si + Imperfect Subjunctive

Imperfect Subjunctive in Hypothetical Si-Clauses

Level 4

Use imperfect subjunctive after si for a remote present or future condition.

How It Works

Si tingués temps, vindria treats having time as a remote or imagined condition. The imperfect subjunctive describes that hypothetical status; it need not locate the condition in the past. The usual consequence has a conditional verb.

An open condition instead normally takes present indicative: si tinc temps, vindré. A past counterfactual requires pluperfect subjunctive: si hagués tingut temps. These choices distinguish the speaker's viewpoint and the time relationship.

Do not use present subjunctive or conditional in the ordinary conditional si clause merely because the meaning is uncertain. Other uses of si, including indirect questions, have different patterns and should not be confused with the condition taught here.

Examples (3)

  1. Si tingués cotxe, hi aniria.

    If I had a car, I would go there.

  2. Si fóssim més, acabaríem abans.

    If there were more of us, we would finish sooner.

  3. Ho entendries si escoltessis.

    You would understand it if you listened.

How It Connects

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si + Imperfect SubjunctiveLevel 4Imperfect Subjunctive in Hypothetical Si-Clauses

Learn This First

Recognize subjunctive forms and nonasserted content before extending the mood to new clauses. Recognize conditional forms before using them for a remote consequence or future-from-past.

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