Si tengo tiempo, iré a tu fiesta.If I have time, I'll go to your party.

Spanish states a real, open future possibility with a simple recipe: si + present indicative for the condition, and the future simple, the present, or an imperative for the result. Nothing here is subjunctive — the condition is treated as a plain fact that may or may not come true, not a hypothesis.

Quick shortcut: si + present, ... future / present / imperative.

The pattern

Si llueve, no saldremos. (If it rains, we won't go out.) Si tienes hambre, come algo. (If you're hungry, eat something.) Si apruebo el examen, mis padres estarán muy contentos. (If I pass the exam, my parents will be very happy.)

Clause Tense Example
si clause (condition) present indicative si tengo, si llueve, si quieres
result clause future simple iré, no saldremos, estarán contentos
result clause present si tengo tiempo, voy al gimnasio
result clause imperative si tienes hambre, come algo

The order is free: Si tengo tiempo, iré and Iré si tengo tiempo mean exactly the same thing. A comma separates the clauses only when si comes first.

Never the subjunctive here

This is the single most important rule of the real condition: the si clause always takes the present indicative, never the present subjunctive — ✅ Si tengo tiempo is correct, never ❌ Si tenga tiempo. Spanish reserves the subjunctive for imaginary conditions (Si tuviera tiempo, iría — an unlikely or contrary-to-fact situation), which get their own dedicated lesson. The two look similar on the page but express very different things: one treats the future possibility as real, the other treats it as unlikely or untrue right now.

  • ❌ Si tenga tiempo, iré. → ✅ Si tengo tiempo, iré. (real possibility — present indicative, not subjunctive.)
  • ❌ Si sea posible, lo haré. → ✅ Si es posible, lo haré. (same trap with ser.)

Never the future in the si clause itself

The second most common slip: putting the future tense inside the si clause, mirroring English "if it will rain." Spanish never does this — the future goes only in the result:

  • ❌ Si lloverá, no saldremos. → ✅ Si llueve, no saldremos. (the condition is always present indicative, even though the event itself is in the future.)
  • ❌ Si tendrás tiempo, ven a mi casa. → ✅ Si tienes tiempo, ven a mi casa.

Common mistakes

  • ❌ Si voy a tener tiempo, te llamaré. → ✅ Si tengo tiempo, te llamaré. (using ir a + infinitive as a stand-in for a future prediction here is unnecessary — plain present indicative. Ir a + infinitive is still fine in a si clause when it expresses a real present plan: Si vas a venir mañana, avísame.)
  • ❌ Si tenéis hambre, come algo. → ✅ Si tenéis hambre, comed algo. (with vosotros as the addressee, the imperative is comed, not come — ordinary agreement between the addressee and the imperative form, not a special si-clause rule.)
  • ❌ Si tengas ganas, avísame. → ✅ Si tienes ganas, avísame. (present indicative even in an everyday, casual request.)

Quick check

  1. Complete: Si __________ (hacer) buen tiempo, iremos a la playa.
  2. Why is Si tenga dinero, lo compraré wrong? What should it say?
  3. Complete with an imperative result: Si necesitas ayuda, __________ (llamarme).
  4. True or false: Si lloverá mañana is correct Spanish for "if it rains tomorrow."
Show answers
  1. hace — Si hace buen tiempo, iremos a la playa.
  2. It uses the present subjunctive (tenga) in a real condition — real si clauses always take the present indicative: Si tengo dinero, lo compraré.
  3. llámame — Si necesitas ayuda, llámame.
  4. False — the si clause never takes the future, even for a future event: Si llueve mañana is correct.

Key takeaways

  • Real condition = si + present indicative, ... future simple / present / imperative in the result. The order of the two clauses is free.
  • The si clause is never subjunctive here — that's reserved for imaginary conditions, a separate lesson — and never future either, even when the event itself lies ahead.
  • A real si clause pairs with a real-tense result (future, present, imperative), not with the conditional mood, which belongs to the different, imaginary pattern.