If in Mandarin: 如果, 要是, 的话 and 就 (Conditionals)
By Michael McGettrick and Wee Khang LinUpdated 12 October 2026
Mandarin says the condition first and the result second. (rúguǒ) or (yàoshi) opens the condition; (jiù) goes before the verb of the result. There are no tenses to pick: "if it rains" and "if it rained" use the same words.
The frame: two clauses, one linker
The colours stay the same all page long:
| Hanzi | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
，。 | Rúguǒ nǐ máng, wǒ jiù zǒu. | If you're busy, I'll go |
，。 | Yàoshi tā lái, wǒmen jiù kāishǐ. | If he comes, we'll start |
，。 | Nǐ máng dehuà, wǒ jiù zǒu. | If you're busy, I'll go |
，。 | Nǐ qù, wǒ jiù qù. | If you go, I'll go |
Each half can be dressed up or down. The condition can open with an if-word, close with (dehuà), or have neither; the result usually keeps its (jiù).
The same frame covers real and imagined conditions: ，。 (Yàoshi wǒ yǒu qián, wǒ jiù mǎi.) - If I had the money, I'd buy it. Context tells you which.
/ (rúguǒ/yàoshi)… (jiù) is on the AQA GCSE Chinese specification at Foundation and Higher tier.
就 (jiù): the word that marks the result
(jiù) tells the listener "here comes the consequence". It is an adverb, so it sits after the subject of the result and right before its verb:
| Hanzi | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
，。 | Rúguǒ xià yǔ, wǒmen jiù bú qù. | If it rains, we won't go |
，。 | Rúguǒ nǐ yǒu wèntí, jiù lái zhǎo wǒ. | If you have a problem, come and find me |
，。 | Míngtiān yàoshi xià yǔ, bǐsài jiù qǔxiāo. | If it rains tomorrow, the match is off |
The second row has no subject in the result (it is obviously "you"), so (jiù) starts the clause. That is normal. What is wrong is (jiù) in front of a subject: for (wǒmen jiù qù).
With (rúguǒ) in front, you will hear the (jiù) left out: ， (rúguǒ xià yǔ, wǒmen bú qù). It is not wrong, but the join sounds looser. Put in and you are never wrong.
The bare conditional: no if-word at all
In speech the if-word is often left out altogether. Two clauses and a (jiù) are enough:
| Hanzi | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
，。 | Nǐ qù, wǒ jiù qù. | If you go, I'll go |
。 | Nǐ xiǎng qù jiù qù. | Go if you want to |
，。 | Nǐ bú qù, wǒ yě bú qù. | If you're not going, neither am I |
Here the linker does all the work. Without it, ，。 can sound like two flat statements, "you're not going, I'm not going". In the last row (yě), "either", takes the place of (jiù), because the result echoes the condition: you are not going, so I am not going either.
The four if-words: same meaning, four registers
The four mean the same. What changes is where they belong:
- 要是: friends, texts
- 如果: safe everywhere
- 假如: essays
- 倘若: legal and literary
| Hanzi | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
，。 | Yàoshi nǐ lèi le, wǒmen jiù huíjiā. | If you're tired, we'll go home |
，。 | Rúguǒ tiānqì hǎo, wǒmen jiù qù gōngyuán. | If it's fine, we'll go to the park |
，。 | Jiǎrú wǒ shì nǐ, wǒ jiù bú qù. | If I were you, I wouldn't go |
倘，。 | Tǎngruò tiānqì bù hǎo, bǐsài biàn qǔxiāo. | Should the weather be bad, the match is cancelled |
If you learn one, learn (rúguǒ): it never sounds wrong. Learn (yàoshi) next, because it is what people say. 倘 (tǎngruò) in a text to a friend reads like "should you so wish" in an English one. In the last row, written (biàn) does the job of (jiù).
的话 (dehuà): the tag that closes the condition
(dehuà) goes at the end of the condition and means nothing on its own: it says "the if-part stops here". Use it with an if-word or instead of one:
| Hanzi | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
，。 | Rúguǒ tā lái dehuà, wǒmen jiù kāishǐ. | If he comes, we'll start |
，。 | Yàoshi nǐ bù xiǎng qù dehuà, jiù bié qù le. | If you don't want to, don't go |
，。 | Nǐ yǒu shíjiān dehuà, jiù lái kànkan ba. | If you have time, come and see |
It is optional: ， (rúguǒ tā lái, wǒmen jiù kāishǐ) means the same. It leans spoken, and it is handy when you start talking before you have decided how the condition ends.
Mistakes English speakers make
| Wrong | Right | Why |
|---|---|---|
，。 | ，。 | (jiù) goes after the subject |
。 | ，。 | the condition comes first |
，。 | ，。 | one (dehuà) is enough |
A trailing condition does turn up in speech as an afterthought, after a pause and without (jiù): ， (wǒmen qù kàn diànyǐng ba, rúguǒ nǐ yǒu shíjiān dehuà). Learn the condition-first order before you play with that.
Harder conditions
The frame above has relatives with their own linkers: (wànyī) for the long shot, (chúfēi)… (cái) for "unless", and (yàobúshì) for what did not happen. They are on unless and in case. "Even if", (jíshǐ)… (yě), is on even though and even if.
What to do next
- Do the drill below.
- Make three plans for the weekend with
…(rúguǒ…jiù), one with(dehuà). - Then read unless and in case.