/si/
Translation
if; so (intensifier); yes (contradicting a negative statement)
Word origin
The conditional conjunction 'if' comes from Latin si ('if'). The intensifier and the affirmative 'yes' (contradicting a negative) come from Latin sic ('thus, so').
- Origin
- Latin
- Root
- si / sic
Examples
, appelle- .
If you come tomorrow, call me first.
C' j' aux .
It's so beautiful that I have tears in my eyes.
- ' ? - , j' !
- You don't like it? - Yes I do, I love it!
, au .
If you're hungry, there's some cake left in the fridge.
.
I didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
a trois emplois majeurs. Premierement, conjonction de condition (si tu viens...), toujours suivie de l'indicatif (present ou imparfait/plus-que-parfait, jamais du conditionnel). Deuxiemement, adverbe d'intensite (si grand, si bien), synonyme soutenu de tellement. Troisiemement - et c'est la specificite qui n'existe pas en anglais - interjection pour contredire une affirmation negative : a Tu n'as pas faim ?, on repond Si (pas oui).
L'erreur la plus frequente est d'utiliser le conditionnel apres si conditionnel : si tu viendrais est fautif, si tu venais est correct. La regle mnémotechnique : si + imparfait > conditionnel present (hypothese), si + plus-que-parfait > conditionnel passe (irreel du passe).
Where this fits
Used in
Stories
(7)Grammar articles
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French Conditionnel: Polite Requests, Hypothetical 'Would', and the Same Irregular Stems as the Future
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How to Say However, Although, Even Though and Despite in French
Reported Speech in French: Tense Backshift (dit que, a dit que)
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French Intermediate Grammar (B1-B2): The Things That Stop You at the Plateau
The French Pluperfect (le plus-que-parfait): The Past Before the Past
j'aurais dû, tu aurais pu: French Regrets and Reproaches
Reported Questions and Commands in French
French si Clauses: The Three Types of Conditional Sentence
The French Subjunctive After Conjunctions
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The French Subjunctive in Relative Clauses
The French Past Subjunctive: subjonctif passé
Subjunctive or Indicative: How to Choose in French
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si: worksheet, infographic and listicle
Free printable study downloads for the French word "si" (if; so (intensifier); yes (contradicting a negative statement)): a worksheet with the answer key built in, an infographic, and a sentence listicle. Open any one to view, print or save.
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