A conditional clause states what must hold for another situation to follow. Catalan si covers the open “if” relation, whereas sempre que and a condició que impose a positive restriction and tret que / llevat que name the exception that blocks the result. The connector and mood jointly show how strongly the speaker restricts the proposition.
Decision table
| Connector | Core meaning | Typical mood | Register |
|---|---|---|---|
| si | open if; real or unreal condition | indicative for open conditions; imperfect/pluperfect subjunctive for unreal ones | neutral |
| sempre que | provided that / whenever | subjunctive for restriction; indicative for habitual “whenever” | neutral |
| a condició que | on condition that | subjunctive | neutral to formal |
| tret que | unless / except if | subjunctive | neutral |
| llevat que | unless / except if | subjunctive | careful or formal |
Si demà plou, farem el dinar a dins.
If it rains tomorrow, we'll have lunch indoors.
Pots fer servir el meu despatx sempre que el deixis endreçat.
You may use my office provided that you leave it tidy.
Et renovaran la beca a condició que aprovis totes les assignatures.
They'll renew your grant on condition that you pass every subject.
Sortirem a les vuit, tret que hi hagi una incidència greu.
We'll leave at eight unless there is a serious incident.
Si: the open condition
In a likely or genuinely open condition, si takes an indicative form. For present or future reference, Catalan normally uses the present indicative in the si-clause; the main clause can contain a future, imperative, modal, or present form.
Si tens fred, agafa la manta del sofà.
If you're cold, take the blanket from the sofa.
Si trobem entrades, dissabte anirem al concert.
If we find tickets, we'll go to the concert on Saturday.
Si l'Èric ja ha dinat, no cal que li preparis res.
If Èric has already had lunch, you don't need to make him anything.
Do not copy English will into the condition as a routine marker of future time. Si plourà is not the neutral equivalent of if it rains. A future form after si can occur with special conjectural or echoic values, but it is not the A2 pattern.
Unreal and counterfactual si
For a hypothetical present or future condition viewed as remote, Catalan uses si + imperfect subjunctive, with the conditional in the result. For a counterfactual past, it uses si + pluperfect subjunctive, usually with a conditional perfect result. The asymmetry is real: do not put the conditional directly after conditional si.
The full tense patterns are developed under present unreal conditions; here the important point is how si selects the clause form.
Si tinguéssim més espai, convidaríem tota la colla.
If we had more room, we'd invite the whole group.
Si m'ho haguessis dit abans, hauria canviat la reserva.
If you had told me earlier, I would have changed the booking.
Compare the stance in this minimal pair:
Si tenim temps, visitarem també el museu.
If we have time, we'll visit the museum too. — open possibility.
Si tinguéssim temps, visitaríem també el museu.
If we had time, we'd visit the museum too. — remote or contrary-to-expectation.
Sempre que: whenever or provided that
Sempre que + indicative can mean habitual whenever: it reports a repeated correlation. Sempre que + subjunctive often means restrictive provided that: permission or outcome is granted only under that condition. Context and mood distinguish the readings.
Sempre que venia a Girona, ens portava xuixos.
Whenever she came to Girona, she brought us xuixos. — repeated fact.
Pots convidar qui vulguis, sempre que m'avisis abans.
You can invite whoever you like, provided that you tell me beforehand.
La garantia serà vàlida sempre que el producte s'hagi instal·lat correctament. (formal)
The warranty will be valid provided that the product has been installed correctly.
The restrictive clause can precede the result for emphasis: Sempre que m'avisis abans, pots convidar qui vulguis. With initial position, use a comma.
A condició que: an explicit negotiated requirement
A condició que + subjunctive makes the restriction explicit and often sounds contractual or negotiated. It is useful when one participant grants something in exchange for compliance with a requirement.
Et deixaré la càmera a condició que no la deixis al cotxe.
I'll lend you the camera on condition that you don't leave it in the car.
L'acord entrarà en vigor a condició que les dues parts el ratifiquin. (formal)
The agreement will enter into force on condition that both parties ratify it.
The standard form is a condició que, not Spanish-influenced amb la condició de que. When the construction is nominal and followed by an infinitive, amb la condició de + infinitive can be grammatical, but do not blend the two patterns.
Tret que and llevat que: the blocking exception
Tret que and llevat que mean unless / except if. They name the exceptional circumstance that would prevent the main result. Both normally take the subjunctive because the exception is entertained rather than asserted. Tret que is broadly neutral; llevat que is especially common in careful and formal language.
Demà anirem d'excursió, tret que nevi durant la nit.
Tomorrow we'll go hiking unless it snows overnight.
No es retornarà l'import, llevat que el servei s'hagi cancel·lat. (formal)
The amount will not be refunded unless the service has been cancelled.
La Júlia vindrà, tret que li canviïn el torn a última hora.
Júlia will come unless they change her shift at the last minute.
English learners sometimes stack negation: unless it doesn't rain. Translate the logical meaning, not each word. Tret que plogui means that rain is the exception; do not add no unless the exceptional event itself is negative.
Hi serem tots, tret que la Mireia no pugui canviar-se el torn.
We'll all be there, unless Mireia can't swap her shift. — no belongs to the exceptional proposition itself.
Scope, clitics, and constituent order
The placement of a conditional clause affects information structure, not its internal clitic grammar. An initial condition frames the whole result and takes a comma. A final condition is often the newly added restriction. Compare:
Si me'l tornes divendres, et puc deixar el portàtil.
If you return it to me on Friday, I can lend you the laptop. — condition first.
Et puc deixar el portàtil, sempre que me'l tornis divendres.
I can lend you the laptop, provided that you return it to me on Friday. — permission first, restriction added.
An embedded condition can interrupt a larger clause:
La responsable ha aclarit que, si el sistema torna a fallar, ens enviaran el document per correu electrònic.
The manager clarified that, if the system fails again, they'll send us the document by email.
A natural dialogue
—Em deixes la furgoneta dissabte? —Sí, sempre que me la tornis abans de les sis. —I si hi ha molt trànsit? —Truca'm; no passa res, tret que la necessiti la meva germana.
—Can I borrow the van on Saturday? —Yes, provided you bring it back before six. —And if there's heavy traffic? —Call me; it's fine, unless my sister needs it.
Regional and register guidance
These connectors are standard across Catalan varieties. Excepte que is also used, while llevat que may feel more characteristic of formal written Catalan. Valencian standards share the same syntax but may use forms such as aprove where Central Catalan has aprovi. Avoid treating Catalan si exactly like Spanish si merely because the spelling matches; learn the Catalan verb forms and clitic order independently.
Short correction task
- Si arribaràs tard, avisa'm.
- T'ajudaria si podria.
- Pots quedar-te, sempre que reculls la cuina.
Si arribes tard, avisa'm.
If you're going to be late, let me know. — present indicative for an open future condition.
T'ajudaria si pogués.
I'd help you if I could. — imperfect subjunctive in the unreal condition.
Pots quedar-te, sempre que recullis la cuina.
You can stay, provided that you tidy the kitchen. — restrictive subjunctive.
Common Mistakes
❌ Si tindré notícies, t'escriuré.
Incorrect — routine future reference after si takes the present indicative.
✅ Si tinc notícies, t'escriuré.
If I get any news, I'll write to you.
❌ Si seria més barat, el compraríem.
Incorrect — do not put the conditional after conditional si.
✅ Si fos més barat, el compraríem.
If it were cheaper, we'd buy it.
❌ Vindrem, tret que plourà.
Incorrect — the contemplated exception takes the subjunctive.
✅ Vindrem, tret que plogui.
We'll come unless it rains.
❌ Ho accepto amb condició que ho revisis.
Nonstandard blend of two constructions.
✅ Ho accepto a condició que ho revisis.
I accept it on condition that you review it.
Key Takeaways
- An open condition uses si + indicative; routine future reference takes the present indicative, not the future.
- An unreal condition uses si + imperfect or pluperfect subjunctive, while the result normally carries the conditional.
- Sempre que can mean factual “whenever” with the indicative or restrictive “provided that” with the subjunctive.
- A condició que states a requirement; tret que and llevat que introduce the exception that would block the result.
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Start learning Catalan →Related Topics
- Imperfect Subjunctive for Present or Future UnrealityB1 — Use the imperfect subjunctive for remote conditions, counterfactual present situations, wishes, and politely distanced proposals.
- Indicative or Subjunctive?B1 — Choose Catalan indicative or subjunctive by deciding whether a clause is asserted or placed inside desire, evaluation, nonidentification, or another nonassertive frame.
- Temporal ConjunctionsA2 — Link events with quan, mentre, abans que, després que, fins que, and tan bon punt while choosing mood according to whether the event is asserted or still projected.
- Concessive ConjunctionsA2 — Express an obstacle that does not overturn the main result with encara que, malgrat que, tot i que, and per més que, choosing mood by factual stance.
- Result and Consequence ConjunctionsA2 — How Catalan presents actual consequences and intended outcomes with així que, de manera que, tan… que, and tant… que.