Si + imperfect, conditional
The second si pattern. Week 19 gave the one for things that may happen; this is the one for things that are not true.
Si + imparfait , conditionnel Si j'avais le temps, je viendrais. — If I had time, I would come. (but I don't)
Set the two side by side, because the difference is the whole point:
| Si j'ai le temps, je viendrai. | a real possibility — it may well happen |
|---|---|
| Si j'avais le temps, je viendrais. | contrary to fact — I do not have time |
| Si j'étais riche, j'achèterais une maison. | if I were rich… |
|---|---|
| Si nous habitions en ville, ce serait plus simple. | if we lived in town… |
| Qu'est-ce que tu ferais si tu gagnais ? | what would you do if you won? |
*Never a conditional after si. The same rule as week 19, one tense along: si j'aurais does not exist, and in French it is a notorious marker of careless speech — les si n'aiment pas les rais is the phrase children are taught. The conditional goes in the other* half of the sentence.
The order can be reversed: Je viendrais si j'avais le temps.
Two ready-made phrases worth having whole:
- À ta place, je… — if I were you, I would… (no si at all)
- Qu'est-ce que tu ferais si… ? — the standard exam prompt
The third si pattern, for things that did not happen in the past, needs the plus-que-parfait and belongs to B1.
Knowing the rule is not the same as producing it.
This page explains the pattern. The track drills it: the point arrives inside a mini-dialogue, then production marked against a CEFR descriptor, then a module test that returns you to your two weakest sessions if you miss it.