Lesson 65B1

Si Clauses: Real Conditions

For conditions that are genuinely likely — 'if it rains, we'll stay in' — Spanish and English build the sentence almost identically. The trickier hypothetical si clauses come later, at B2.

Grammar Comparison

Si + present indicative, result in present or future

Spanish

si llueve, nos quedamos (if it rains, we stay) / si llueve, nos quedaremos (if it rains, we'll stay)

English

if it rains, we stay / if it rains, we'll stay — the exact same present-tense 'if' clause

For real, plausible conditions, si is followed by the present indicative — never the subjunctive, despite everything you've just learned about si-adjacent uncertainty. This matches English exactly: 'if it rains' uses the plain present tense, not a future or subjunctive form, even though the rain itself hasn't happened yet.

Si never takes the present subjunctive, in any real condition

Spanish

si tienes tiempo (if you have time) — never 'si tengas tiempo'

English

if you have time — the plain present, matching Spanish here

This is worth stating plainly because it surprises learners who've just spent several lessons on the subjunctive: real si-conditions are one of the few places Spanish deliberately avoids the subjunctive. Save the subjunctive-after-si instinct for the hypothetical and unreal conditions you'll cover at B2 — for now, si conditions stay firmly in the indicative.

Vocabulary

si lluevesee YWEH-veh

English: if it rains

si tienes tiemposee tee-EH-nehs tee-EM-poh

English: if you have time

nos quedamosnohs keh-DAH-mohs

English: we stay

si puedes, vensee PWEH-dehs ven

English: if you can, come

si quieressee kee-EH-rehs

English: if you want

si no entiendessee noh en-tee-EN-dehs

English: if you don't understand

si hace sol, salimossee AH-seh sohl sah-LEE-mohs

English: if it's sunny, we go out

si me llamas, contestosee meh YAH-mahs kohn-TES-toh

English: if you call me, I'll answer

si estudias, aprobarássee es-too-dee-AHS ah-proh-bah-RAHS

English: if you study, you'll pass

entoncesen-TOHN-sehs

English: then

Spanish	Pronunciation	English
si llueve	see YWEH-veh	if it rains
si tienes tiempo	see tee-EH-nehs tee-EM-poh	if you have time
nos quedamos	nohs keh-DAH-mohs	we stay
si puedes, ven	see PWEH-dehs ven	if you can, come
si quieres	see kee-EH-rehs	if you want
si no entiendes	see noh en-tee-EN-dehs	if you don't understand
si hace sol, salimos	see AH-seh sohl sah-LEE-mohs	if it's sunny, we go out
si me llamas, contesto	see meh YAH-mahs kohn-TES-toh	if you call me, I'll answer
si estudias, aprobarás	see es-too-dee-AHS ah-proh-bah-RAHS	if you study, you'll pass
entonces	en-TOHN-sehs	then

← Conjunctions That Always Require the Subjunctive Ordinal Numbers →