A2 · If-sentences
First conditional: si + present
Present after si, future in the other half — exactly as in English.
At a glance
- Remember
- «if it will rain» is wrong in both languages.
- When
If and would — Here the condition decides the form, not the position on the clock.
- Form
- S’il pleut, je resterai.If it rains, I will stay.
- Signal words
- si
- s’il
- si tu
- si vous
- Trap
- Wrong:S’il viendra demain, je serai content.Right:S’il vient demain, je serai content.
Your turn
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The form
How the forms are built
Each row gives the meaning first, then the form in French. The colours show what changes from one form to the next.
stem (regular) stem (irregular) tense marker person ending
| If it rains, I will stay. | S’il pleut, je resterai. |
| If you come, we will eat. | Si tu viens, on mangera. |
| If you are hungry, eat. | Si tu as faim, mange. |
| If you heat water, it boils. | Si on chauffe l’eau, elle bout. |
| I will come if I have time. | Je viendrai si j’ai le temps. |
| if I want to | si je veux |
| if you want to | si tu veux |
| if he wants to | s’il veut |
| if we want to | si nous voulons |
| if you want to (plural, polite) | si vous voulez |
| if they want to | s’ils veulent |
| I will stay | je resterai |
| you will stay | tu resteras |
| he will stay | il restera |
| we will stay | nous resterons |
| you will stay (plural, polite) | vous resterez |
| they will stay | ils resteront |
The rules one by one
The form this topic is aboutThe word that calls for it
After si comes the present, in the main clause the future.
Si tu réserves aujourd’hui, ce sera moins cher.If you book today, it will be cheaper.
An imperative in the main clause works too.
Si tu as des questions, appelle-moi.If you have any questions, call me.
si shortens to s’ only before il and ils.
S’il arrive avant midi, dis-lui d’attendre.If he arrives before midday, tell him to wait.
If the condition comes first, a comma follows.
Si vous partez tôt, vous éviterez les embouteillages.If you leave early, you will avoid the traffic.
Example sentences
Si tu veux, on peut y aller ensemble.If you like, we can go together.
S’il fait beau demain, nous irons à la plage.If the weather is fine tomorrow, we will go to the beach.
Si le magasin est fermé, reviens lundi.If the shop is closed, come back on Monday.
Elle passera si elle a le temps.She will drop by if she has time.
The trap English speakers fall into
Watch out
The future never follows si, even when the sentence is plainly about the future. English protects you here — «if he will come tomorrow» is not something you would write either — so the mistake tends to come from overthinking rather than from habit. The future belongs in the other half of the sentence and only there.
The full explanation
Read it all · about 1 min
After si comes the present, and in the other half the future or an imperative: S'il pleut, je resterai à la maison, S'il pleut, reste à la maison. That is «if it rains, I will stay at home» and «if it rains, stay at home», tense for tense.
The rule that «if» never takes «will» exists in English too, and it is one of the few English grammar rules people actually notice themselves getting wrong. Here it is the same rule with the same shape, so it transfers whole: s'il pleut and never s'il pleuvra.
The present in the main clause is also possible for a general truth: Si on chauffe l'eau, elle bout — «if you heat water, it boils». English does the same.
One small mechanical thing English has no equivalent for: before il and ils, si shortens to s' — s'il, s'ils — and before elle it does not: si elle. The two halves can swap places; if the condition comes first, a comma follows.
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