Today we are going to practise how to express a hypothesis in French using si, to say for example, “if you come, I’ll make a cake”.
There are three possible formulas we can follow:
- si + present tense, followed by present tense
- si + present tense, followed by future tense
- si + present tense, followed by imperative (command form)
These formulas are used to express an action which will come true in the present or future as a result of something else happening. Let’s look at some examples:
- si tu viens, je fais un gâteau – if you are coming, I am making a cake
- si tu viens, on regardera un film – if you come, we will watch a film
- si tu viens, préviens-moi – if you’re coming, let me know
Of course, it is also possible to invert the structure:
- je fais un gâteau si tu viens
- dis-le-lui si tu l’aimes
- le professeur ne sera pas content si tu ne le fais pas
The important thing to remember is that in this context si needs to be followed by a verb in the present tense. Now that you have seen some examples, try to build your own example sentences to practise this construction. Allez!
Si j’achete le video, on le regardera ce soir.
Le garçon sourira, si le clown apparait!
Si vous aimez, nous pouvons reviendra ici demain
Bonjour Marian,
Je ne suis pas sur ce que vouz voulez dire par “reviendra”. Est-ce que vous voulez dire “revenir”?
Si je voyage à Peru, j’apprends l’espagnol avec Coffee Break Spanish. (En fait, j’ai commençé d’étudier il y a une mois. Je partira pour Peru en âout. )