Si Clauses - French If-Then Clauses - French Conditionals

Many students of French have a hard time with si clauses (also known as conditionals or conditional sentences), but they are really quite simple. Study the lessons on each of the main types and then take the quiz.

There are three main types of si clauses:

1. First conditional: Likely situations (present or passé composé + present, future, or imperative)
2. Second conditional: Unlikely situations (imperfect + conditional)
3. Third conditional: Impossible situations (pluperfect + conditional perfect)

The first verb tense listed is the one that follows si (if), while the second tense is the result clause - the event that is dependent on the first. In English, the "result clause" is often preceded by "then." These rules about the sequence of tenses are explained in more detail in the following lesson: concordance des temps

All you have to do is memorize the verb tense pairs and you're all set. You can learn more about each pair by clicking on the links above or go right to the test on si clauses.

All About Si
The French word si can be an adverb or a conjunction. Either way, si has several meanings and is used in numerous French constructions.