French Si Clauses: The Three Conditional Patterns You Must Know
The Logic Behind Si Clauses
A si clause expresses a condition and its result: "If X, then Y." French locks each type of condition to a fixed pair of tenses. Once you memorise the three pairings, you never have to guess — you just match the situation to its pattern.
Pattern 1: Real / Likely (Present + Future)
For something realistic that will probably happen. The si clause uses the present, the result uses the futur simple.
- Si j'ai le temps, je viendrai. (If I have time, I will come.)
- S'il pleut, nous resterons à la maison. (If it rains, we'll stay home.)
Pattern 2: Hypothetical / Unreal Present (Imparfait + Conditionnel)
For something imaginary or contrary to fact right now. The si clause uses the imparfait, the result uses the conditionnel présent.
- Si j'avais le temps, je viendrais. (If I had time, I would come.)
- Si j'étais riche, je voyagerais partout. (If I were rich, I would travel everywhere.)
Pattern 3: Unreal Past (Plus-que-parfait + Conditionnel passé)
For regrets and hypotheticals about the past — what would have happened. The si clause uses the plus-que-parfait, the result uses the conditionnel passé.
- Si j'avais eu le temps, je serais venu. (If I had had time, I would have come.)
- Si tu m'avais prévenu, j'aurais agi autrement. (If you had warned me, I would have acted differently.)
The One Rule That Prevents Most Errors
Never put a future tense or a conditional directly after si. The si clause only ever takes the present, the imparfait, or the plus-que-parfait. The future and the conditional live in the result clause. Break this habit and most si-clause mistakes disappear.
Order Is Flexible
You can lead with either clause; just keep the tense pairing intact. Je viendrais si j'avais le temps and Si j'avais le temps, je viendrais are equally correct — only the comma moves.
Practice Prompt
Take one idea — "if I learn French well" — and express it in all three patterns: likely, hypothetical present, unreal past. Doing this with five different ideas locks the system into place far faster than reading the rules again.
Want a structured path through grammar like this? Explore our French learning parcours for a complete course roadmap.