Si llueve, me quedo en casa: Conditional Sentences in Spanish (I)
n this article and the next ones, the last in this short series, we'll look at conditional sentences in Spanish. These sentences have two parts: a condition on which the realization of a verbal action depends, and an action that depends on that condition. There are different types of conditional sentences in the Spanish language, as in all the languages I know, whose structure depends on the type of condition, that is, present, future or past, and on the degree of probability that the verbal action depending on that condition will be realized. Thus, we'll look at the types of conditional constructions in Spanish, usage examples and, in addition, exceptions to the rules regarding verb tenses used mainly in spoken language, but also in written language. I'll try to explain everything to you in the most didactic way possible. As a learner of foreign languages and as a learner of my own language, I know perfectly well that Spanish verb tenses are among the most difficult things one faces when acquiring Spanish as a foreign language, and this particular case is one of the worst of all: although the grammatical rules are clear in this type of construction, even native speakers make mistakes frequently. What I'm going to point out as correct in these articles will be what's necessary for learners who want to take a B2 level exam or higher. What I'm going to point out as "incorrect" is what you can hear on the street, depending on the Spanish-speaking country in question. In other words, things I say myself on a daily basis! Let's go!
Structure of Condicional Sentences.
Conditional sentences have two components: the protasis, which expresses the condition and is generally introduced by si (if), though not always, and the apodosis, which expresses the consequence. The most natural order of conditional sentences is protasis – apodosis, that is, condition – consequence, but for emphasis this can be reversed. Let’s look at an example.
Si llueve (if it rains) (condition), me quedo en casa (I stay home) (consequence).
Me quedo en casa si llueve (I stay home if it rains).
Here you can read more about the use of the comma in Spanish. In this particular case, if we use the condition – consequence order in conditional sentences, both clauses are separated by a comma: si llueve, me quedo en casa (if it rains, I stay home). On the contrary, if we use the reverse order we don’t use a comma: me quedo en casa si llueve (I stay home if it rains). The basic structure is this and it’s valid for all types of conditional sentences, no matter what verb tense we use.
Types of Conditional Sentences.
Real conditionals: they’re used to express universal truths or habits or routines. The structure is Si + presente de indicativo, + presente de indicativo.
Si calientas agua a 100 grados, hierve (If you heat water to 100 degrees, it boils).
Si no riegas las plantas, se secan (If you don’t water the plants, they dry out).
Si tengo tiempo libre, leo novelas (If I have free time, I read novels).
Si llueve, llevo paraguas (If it rains, I carry an umbrella).
Possible conditionals: these sentences express probable or possible situations in the present or future. The condition is realistic and there’s a good chance it will be fulfilled. Here more verb tenses can be used both in the condition and in the consequence and, moreover, there are variations in some verb tenses depending on the variety of the language in question. For the condition, both the presente de indicativo can be used, to introduce a condition that if fulfilled will result in the consequence, and the pretérito perfecto de indicativo, to introduce a condition that if fulfilled in the past will result in the consequence (more likely use in Spain), or the pretérito indefinido for the same case (more likely use in Latin America). In the case of the consequence, the presente de indicativo, the futuro simple (more likely use in Spain) or the futuro perifrástico (more likely use in Latin America), the imperativo and even the condicional simple can be used. Let’s look at all these uses one by one.
Si + presente de indicativo, + presente de indicativo: this use indicates that the speaker considers the probability of the condition being fulfilled to be highly probable:
Si termino temprano, te llamo (If I finish early, I’ll call you).
Si me compras mi auto, te lo vendo en cuotas (If you buy my car, I’ll sell it to you in installments).
Si + presente de indicativo, + futuro simple (more likely use in Spain) or futuro perifrástico (more likely use in Latin America): it’s used to refer to a future consequence or to speculation or deduction about something that could occur in the future.
Si mañana llueve, no iremos a la playa (futuro simple), no vamos a ir a la playa (futuro perifrástico) (If it rains tomorrow, we won’t go to the beach).
Si ocurre la Niña, habrá sequía (futuro simple), va a haber sequía (futuro perifrástico) (If La Niña occurs, there will be a drought).
Here and here you can read more about the futuro simple and the futuro perifrástico.
Si + presente de indicativo, + imperativo: we use this structure to introduce, in the consequence, a request, an order or a suggestion.
Si tienes hambre, come algo (If you’re hungry, eat something).
Si necesita ayuda, llámeme (If you need help, call me).
Si + presente de indicativo, + condicional simple: it’s used to give advice or to introduce a less likely future consequence.
Si no reparas tu moto, podrías tener un accidente de tránsito (If you don’t repair your motorcycle, you could have a traffic accident).
Si ganas la lotería, deberías pensar bien en qué invertir el dinero antes de renunciar a tu trabajo (If you win the lottery, you should think carefully about what to invest the money in before quitting your job).
Si + pretérito perfecto de indicativo (more likely use in Spain) or + pretérito indefinido (more likely use in Latin America), + imperativo or condicional simple: it’s used to introduce orders, requests or suggestions. The difference between using the imperativo or the condicional simple in the consequence is that the use of the condicional adds politeness.
Si has comprado las verduras/compraste las verduras, haz la ensalada (If you’ve bought the vegetables/you bought the vegetables, make the salad).
Si has comprado las verduras/compraste las verduras, podrías hacer la ensalada (If you’ve bought the vegetables/you bought the vegetables, you could make the salad).
Some alternative expressions to si.
In the case of this type of conditionals, that is, real and possible ones, it’s possible to use other constructions instead of si in more or less specific communicative contexts.
Como + subjuntivo, + indicativo: it’s used to introduce a threat or an unwanted consequence. Note the difference: if you use si the verb introducing the condition is in indicativo, if you use como it’s in subjuntivo.
Como pierda el bus, voy a llegar tarde (If I miss the bus, I’m going to be late). (Si pierdo el bus, voy…)
Como se entere el jefe, se va a enojar (If the boss finds out, he’s going to get angry). (Si se entera el jefe, se…)
Como me vuelvas a gritar, te vas de mi casa (If you yell at me again, you’re leaving my house). (Si me vuelves a gritar, te…)
Imperativo + y/que + futuro simple (more likely use in Spain) or futuro perifrástico (more likely use in Latin America), or presente de indicativo: it’s used to express a warning or a promise. In the case of warnings, it’s less likely to use que, which sounds much more natural in the case of promises. Also, when we use the conjunction y the clauses aren’t separated by a comma. Let’s look at examples.
Ensucia un plato más y lavarás / vas a lavar toda la vajilla (Dirty one more plate and you’ll wash all the dishes). (Si ensucias un plato más, vas…)
Grítame una vez más y te vas de mi casa (Yell at me one more time and you’re leaving my house). (Si me gritas una vez más, te…)
Duerman tranquilos, que yo limpiaré /voy a limpiar la casa (Sleep peacefully, I’ll clean the house).
Tú cocina y yo lavo los platos. Tú cocina, que yo lavo los platos (You cook and I’ll wash the dishes. You cook, I’ll wash the dishes).
Imperativo + o/que + presente de indicativo: It’s used to substitute a negative phrase in the condition. Just as in the case of the conjunction y, if we use the conjunction o the clauses aren’t separated by a comma.
Dime la verdad o no vuelvo a hablarte (Tell me the truth or I won’t speak to you again). (Si no me dices la verdad, no…)
Dime la verdad, que no vuelvo a hablarte (Tell me the truth, I won’t speak to you again).
The ones mentioned above are some alternative expressions to the use of si in the construction of conditional sentences. The complete list is very long. I just wanted to mention some very frequently used ones because you’re going to see them both in spoken and written language. I hope these lines have been useful to you, here I leave you exercises to practice this topic and in the next article we’ll continue with the same. Thanks for reading!
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