Every negotiation, plan and warning is built on a condition. If it's sunny, we'll leave Friday. If you've finished, send it to me. If I had a car, I'd drive you. In French each kind of condition locks the two clauses into a fixed pair of tenses, and the pairs are not the ones English intuition suggests: English lets you say if it will help or if you would wait, but French keeps the futur and the conditionnel out of the si clause when si means if. You met the two main patterns in Grade 10. This lesson completes the picture: conditions that are already complete (si + passé composé), conditions that described past habits, the si that means whether (which follows different rules), and the expressions that let you vary your conditions so you are not starting every sentence with si.
The patterns for now and later
| Si clause | Main clause | Use | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| si + présent | présent | general truth or habit | Si je bois du café le soir, je dors mal. (If I drink coffee at night, I sleep badly.) |
| si + présent | futur or futur proche | a real, likely condition | S'il neige cette nuit, les autobus scolaires seront annulés. (If it snows tonight, the school buses will be cancelled.) |
| si + présent | impératif | an instruction that depends on a condition | Si tu as froid, mets ton chandail. (If you're cold, put on your sweater.) |
| si + passé composé | présent, futur or impératif | a condition that is already completed (or not) | Si tu as fini ton rapport, envoie-le-moi. (If you've finished your report, send it to me.) |
| si + imparfait | conditionnel présent | an imagined, unlikely or contrary-to-fact situation | Si j'habitais plus près, je viendrais à pied. (If I lived closer, I would walk here.) |
Five jobs for one small word
| Meaning | Tense rule | Example | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| if (condition) | no futur or conditionnel after it | Si tu veux, on ira au cinéma. | If you want, we'll go to the movies. |
| whenever (past habit) | si + imparfait, main clause in the imparfait | Quand j'étais petite, s'il faisait beau, nous mangions dehors. | When I was little, whenever it was nice out, we ate outside. |
| whether (indirect question) | any tense, including futur and conditionnel | Elle se demandait si on accepterait son idée. | She wondered whether we would accept her idea. |
| so (intensifier) | not a condition at all | Il fait si froid ce matin ! | It's so cold this morning! |
| yes (contradicting a negative) | an answer word | Tu ne viens pas ? — Si, je viens ! | You're not coming? — Yes, I am! |
Other ways to set a condition
- même si (even if): Même s'il pleut, le match aura lieu. — Even if it rains, the game will take place.
- sauf si (unless): Je viendrai, sauf si mon patron m'appelle. — I'll come, unless my boss calls me.
- si jamais (if ever, if by chance): Si jamais tu passes par Sudbury, appelle-moi ! — If you're ever in Sudbury, call me!
- si seulement + imparfait (if only): Si seulement j'avais plus de temps ! — If only I had more time!
- et si + imparfait (what if, how about): Et si on commandait une pizza ? — How about ordering a pizza?
- au cas où + conditionnel (in case): Prends un chandail au cas où il ferait froid. — Take a sweater in case it gets cold.
- à condition que + subjonctif (provided that): Tu peux y aller à condition que tu rentres avant minuit. — You can go provided that you come home before midnight.
- à moins que + subjonctif (unless): Nous partirons à 8 h, à moins qu'il (ne) neige. — We'll leave at 8, unless it snows.
- à condition de + infinitif (same subject): Tu réussiras à condition de travailler régulièrement. — You'll succeed provided you work regularly.
- sans / avec + noun, then conditionnel: Sans GPS, nous serions perdus. — Without GPS, we would be lost.
Conditions in a real conversation
- Maya : Si la météo est bonne, on part au parc Algonquin vendredi ?
- Lucas : Oui, mais si on part vendredi, je devrai manquer mon quart de travail.
- Maya : Et si tu demandais à Karim de te remplacer ?
- Lucas : Bonne idée. S'il accepte, je serai libre. Sinon, je vous rejoindrai samedi matin.
- Maya : Parfait. Apporte ton sac de couchage d'hiver au cas où il ferait froid la nuit.
- Lucas : Si j'avais une plus grande tente, j'inviterais aussi ma sœur…
- Maya : De toute façon, je ne sais pas si on aura assez de place dans l'auto !
Translation: Maya: If the weather is good, shall we leave for Algonquin Park on Friday? Lucas: Yes, but if we leave Friday, I'll have to miss my work shift. Maya: What if you asked Karim to replace you? Lucas: Good idea. If he agrees, I'll be free. Otherwise, I'll join you Saturday morning. Maya: Perfect. Bring your winter sleeping bag in case it's cold at night. Lucas: If I had a bigger tent, I'd invite my sister too… Maya: Anyway, I don't know whether we'll have enough room in the car! The real plans use si + présent → futur (si on part… je devrai; s'il accepte, je serai). Et si tu demandais is a suggestion with no main clause. Sinon (otherwise) replaces a whole negative si clause. Au cas où takes the conditionnel (ferait). Lucas's tent wish is imagined, so it uses si + imparfait → conditionnel. And Maya's last si means whether, which is why the futur aura is correct after it. Quart de travail and auto are everyday Canadian words; in France you would more often hear mon poste or mon service, and la voiture.