Newsletter Activity 8 – si + present tense

Today we are going to practise how to express a hypothesis in French using si, to say for example, “if you come, I’ll make a cake”.

There are three possible formulas we can follow:

• si + present tense, followed by present tense
• si + present tense, followed by future tense
• si + present tense, followed by imperative (command form)

These formulas are used to express an action which will come true in the present or future as a result of something else happening. Let’s look at some examples: 

• si tu viens, je fais un gâteau – if you are coming, I am making a cake
• si tu viens, on regardera un film - if you come, we will watch a film
• si tu viens, préviens-moi - if you’re coming, let me know 

Of course, it is also possible to invert the structure: 

• je fais un gâteau si tu viens
• dis-le-lui si tu l’aimes
• le professeur ne sera pas content si tu ne le fais pas

The important thing to remember is that in this context si needs to be followed by a verb in the present tense. Now that you have seen some examples, try to build your own example sentences to practise this construction. Allez!

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