Si clauses: real conditions

Si tu viens, on ira au cinéma.If you come, we'll go to the cinema.

When a condition about the present or future is genuinely possible — not just imaginary — French keeps it simple: the si-clause takes the présent, and the result clause is what changes depending on what you're saying.

Quick shortcut: si + présent, then présent, futur simple, or an imperative in the result — never the futur simple after si itself.

The three patterns

1. Si + présent, présent — a general rule or habit, true every time the condition is met:

• Si tu as faim, il y a du pain dans la cuisine. (If you're hungry, there's bread in the kitchen.)
• Si on chauffe l'eau à 100°, elle bout. (If you heat water to 100°, it boils.)

2. Si + présent, futur simple — a real prediction about the future:

• Si tu viens, on ira au cinéma.
• S'il fait beau, nous mangerons dehors.

3. Si + présent, imperative — an instruction or request that depends on the condition:

• Si tu as des questions, demande-moi. (If you have questions, ask me.)
• Si vous voyez Marc, dites-lui bonjour.

In every case, si itself stays in the présent — the futur simple already covers the second pattern in brief; this article gathers all three under one roof. (French also has real conditions built on other tenses — Si tu as fini, tu peux partir, Si tu étais là hier, tu as vu Marc — but this article focuses on the future-facing si + présent pattern, the one that trips learners up the most.)

The one rule that matters most

For a condition about the future, the si-clause takes the présent — never the futur simple, even when the whole sentence is about the future.

• ❌ Si tu viendras, on ira au cinéma. → ✅ Si tu viens, on ira au cinéma.
• ❌ S'il fera beau, nous mangerons dehors. → ✅ S'il fait beau, nous mangerons dehors.

This trips up learners whose own language does put a future tense after "if" (ordinary English conditions don't either — if you come, not if you will come — though English if you will... does exist with a distinct meaning, expressing willingness or insistence rather than a plain future condition).

Not to confuse with quand/lorsque + futur simple

Quand and lorsque work differently: when both events are certain to happen, both clauses go in the futur simple.

• Quand tu viendras, on ira au cinéma. (When you come, we'll go to the cinema — you're definitely coming.)
• Si tu viens, on ira au cinéma. (If you come, we'll go to the cinema — coming is only a possibility.)

Si signals uncertainty about whether the condition happens at all; quand assumes it will.

Not to confuse with the imaginary-present pattern

This article is only about real, possible conditions. French also has a si + imparfait + conditionnel présent pattern for something imaginary or unlikely (Si j'avais plus de temps, je voyagerais davantage — If I had more time, I would travel more) — a separate topic with its own rules.

Common mistakes

• ❌ Si tu viendras, on ira au cinéma. → ✅ Si tu viens, on ira au cinéma. (never futur simple right after si)
• ❌ Si tu as le temps, tu viendrais. → ✅ Si tu as le temps, tu viendras. (the result of a real condition can't be the conditionnel — use the futur simple for a prediction, or the présent for an immediate consequence: Si tu as le temps, tu peux venir.)
• ❌ Si il vient... → ✅ S'il vient... (si elides to s' before il/ils, but never before elle/elles: si elle vient)

Quick check

Choose the correct form for each blank.

1. Si tu ____ (avoir) le temps, tu ____ (pouvoir) m'aider ?
2. S'il ____ (pleuvoir), nous ____ (rester) à la maison.
3. Si vous ____ (voir) Léa, ____ (dire)-lui bonjour.
4. Si on ____ (mélanger) le bleu et le jaune, on ____ (obtenir) du vert.

Key takeaways

• Real, possible conditions: si + présent, with the result in the présent (general rule), futur simple (prediction), or an imperative (instruction).
• For a future condition, the si-clause itself never takes the futur simple, even in a sentence entirely about the future.
• Quand/lorsque + futur simple in both clauses is for something certain to happen — different from si, which marks real uncertainty.
• A separate si + imparfait + conditionnel présent pattern exists for imaginary or unlikely situations — not covered here.