Unreal conditions: si + imparfait / plus-que-parfait
For hypothetical situations, French uses si + imparfait (present / future) or si + plus-que-parfait (past), with the conditional in the main clause.
| type | si-clause | main clause | example |
|---|---|---|---|
| unreal present / future | si + imparfait | conditionnel présent | Si j’avais le temps, je voyagerais. |
| unreal past | si + plus-que-parfait | conditionnel passé | Si j’avais su, je serais venu. |
| mixed | si + plus-que-parfait | conditionnel présent | Si j’avais accepté, je serais riche aujourd’hui. |
Rules
- Never the conditional after si: Si j’aurais ✗ → Si j’avais ✓.
- Si j’étais toi / à ta place + conditional = if I were you.
- Et si…? + imparfait = a suggestion: Et si on allait au cinéma ?
Examples
- Si je gagnais au loto, j’achèterais une maison.If I won the lottery, I would buy a house.
- Qu’est-ce que tu ferais si tu pouvais voler ?What would you do if you could fly?
- Si nous étions partis plus tôt, nous n’aurions pas raté le train.If we had left earlier, we wouldn’t have missed the train.
- Si j’étais toi, je lui parlerais.If I were you, I would talk to him.
- Si j’étais riche, je voyagerais partout.If I were rich, I would travel everywhere.
Common mistakes
- ✗ Si je pourrais, je viendrais.✓ Si je pouvais, je viendrais.After si the verb is in the imparfait, as English if I could.
- ✗ Si j’avais su, je suis venu.✓ Si j’avais su, je serais venu.An unreal past needs the past conditional in the main clause, as English would have come does.
- ✗ Si j’avais de l’argent, je voyage.✓ Si j’avais de l’argent, je voyagerais.The main clause of an unreal condition takes the conditional, as English would does.
- ✗ Si j’étais toi, je restais.✓ Si j’étais toi, je resterais.The imparfait is only for the si-clause, and the result needs the conditional.
- ✗ Et si on aller au cinéma ?✓ Et si on allait au cinéma ?A suggestion with et si takes the imparfait, not the infinitive.