jei + conditional
Imagined Conditions
Jei turėčiau laiko, važiuočiau į Nidą. = If I had time, I would go to Nida. Both verbs are conditional.
How It Works
Real or imagined? Pick the verb forms by how real the situation is.
- Could really happen: use ordinary tenses, as in jei, jeigu: Jei rytoj lis, liksime namie. (If it rains tomorrow, we'll stay home.)
- Imagined, unlikely or untrue now: use the conditional twice: Jei lytų, liktume namie. (If it rained, we would stay home.)
Both clauses, not just one. English puts a past tense after "if" and "would" in the other part. In the hypothetical condition-and-result pattern taught here, Lithuanian uses the conditional in both: Jei mokėčiau vairuoti, nusipirkčiau automobilį. (If I could drive, I would buy a car.)
Either order. The jei clause can come first or second. A comma always separates the two: Ką darytum, jei laimėtum milijoną? (What would you do if you won a million?) Jeigu means the same as jei.
A few useful set phrases. Jei būčiau tavo vietoje, ... (If I were you, ...) and Būtų puiku, jei ... (It would be great if ...).
For the past. For something that did not happen, use the past conditional: Jei būčiau žinojęs, būčiau atėjęs. (If I had known, I would have come.) Related patterns are lyg (as if) and net jei (even if).
Examples (6)
- Jei turėčiau laiko, važiuočiau į Nidą.
If I had time, I would go to Nida.
Word by Word: If I-would-have time, I-would-go to Nida.
- Jeigu būčiau tavo vietoje, paskambinčiau jai.
If I were you, I would call her.
Word by Word: If I-would-be in-your place, I-would-call her.
- Ką darytum, jei laimėtum milijoną?
What would you do if you won a million?
- Jei lytų, liktume namie.
If it rained, we would stay home.
- Jei mokėčiau vairuoti, nusipirkčiau automobilį.
If I could drive, I would buy a car.
- Būtų puiku, jei ateitumėte.
It would be great if you came.
Common Mistakes
Copying the English past tense into the jei clause.
Jei turėjau laiko, važiuočiau į Nidą.Jei turėčiau laiko, važiuočiau į Nidą.For an unreal present condition, use turėčiau. Turėjau refers to the past; after jei it does not assert that you actually had time.
Using the future in the result clause of an imagined condition.
Jei turėčiau pinigų, pirksiu namą.Jei turėčiau pinigų, pirkčiau namą.To present both the condition and its result as hypothetical, use pirkčiau in the result clause. A future form presents the result differently.
Using the present in the jei clause for something imagined.
Jei aš esu tavo vietoje, paskambinčiau jai.Jei būčiau tavo vietoje, paskambinčiau jai.You cannot really be in someone else's place, so it is imagined. Use būčiau.
How It Connects
Learn This First
Imagined conditions use the conditional in both the condition and the result.
Related Patterns
- būčiau + -ęsPast Conditional
Imagined conditions about the past use būčiau with a participle.
Level 4 - net jeiEven if
Net jei means "even if".
Level 4 - lyg / tarsi + conditionalAs if with Lyg and Tarsi
Lyg and tarsi also take the conditional for "as if".
Level 4 - jei neIf It Were Not for
Jei ne means "if it were not for".
Level 6
Words in This Pattern
Practice jei + conditional in Bubblegum
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