← Back to Grammar
VerbsintermediateCEFR B1-B2

Conditional Sentences: Si Clauses

📋Overview🏗️Structure💡Examples⚠️Common Mistakes🧠Quiz📚Useful Resources

What You'll Learn

  • Understand the three types of conditional sentences in Spanish
  • Master Type 1: Real conditions (si + present, future)
  • Master Type 2: Hypothetical present (si + imperfect subjunctive, conditional)
  • Master Type 3: Hypothetical past (si + pluperfect subjunctive, conditional perfect)
  • Know when to use vs with "si"

Overview / Usage

Conditional sentences (also called "if clauses" or "si clauses") express what will, would, or would have happened under certain conditions. Spanish has three main types, each with specific verb tenses and meanings.

🎯 Three Types of Conditionals

✅ Type 1: Real/Possible Conditions
Si llueve, llevaré paraguas
If it rains, I'll take an umbrella
Talking about real, likely possibilities
🔮 Type 2: Hypothetical Present/Future
Si tuviera dinero, compraría una casa
If I had money, I would buy a house
Imagining unreal present/future situations
⏰ Type 3: Hypothetical Past
Si hubiera estudiado, habría pasado
If I had studied, I would have passed
Imagining different past outcomes

💡 Key Insight

The type of conditional you choose depends on how real or possible the condition is:

  • Type 1 = Real possibility (might actually happen)
  • Type 2 = Unreal present (contrary to current reality)
  • Type 3 = Unreal past (contrary to what actually happened)

Structure & Formation

✅ Type 1: Real/Possible Conditions

Formula: Si + present indicative, future/present/imperative

Use Type 1 for conditions that are real and possible in the present or future.

Common Patterns:
Si + present, future
Si tengo tiempo, iré al cine
If I have time, I'll go to the cinema
Si + present, present
Si llueve, me quedo en casa
If it rains, I stay home
(Habitual actions)
Si + present, imperative
Si ves a Juan, dile que me llame
If you see Juan, tell him to call me
Si + present, ir a + infinitive
Si hace sol, vamos a ir a la playa
If it's sunny, we're going to go to the beach

🔮 Type 2: Hypothetical Present/Future

Formula: Si + imperfect subjunctive, conditional

Use Type 2 for hypothetical or contrary-to-fact situations in the present or future. These are things that are not true now or unlikely to happen.

Si tuviera dinero, viajaría por el mundo
If I had money, I would travel the world
(But I don't have money now)
Si fuera rico, compraría un yate
If I were rich, I would buy a yacht
(But I'm not rich)
Si pudieras venir, sería genial
If you could come, it would be great
(But you probably can't)
Si viviera en España, hablaría español perfectamente
If I lived in Spain, I would speak Spanish perfectly
(But I don't live in Spain)

💡 Tip: Type 2 is the most common conditional for giving advice or making polite suggestions:
Yo en tu lugar, estudiaría más = If I were you, I would study more

⏰ Type 3: Hypothetical Past

Formula: Si + pluperfect subjunctive, conditional perfect

Use Type 3 for impossible past situations - things that didn't happen but you're imagining what would have happened if they had.

Pluperfect subjunctive: hubiera/hubiese + past participle
Conditional perfect: habría + past participle

Si hubiera estudiado, habría pasado el examen
If I had studied, I would have passed the exam
(But I didn't study, so I didn't pass)
Si hubieras venido, habrías conocido a mi hermano
If you had come, you would have met my brother
(But you didn't come)
Si hubiéramos sabido, habríamos ido contigo
If we had known, we would have gone with you
(But we didn't know)
Si hubiera llovido, habríamos cancelado el partido
If it had rained, we would have cancelled the match
(But it didn't rain)

📋 Quick Reference: All Three Types

TypeSi ClauseMain ClauseMeaning
Type 1
Si + present
Si llueve
future/present/imperative
llevaré paraguas
Real/possible
Type 2
Si + imperfect subjunctive
Si tuviera
conditional
compraría
Hypothetical present
Type 3
Si + pluperfect subjunctive
Si hubiera estudiado
conditional perfect
habría pasado
Hypothetical past

Examples

💬 Comparing the Three Types

See how the same basic idea changes meaning with different conditional types:

Example 1: Money and Buying a House
Type 1 (Real possibility):
Si tengo suficiente dinero, compraré una casa
If I have enough money, I'll buy a house
I'm saving up, it's possible I'll have enough
Type 2 (Hypothetical present):
Si tuviera suficiente dinero, compraría una casa
If I had enough money, I would buy a house
But I don't have enough money right now
Type 3 (Hypothetical past):
Si hubiera tenido suficiente dinero, habría comprado una casa
If I had had enough money, I would have bought a house
But I didn't have enough money back then, so I didn't buy one
Example 2: Weather and Going Out
Type 1 (Real possibility):
Si hace buen tiempo, iremos a la playa
If the weather is good, we'll go to the beach
Real plan for tomorrow
Type 2 (Hypothetical present):
Si hiciera buen tiempo, iríamos a la playa
If the weather were good, we would go to the beach
But it's raining/snowing, so we can't go
Type 3 (Hypothetical past):
Si hubiera hecho buen tiempo, habríamos ido a la playa
If the weather had been good, we would have gone to the beach
But it rained yesterday, so we didn't go

🔀 Mixed Conditionals

Sometimes you can mix different time frames:

Past condition → Present result:
Si hubiera estudiado medicina, ahora sería médico
If I had studied medicine, I would be a doctor now
Past action affecting present state
Present condition → Past result:
Si fuera más organizado, no habría perdido las llaves
If I were more organized, I wouldn't have lost the keys
Present trait affecting past event

Gotchas / Common Mistakes

❌ Never Use Future or Conditional After "Si"

Unlike English, you can never use future or conditional in the "si" clause:

Wrong:
Si lloverá mañana...
Si tendría dinero...
Correct:
Si llueve mañana...
Si tuviera dinero...

⚠️ Don't Confuse "Si" (If) with "Sí" (Yes)

These are two different words with different meanings:

Si tengo tiempo... (If I have time...)
Sí, tengo tiempo (Yes, I have time)

Notice the accent mark on "sí" meaning "yes"

💡 Type 1 vs Type 2: The Key Difference

Both can refer to future time, but with different implications:

Type 1 (likely):
Si viene Juan, me avisas
If Juan comes, let me know
I think he'll probably come
Type 2 (unlikely):
Si viniera Juan, me avisarías
If Juan were to come, you'd let me know
I doubt he'll come

🎭 Wrong Subjunctive Form

Use imperfect subjunctive (not present subjunctive) for Type 2:

Wrong:
Si tenga dinero, compraría una casa
Correct:
Si tuviera dinero, compraría una casa

❌ Mixing Up Conditional Types

Keep the verb tenses consistent within each type:

Wrong (mixed):
Si tuviera dinero, compraré una casa
Correct:
Si tuviera dinero, compraría una casa

⚡ Forgetting "Hubiera" in Type 3

Type 3 requires pluperfect subjunctive (hubiera + past participle):

Wrong:
Si estudié, habría pasado
Correct:
Si hubiera estudiado, habría pasado

Quick Test / Mini Quiz

📝 Conditional Sentences Quiz

Test your mastery of all three types of conditional sentences!

1

Si _____ (tener-yo) tiempo mañana, iré al gimnasio. (Real possibility)

2

Si _____ (ser-yo) rico, viajaría por todo el mundo. (Hypothetical present)

3

Si _____ (estudiar-yo) más, habría pasado el examen. (Hypothetical past)

4

Si llueve mañana, _____ en casa. (Real condition, habitual)

5

Complete: Si tuviera más dinero, _____ (comprar) un coche nuevo.

6

Si hubieras venido a la fiesta, _____ (conocer) a mis amigos.

7

Which is correct for a real possibility tomorrow?

8

Si _____ (ver-tú) a María, dile que me llame.

Useful Resources

Coming soon...