A conditional sentence sets up an "if … then …" relationship: if this happens, that follows. Afrikaans builds them with the subordinator as ("if") in the condition-clause, and the whole system splits cleanly into two types. Real conditionals describe things that genuinely might happen and use ordinary present-tense verbs. Counterfactual (unreal) conditionals describe situations contrary to fact — what would happen if things were different — and they bring in the auxiliary sou plus, often, a clause-final verb cluster. The hard part for English speakers is twofold: the as-clause sends its verb to the end (because as is a subordinator), and the counterfactual main clause stacks sou with a perfect, producing a cluster of verbs at the very end. This page lays out both, with the cluster order spelled out in full.
Type 1: real conditionals — as + present
When the condition is realistically possible, both clauses stay in the present tense. The as-clause states the condition; the main clause states the consequence. Because as is a subordinator (see subordinating conjunctions), the verb in the as-clause goes to the end of that clause.
As dit reën, bly ons binne.
If it rains, we stay inside.
As jy honger is, maak vir jou 'n toebroodjie.
If you're hungry, make yourself a sandwich.
Look at As dit reën — subject dit, verb reën at the end of the clause (here the clause is short so it's easy to miss; in a longer clause the verb visibly travels to the back: As dit môre hard reën …). Then comes the main clause. A very important word-order point: when the as-clause comes first, the whole subordinate clause counts as the first element of the sentence, so the main clause inverts — the verb comes before the subject: …, *bly ons binne (verb *bly, then subject ons).
As jy nou vertrek, kom jy betyds aan.
If you leave now, you'll arrive on time.
For a future consequence you often add sal in the main clause, which is the closest match to English "will":
As jy kom, sal ons saam eet.
If you come, we'll eat together.
Type 2: counterfactual conditionals — sou in the main clause
Now the situation is contrary to fact: it is not raining, you do not have the money, he did not study. To express what would be the case, the main clause uses sou ("would" — the past form of sal). This is where English speakers most often go wrong by reaching for sal instead of sou.
Unreal present ("if I were …")
For a hypothetical about the present or a general unreal situation, the as-clause uses a past-tense verb (often was or had), and the main clause uses sou + the bare verb at the end.
As ek jy was, sou ek bly.
If I were you, I would stay.
As hy hier was, sou hy ons help.
If he were here, he would help us.
In sou ek bly, the main clause has sou in second position and the lexical verb bly — short enough here that it sits right after, but in a longer clause sou stays second and the bare verb waits at the end: sou ek graag in die berge bly ("would gladly live in the mountains"). The verb goes to the back; sou holds the V2 slot.
Past counterfactual ("if I had …") — the verb-cluster crux
This is the construction the brief calls the headline, and the one competitors rarely lay out in full. To say "if X had happened, Y would have happened" — both contrary to past fact — Afrikaans stacks a perfect in each clause:
- The as-clause uses the perfect het … ge-…, but because as is subordinating, the whole cluster goes to the clause end: As ek geld gehad het ("if I had had money").
- The main clause uses sou
- perfect, producing the cluster sou … ge-… het at the end: sou ek dit gekoop het ("would have bought it").
| Clause | Structure | Example |
|---|---|---|
| as-clause (condition) | as + subject + … + ge-participle + het | As ek geld gehad het |
| main clause (consequence) | sou + subject + … + ge-participle + het | sou ek dit gekoop het |
As ek geld gehad het, sou ek dit gekoop het.
If I had had money, I would have bought it.
As hy gestudeer het, sou hy geslaag het.
If he had studied, he would have passed.
As ons vroeër vertrek het, sou ons die trein gehaal het.
If we had left earlier, we would have caught the train.
Pay attention to the order inside the cluster: the past participle comes first, and het comes last (gehad het, gekoop het, geslaag het). The auxiliary het sits at the very end, after the participle — this is the clause-final cluster order detailed on verb-cluster order. In the main clause the full stack is sou … [participle] het: three verbal pieces, with sou second and het dead last.
Why sou, not sal
The single most common error is using sal ("will") in a counterfactual main clause. Sal belongs to real, expected futures; sou ("would") is the counterfactual auxiliary. The moment your sentence means "would" rather than "will", switch to sou. Think of it the way English switches from "will" to "would" — Afrikaans makes the same move with sal → sou.
As ek tyd het, sal ek jou bel.
If I have time, I'll call you. (real — sal)
As ek tyd gehad het, sou ek jou gebel het.
If I had had time, I would have called you. (counterfactual — sou)
The first is a genuine possibility (sal); the second is contrary to fact — you did not have time (sou … gebel het). The other uses of sou (politeness, reported future) are covered on the conditional; here it is purely the counterfactual marker.
A quick map of the three patterns
| Type | as-clause | main clause | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Real | as + present | present / sal + verb | As jy kom, sal ons eet. |
| Unreal present | as + was/had | sou + bare verb | As ek jy was, sou ek bly. |
| Past counterfactual | as + ge-…het | sou + ge-…het | As hy gestudeer het, sou hy geslaag het. |
Common mistakes
❌ As ek geld gehad het, sal ek dit koop.
Incorrect — a counterfactual needs sou (would), not sal (will).
✅ As ek geld gehad het, sou ek dit gekoop het.
If I had had money, I would have bought it.
❌ As hy gestudeer het, sou hy het geslaag.
Incorrect cluster order — the participle comes before het: 'geslaag het', not 'het geslaag'.
✅ As hy gestudeer het, sou hy geslaag het.
If he had studied, he would have passed.
❌ As dit reën, ons bly binne.
Incorrect — when the as-clause comes first, the main clause inverts: 'bly ons', verb before subject.
✅ As dit reën, bly ons binne.
If it rains, we stay inside.
❌ As ek het tyd, sal ek kom.
Incorrect — as is subordinating, so the verb goes to the end of its clause: 'As ek tyd het'.
✅ As ek tyd het, sal ek kom.
If I have time, I'll come.
Key takeaways
- as ("if") is a subordinator, so the verb in the if-clause goes to the end of that clause.
- A leading as-clause triggers inversion in the main clause: verb before subject (As dit reën, *bly ons binne*).
- Real conditionals use present tense (optionally sal for a future result): As jy kom, sal ons eet.
- Counterfactuals use sou ("would"), never sal. Unreal present: sou + bare verb (As ek jy was, sou ek bly).
- Past counterfactuals stack a perfect: the main clause is sou … ge-participle … het (sou ek dit gekoop het), with the participle before het and het closing the clause.
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Start learning Afrikaans→Related Topics
- The Conditional: souB1 — How Afrikaans says 'would' — sou (the past of sal) for hypotheticals and polite requests, sou + perfect for past counterfactuals, and the stacked sou wou / sou kon politeness construction.
- Subordinating: dat, omdat, as, toe, terwyl, sodatB1 — The conjunctions that introduce a dependent clause — dat, omdat, as, toe, terwyl, sodat and friends — and the one rule they all share: they send the finite verb to the very end of their clause.
- Wishes and Irrealis: ek wens, was dit maarB2 — How Afrikaans expresses wishes and counterfactuals — ek wens with sou or a past form, the particle maar that intensifies a wish, and the elegant inverted 'Was ek maar daar' formula.
- Verb Clusters at the EndB2 — When two or three verbs pile up at the end of a clause — sal kan doen, sou kon gedoen het — Afrikaans orders them auxiliary-first, modal next, main verb last, with nie closing the clause.
- Complex Grammar: OverviewB2 — Afrikaans is morphologically simple but syntactically subtle — advanced study is about combining word-order rules, not learning new endings.