais.
  • Eliding si before elle or on: s'elle vient, s'on part. Only il and ils trigger elision: si elle vient, si on part, s'il vient.
  • Using the conditionnel for If I were you: Si je serais toi. Were after if is the imparfait in French: Si j'étais toi — or simply À ta place.

Flashcards 8

Real si clause
Hypothetical si clause
What never follows si (if)?
si + il / si + elle
+ 4 more

Practice

1
Complete with the correct form of avoir: Si j'___ un chien, je le promènerais chaque jour.
2
Complete the main clause with the futur or the conditionnel of réussir, whichever the si clause requires: Si vous étudiez ce soir, vous ___ l'examen demain.
3
Complete with the correct form of être: Si mes parents ___ ici, ils seraient fiers de moi.
4
Choose the correct beginning: ___ vient demain, elle dormira chez nous.
5
Which sentence is correct?
6
Si j'étais toi, je parlerais à la gérante. What does the speaker mean?
7
Complete the suggestion with the imparfait of aller: Si on ___ à la plage cet après-midi ?
8
Match each si clause to the main clause that completes it correctly.
S'il fait beau demain,
Si j'habitais à Paris,
Si tu as soif,
Si on chauffe la glace,
9
Put the steps for building a si sentence in order.
  1. 1Check that no futur or conditionnel ending follows si
  2. 2Write the main clause: futur (or présent, impératif) for real, conditionnel for hypothetical
  3. 3Check elision: s'il and s'ils, but si elle and si on
  4. 4Decide whether the situation is real or hypothetical
  5. 5Write the si clause: présent for real, imparfait for hypothetical
10
Complete with the conditionnel of pouvoir: Si nous avions une voiture, nous ___ aller à Québec.

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