What are if clauses?
If you don’t know what if clauses are, here are some examples in English for you to understand better:
- If you cry, you feel better afterward.
- If it rains, I won’t go out.
- If you studied, you would pass your exam.
- If you had listened to me, you would have done the right thing.
As you can see, we have 4 if clauses in English. We always have a condition (the if clause) and the potential result (the other clause). We could say we’re talking about hypotheses.
That’s why in Italian we call it periodo ipotetico which means hypothetical period.
What is periodo ipotetico?
In Italian, we use periodo ipotetico all the time.
There are 3 types:
In today’s lesson, we’re going to focus on type 2: the one about the possibility.
Here’s an example:
Se avessi tanti soldi, andrei dappertutto.
If I had money, I would go everywhere.
Se veniste con noi, vi divertireste.
If you came with us, you would have fun.
What is the if clause type 2 in Italian?
We use this type of if clause, about a possibility, to express a possible hypothesis, something that could happen in the future, and something that it might not happen.
If it happened, it could have a certain consequence because it’s all about a condition and a consequence.
In this case, the consequence is possible but not 100% certain.
Its English equivalent is pretty similar. Let’s have a look at the examples:
Se venissi qui, andremmo in montagna.
If you came here, we would go to the mountain.
Se mi dicessi quello che pensi, ti direi quello che penso io.
If you told me what you think, I would tell you what I think.
How to structure the if clause – type 2?
In the case of a possible hypothesis, we use the congiuntivo imperfetto (imperfect subjunctive) in the clause expressing the condition (the one starting with se) and the condizionale presente (present conditional) in the clause expressing the consequence.
This is the structure:se + imperfect subjunctive + present conditional.
If you don’t remember or if you just don’t know how to form the imperfect subjunctive or present conditional, keep reading the next two sections.
If you don’t need to review this, you can skip to the section with examples.
How to use the imperfect subjunctive?
We use the imperfect subjunctive to formulate a hypothesis. That’s why we need it in this type of construction.
To form the imperfect subjunctive in Italian, you have to remove -are, -ere, and -ire from the infinitive (the base form of the verb) and add the correct endings, which are in bold in the table below.
You’ll notice the recurrence of the double s. This will help you learn their conjugation.
| parlare | credere | partire | |
| io | parlassi | credessi | partissi |
| tu | parlassi | credessi | partissi |
| lui/lei | parlasse | credesse | partisse |
| noi | parlassimo | credessimo | partissimo |
| voi | parlaste | credeste | partiste |
| loro | parlassero | vedessero | partissero |
There are some verbs that are irregular in the imperfect subjunctive.
Here’s the conjugation of the most common ones:
| dare | dire | fare | |
| io | dessi | dicessi | facessi |
| tu | dessi | dicessi | facessi |
| lui/lei | dessi | dicesse | facesse |
| noi | dessimo | dicessimo | facessimo |
| voi | deste | diceste | faceste |
| loro | dessero | dicessero | facessero |
And last, but not least, the irregular conjugations of essere and stare:
| io fossi | io stessi |
| tu fossi | tu stessi |
| lui/lei fosse | lui/lei stesse |
| noi fossimo | noi stessimo |
| voi foste | voi steste |
| loro fossero | loro stessero |
How to use the present conditional?
We use the present conditional to express a possible outcome. That’s why we use it together with the clause introducing the condition.
Forming the present conditional in Italian is quite easy: Take any verb, drop the final -e in its infinitive form, and add the following endings:
| io | -ei |
| tu | -esti |
| lui/lei | -ebbe |
| noi | -emmo |
| voi | -este |
| loro | -ebbero |
Let’s have a look at some conjugated verbs:
| parlare | credere | partire | |
| io | parlerei | crederei | partirei |
| tu | parleresti | crederesti | partiresti |
| lui/lei | parlerebbe | crederebbe | partirebbe |
| noi | parleremmo | crederemmo | partiremmo |
| voi | parlereste | credereste | partireste |
| loro | parlerebbero | crederebbero | partirebbero |
There are some irregular verbs, of course.
We’ll just give you the first conjugation. You can conjugate the rest on your own by just adding the endings we saw above:
- Andare (to go): andrei
- Bere (to drink): berrei
- Dovere(to have to): dovrei
- Potere (to be able to): potrei
- Rimanere(to stay): rimarrei
- Sapere (to know): saprei
- Vedere (to see): vedrei
- Vivere (to live): vivrei
- Volere(to want): vorrei
Practice with Quizlet
Here's a set of flashcards and quizzes to practice this grammar topic.Italian if clause type 2: examples
Let’s now see some examples with conditions and possible outcomes:
Se potessi, verrei a trovarti.
If I could, I would come to see you.
Se facessi sport, saresti in forma.
If you did some sport, you would be in shape.
Se avessi delle uova, farei una torta.
If I had eggs, I would make a cake.
Se non piovesse, andrei al mare.
If it didn’t rain, I would go to the beach.
La tua macchina sarebbe più bella, se la lavassi.
Your car would be nicer if you washed it.
Se cercassi lavoro, lo troveresti.
If you looked for a job, you would find it.
