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Grammar
Objective: Construct imaginary conditional sentences pairing si + imparfait with conditionnel présent in the result clause, and distinguish them from the real conditional.
| Order | Example | English |
|---|---|---|
| condition first | Si j'avais le temps, je viendrais. | If I had time, I would come. |
| result first | Je viendrais si j'avais le temps. | I would come if I had time. |
| state contrary to reality | Si j'étais riche, j'achèterais une maison. | If I were rich, I would buy a house. |
| hypothetical event | Si elle partait demain, nous serions tristes. | If she left tomorrow, we would be sad. |
| unlikely possibility | S'il neigeait en été, ce serait étrange. | If it snowed in summer, it would be strange. |
The si clause never takes the conditional. The imparfait carries the imaginary condition, while the conditional appears only in the result clause.
When the si clause uses the imparfait, the result clause takes the conditionnel présent, not the future. The future belongs to the real structure with a present-tense condition.
The si clause uses the imparfait, and the result clause uses the conditionnel présent.
The condition is contrary to reality, and the imparfait étais signals that distance from the present. The conditional achèterais carries the imagined outcome.
The condition is an imaginary state, and the result clause uses the conditional aiderait.
When the result clause comes first, no comma appears before si. The same tense pair appears in the reversed order.
The imparfait habitions presents the residence as an imaginary alternative to the current situation, and the conditional irions carries the outcome.
7 exercises · about 11 minutes
Être follows the same rule as every other verb: the si clause takes the imparfait form étais, and the conditional appears only in the result clause.
The present imaginary structure never places the conditional in the si clause. The form aurait belongs to the result clause, and the condition requires the imparfait avait.
The condition is highly unlikely, and the imparfait signals the improbability. Si elides to s' before the vowel-initial il.
The imaginary condition uses the imparfait appelais, and the result uses the conditional répondrais.
The imaginary departure contrasts with the current expectation, and both clauses use the tenses required by the imaginary structure.