| type | si + … | main clause | example |
|---|---|---|---|
| real, possible | present | present, future, imperative | Si llueve, me quedo en casa. — If it rains, I stay at home. Si puedes, llámame. |
| unreal now | subjuntivo imperfecto | condicional | Si tuviera dinero, compraría una casa. — If I had money, I'd buy a house. |
| unreal past | subjuntivo pluscuamperfecto | condicional perfecto | Si lo hubiera sabido, habría venido. — If I had known, I would have come. |
After si (condition): never the present subjunctive, never the future or conditional: Si tengo tiempo… (not “si tenga”, not “si tendré”). But si = “whether” (indirect question) can take the future: No sé si vendrá. — I don't know whether he'll come.
In speech you also hear hubiera in the main clause: Si lo hubiera sabido, hubiera venido. Mixed: Si hubiera estudiado, ahora tendría un buen trabajo. — If I had studied, I'd have a good job now.
Other ways: De + infinitive: De haberlo sabido, habría venido. En caso de que + subjunctive: En caso de que llueva… — In case it rains…
Translate the words from your reading, review them as flashcards and practise with gap-fill sentences.
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