The tenses used in structures using ‘if’ depend on the context in French. Here, we will narrow it down to three cases that you can use to show your skills when speaking or writing in the exam:
1. si + présent 2. si + imparfait 3. si + plus-que-parfait
Si clauses are used to indicate possibilities that may or may not become reality. There are thus two parts to this type of structure: si clause (the condition) + Si tu veux If you want
+
Or equally: result clause Tu peux You can
+ +
+ you can
si clause si tu veux
+ if you want
The tense used in the result clause depends on the si clause. In French, this is called la concordance des temps. The tenses in these structures follow a prescribed sequence:
Si clause
Condition may be fulfilled
Si + présent S’il fait beau
If the weather is nice Result clause Présent
Tu joues dehors You play outside
Futur
Tu joueras dehors You will play outside
Contrary to current facts
Si + imparfait S’il faisait beau
If the weather was nice Contrary to past facts Si + plus-que-parfait
S’il avait fait beau If the weather had been nice
Conditionnel
Tu jouerais dehors You would play outside
Conditionnel passé
Tu aurais joué dehors You would have played outside
Unrealised past possibility Seen as impossible
Seen as possible, regular occurrence, habit
result clause (indicating what will happen if the condition is met) tu peux
