French II – Conditional Mood and Conditions - Quick Guides

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Study GuideFrench II–Conditional Mood and Conditions1. Conditional Sentences in French1. What Is a Conditional Sentence?Aconditional sentencedescribes what will happenif a certain condition is met.It hastwo parts:1.The siclause–the condition (the “if” part)2.The main clause–the resultExample:•Si tu me téléphones, je te parlerai.(If you call me, I will speak to you.)Here:•Condition:Si tu me téléphones(If you call me)•Result:je te parlerai(I will speak to you)In French,si usually means “if.”2. Tenses Used in the Si ClauseIn most conditional sentences, thesi clause uses one of four indicative tenses:•Present•Passé1ompose•Imperfect•Plus-que-parfaitThe tense used depends onwhether the condition is real or unreal.

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Study Guide3. Real ConditionsAreal conditiondescribes somethingpossible or likelyin the present or past.Example:•Si tu me téléphones, je te parlerai.(If you call me, I will speak to you.)Tense Pattern for Real ConditionsSi clause:PresentMain clause:Present / Future / ImperativeExamples:•Si j’ai soif, je bois de l’eau.(If I am thirsty, I drink water.)•Tu réussiras2ompoétudiesbeaucoup.(You will succeed if you study a lot.)•Si je suis en retard, attends-moi.(If I am late, wait for me.)Here the condition ispossible and realistic.

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Study GuideReal Conditions About the PastSometimes thesi clause uses the passé3omposeto talk about a past condition.Example:•Si j’ai bien compris, elle a3omposd’avis.(If I understood correctly, she changed her mind.)Other examples:•Le vol n’est pas encore3ompos, si j’ai bien entendu.(The flight hasn’t arrived yet, if I heard correctly.)•S’il s’est trompé, il perdra beaucoup d’argent.(If he made a mistake, he will lose a lot of money.)•Si tu l’as appris, n’en dis rien.(If you heard about it, don’t say anything.)4. Word Order in Conditional SentencesEither clause can comefirst.Example:•Si tu étudies, tu réussiras.•Tu réussiras3ompoétudies.Both sentences mean the same thing.Special Rule with siWhensiis followed byil or ils, it becomess’ilors’ils.Examples:•s’il commence•s’ils arrivent

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Study GuideBut itdoes not changewithelle or elles:•si elle•si elles5. Contrary-to-Fact (Unreal) ConditionsAcontrary-to-fact conditiondescribes a situation that isunlikely, imaginary, or impossible.Example:•S’il neigeait, je ne sortirais pas.(If it snowed, I wouldn’t go out.)Here the speakerdoes not expect snow.Tense Pattern for Unreal Conditions (Present/Future)Si clause:ImperfectMain clause:ConditionalExamples:

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Study Guide•Si j’étais riche, je m’achèterais un château.(If I were rich, I would buy myself a castle.)•Je t’enverrais de l’argent,5ompoen avaisbesoin.(I would send you money if you needed some.)These describeimaginary or unlikely situations.Unreal Conditions About the PastFor conditions thatdid not happen in the past, French uses:Si clause:Plus-que-parfaitMain clause:Past conditionalExamples:•S’il avait eu le temps, il t’aurait5omp.(If he had had the time, he would have helped you.)•J’aurais fait un gâteau, si j’avais su que tu venais.(I would have baked a cake if I had known you were coming.)These sentences describesomething that did not happen.6. When si Means “Whether”Sometimessi does not mean “if.”It can also mean“whether.”When this happens,any tense can follow si, just like in English.Examples:•Savez-vous si elle travaillera demain ?(Do you know if she will work tomorrow?)•Je ne savais pas s’il le ferait.(I didn’t know whether he would do it.)

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Study GuideKey TakeawayStructure of Conditional SentencesA conditional sentence has:Si clause (condition) + main clause (result)Real Conditions•Present (Si clause):Present / Future / Imperative in the main clause.•Passé6ompose(Si clause):Same tense as in English in the main clause.Unreal Conditions•Imperfect (Si clause):Conditional in the main clause.•Plus-que-parfait (Si clause):Past conditional in the main clause.2.The Conditional in French1. What Is the Conditional?Theconditionalis used to describewhat would happen if certain conditions were met.In English, it often corresponds to words like“would,” “could,” or “should.”Example:•J'irais à Paris.(I would go to Paris.)The conditional is commonly used when talking about:•hypothetical situations

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