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7 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
- 3rd side (hint)
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Habitual in the present
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si+present indicative
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result: present indicative
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Possible in the present
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si+present indicative
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result: future
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Contrary-to-fact
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si+past subjunctive
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result: conditional
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habitual/possible in the past
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si+imperfect indicative
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result: imperfect indicative
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Both English and Spanish use clauses with _if_ (si) to speculate or hypothesize about situations that are habitual/possible. In Spanish, when the *si* clause is in the present tense, the indicative (present or future) is used.
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Si *tiene* tiempo, *va/irá* a las montañas.
If he has time, he goes/will go to the mountains. |
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To express a contrary-to-fact situation, the *si* in the first clause is followed by the past subjunctive. The conditional is used in the other clause (the result)
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Si *tuviera* tiempo, *iría* a las montañas.
If he had time, he would go to the mountains. Si to *fuera* tú, no *haría* eso. If i were you, I wouldn't do that. |
Contrary-to-fact situations express speculations about the present. The perfect forms of the conditional and the past subjunctive are used to speculate about the past: what would happen if a particular event had occurred.
Si *hubiera tenido* el dinero, *habría hecho* el viaje. If *I had had* the money, *I would have made* the trip. |
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When the verb in the *si* clause is in the past tense and the event is not contrary-to-fact, the indicative is used in both clauses. This is especially true when habitual actions or situations are expressed.
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Si *tenía* tiempo, *iba* a las montañas.
If (when) he had time, he would go (used to go) to the mountains. |
Si means _when_ in this context, not _if_
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