Concept Map — Si-clauses (hypotheses)

The single structure that organizes every "if… then…" in French. There are
exactly three patterns, locked by how real the hypothesis is. Get the
pairing right and conditionnel/imparfait/PQP all snap into place at once.

Anchor

A si-clause has two halves: the condition (si …) and the result.
French fixes the tense of each half by the reality of the hypothesis — and the
golden rule is mechanical:

Never put a futur or a conditionnel directly after si.
The si-half uses présent / imparfait / plus-que-parfait only; the
conditionnel lives in the result half.

The three patterns, from real to impossible:

#	Hypothesis is…	si + …	→ result	Example
1	Real / likely (it may well happen)	si + présent	futur (or présent / impératif)	Si j'ai le temps, je viendrai.
2	Unreal now / unlikely (imagined present or future)	si + imparfait	conditionnel présent	Si j'avais le temps, je viendrais.
3	Unreal past / regret (it didn't happen)	si + plus-que-parfait	conditionnel passé	Si j'avais eu le temps, je serais venue.

Read the ladder vertically: each step backs the condition up one tense
(présent → imparfait → PQP) and the result up one mood-tense
(futur → conditionnel présent → conditionnel passé).

Prerequisites

The three patterns are assembled from tenses you map elsewhere:

• [[Imparfait-Formation]] (create) — the si-half of pattern 2.
• [[plus-que-parfait]] — the si-half of pattern 3 (already mapped ✓).
• [[Conditionnel-Present-Formation]] (create) — futur stem + imparfait endings
  (je ferais, je viendrais); the result of pattern 2.
• [[Futur-Simple-Formation]] (create) — the most common result of pattern 1
  (je viendrai); note the spelling clash with conditionnel (-ai vs -ais).

The Contrast

Pick the pattern by reality, not by the English "if" (which never changes):

Cue / Function	Pattern	si-half	result-half
Open, plausible condition ("if it rains, I'll stay")	1	présent	futur
Imagined present/future ("if I were rich, I'd travel")	2	imparfait	conditionnel présent
Regret about the past ("if I had known, I wouldn't have…")	3	plus-que-parfait	conditionnel passé
Giving advice softly ("if I were you, I'd…")	2	imparfait	conditionnel présent (À ta place, je…)
Mixed: past condition, present result	2+3	plus-que-parfait	conditionnel présent (Si j'avais étudié, je serais médecin aujourd'hui.)

si vs quand — the trap: both can mean "if/when," but only si takes the
hypothesis machinery. After quand for a future event you use the futur,
not the present: Quand j'aurai le temps, je viendrai. (see [[Quand-Futur]] (create)).
Spoken-French note: si never elides before elle/ils — it's s'il/s'ils
only, but si elle, si on.

Companion Language Points

• [[conditionnel-passe]] — the result-half of pattern 3; the regret tense. Map it
  in the same session (it's the next dot ▸).
• [[Conditionnel-Present-Formation]] (create) — also the politeness
  conditional (je voudrais, pourriez-vous), so it pays off far beyond
  si-clauses.
• [[Past-Time-Markers]] (create) — sinon ("otherwise" = a hidden si-clause),
  au cas où + conditionnel, à condition que + subjonctif, même si (+ indicatif).

Fixed Expressions

French	Use
Si j'étais toi / à ta place, …	"If I were you…" — advice (pattern 2).
Si j'avais su, …	"Had I known…" — the canonical regret (pattern 3).
Comme si + imparfait / plus-que-parfait	"as if…" — always unreal.
Et si on + imparfait ?	"What if we…?" — making a suggestion (Et si on sortait ?).
Au cas où (+ conditionnel)	"just in case."
Même si + indicatif	"even if" — not a hypothesis trigger; keeps normal tenses.

What Completes It / Study Next

• [[conditionnel-passe]] — finishes pattern 3 and the whole si-system. Built
  alongside this map ✓.
• [[Subjonctif-Present]] (create) — the other irrealis tool; à condition que,
  pourvu que, à moins que express conditions the si-system can't. The next
  cluster frontier.
• Drill direction: take one situation and run it up all three rungs
  (Si je gagne… / Si je gagnais… / Si j'avais gagné…) — that drill alone wires
  the pattern.

Linked Sources

Source	Note	Use For
Prerequisite	[[plus-que-parfait]]	the si-half of pattern 3; read it first.
Cross-reference	[[french-learning-crossref]]	logs si + plus-que-parfait → conditionnel passé as absorbed from the Iran vlog.
YouTube lesson	[[Languages/French/Youtube Lessons/2026-03-24-iran-travel|Iran travel vlog]]	natural pattern-3 example in the wild.
YouTube lesson	[[Languages/French/Youtube Lessons/2026-04-28-camille-reporter-naomi-henri-a-la-rue|Camille — à la rue]]	conditional/hypothetical-dense reportage register.
Topic Hub	[[Languages/French/Topic Hubs/questions-small-talk|Questions & small talk]]	"if I were you" advice surfaces here.

Production Drill

Scene: "What would you do?" — pick one prompt and answer with all three
patterns out loud:

1. Si j'ai assez d'argent cet été, je … (real → futur)
2. Si j'étais riche, je … (unreal present → conditionnel présent)
3. Si j'avais commencé le français plus tôt, je … (regret → conditionnel passé)

Force in one telling: one À ta place, je …; one Et si on … ? suggestion; and
check you never wrote si + futur/conditionnel.

Mini self-test (answer without looking):

1. "If it rains, I'll stay home." → ?
2. "If I had time, I would come." → ?
3. "If I had known, I wouldn't have come." → ?
4. "If I were you, I'd rest." → ?
5. "What if we went out tonight?" → ?

Answers

1. S'il pleut, je resterai à la maison. (pattern 1: présent → futur)
2. Si j'avais le temps, je viendrais. (pattern 2: imparfait → conditionnel présent)
3. Si j'avais su, je ne serais pas venue. (pattern 3: PQP → conditionnel passé)
4. À ta place / Si j'étais toi, je me reposerais. (pattern 2 advice)
5. Et si on sortait ce soir ? (suggestion: et si + imparfait)

Anki Candidates

Pushed to Anki deck Claude French YouTube::Grammar (8 cards, 2026-06-30; tags: concept-map, si-clauses-hypotheses, french-expand):

• S'il pleut, je resterai à la maison. — pattern 1: si + présent → futur
• Si j'avais le temps, je viendrais. — pattern 2: si + imparfait → conditionnel présent
• Si j'avais su, je ne serais pas venue. — pattern 3: si + PQP → conditionnel passé
• À ta place, je me reposerais. — advice via the conditional
• Et si on sortait ce soir ? — suggestion: et si + imparfait
• Golden rule: never si + futur/conditionnel — the si-half only takes présent/imparfait/PQP
• si vs quand for the future: Quand j'aurai le temps… (futur after quand)
• +1 more (the three si-patterns summarized) — see TSV backup