Si clauses (if clauses in English) indicate possibilities, which may or may not become reality.
They refer to the present, past, and future. These conditional sentences have two parts:
the condition, or si clause, and the main or result clause which indicates what will happen if the condition of the si clause is met.
The tense of the result clause depends on the tense of the si clause.
In other words, the tense of the two clauses follow a prescribed sequence.
si + present (présent)
| si clause |
result clause |
si + present
(possible condition) |
present
or
future
or
imperative |
This first type of si clause is used in cases where the condition may be fulfilled and thus the consequence is seen as possible.
In the following dialogue, you will hear si clauses in the present followed by result clauses in the present, in the future and in the imperative:
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| Tammy est en train de lire un petit quizz sur la personnalité et l'amour dans un magazine. |
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Tammy is reading a little quiz about personality and love in a magazine. |
| Tammy: Si tu veux, tu peux répondre aux questions, Tex. |
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Tammy: If you want, you can answer the questions, Tex. |
| Tex: D'accord. Mais si tu peux, choisis les questions les plus croustillantes! |
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Tex: OK, but choose the juiciest questions if you can! |
| Tammy: Entendu. Première question: Qu'est-ce que vous ferez demain ... si vous trouvez l'amour de votre vie? |
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Tammy: OK. First question: What will you do tomorrow ... if you find the love of your life? |
| Tex: Si je rencontre l'amour de ma vie, je l'épouserai, bien sûr! |
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Tex: If I meet the love of my life, I will marry her, of course! |
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Note that either the si clause or the result clause may begin a sentence, but the same tenses remain specific to each clause
('Qu'est-ce que vous ferez demain si vous trouvez l'amour de votre vie?' is the same as 'Si vous trouvez l'amour de votre vie, qu'est-ce que vous ferez?')
si + imperfect (imparfait)
| si clause |
result clause |
si + imperfect
(contrary to current facts) |
conditional |
This second type of si clause is contrary to fact in the present.
The consequence is thus seen as impossible. Note that in French, the imperfect is used in the si clause, never the conditional.
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| Le quizz continue. |
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The quiz continues. |
| Tammy: Si vous étiez une voiture, que seriez-vous? |
|
If you were a car, what would you be? |
| Tex: Si j'étais une voiture, je serais la légendaire 2CV. |
|
Tex: If I were a car, I would be the legendary 2CV. |
| Tammy: Si vous étiez un fruit, lequel choisiriez-vous? |
|
Tammy: If you were a fruit, which one would you choose? |
| Tex: Si j'étais un fruit, je choisirais le raisin pour pouvoir me transformer en vin. | |
Tex: If I were a fruit, I would choose grapes, so that I could be transformed into wine. |
| Tammy: Si vous étiez une femme, que feriez-vous? |
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Tammy: If you were a woman, what would you do? |
| Tex: Si j'étais une femme, je ne lirais pas les quiz dans les magazines. |
|
Tex: If I were a woman, I would not read the quizzes in magazines. |
|
si + pluperfect (plus-que-parfait)
| si clause |
result clause |
si + pluperfect
(contrary to past facts) |
past conditional |
This last type of si clause is used for situations that are contrary to past fact.
The result clause thus expresses an unrealized past possibility.
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| Et le quizz continue. |
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And the quiz continues. |
| Tammy: Qu'est-ce que vous auriez fait, si vous étiez né à College Station? |
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Tammy: What would you have done, if you had been born in College Station? |
| Tex: Si j'étais né à College Station, j'aurais préféré Texas A&M à UT. Quelle horreur! |
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Tex: If I had been born in College Station, I would have preferred Texas A&M over UT! How terrible! |
| Tammy: Si vous n'aviez pas connu Tammy, qu'est-ce que vous auriez fait? |
|
Tammy: If you hadn't met Tammy, what would you have done? |
| Tex: Je n'aurais jamais répondu à un tel quizz, si je n'avais pas connu Tammy! |
|
Tex: I would never have taken such a quiz, if I hadn't met Tammy! |
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Distinguish between si clauses (if-clauses) and questions that are reported in indirect speech.
Observe the difference between these two sentences:
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| Question in indirect speech |
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Tex demande si Tammy est prête. |
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Tex is asking if Tammy is ready. |
| Si clause |
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Tex: Tammy, si tu es prête, on peut partir tout de suite. |
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Tex: Tammy, if you are ready, we can leave right now. |
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