Real Conditionals with إذا
To express a real or likely condition, like the rules of a game, use إذا (if).
| if | إذاidhâ |
When using إذا, the condition verb immediately following it is usually in the past tense, even when referring to a present or future event. To show that the consequence is an absolute certainty, the result verb is frequently put in the past tense as well.
| If you roll the dice, your turn begins. | إذا رميت النرد، بدأ دورك.idhâ ramayta an-narda, bada'a dawruka. |
| If the opponent quits, his turn ends. | إذا انسحب الخصم، انتهى دوره.idhâ insahaba al-khasmu, intahâ dawruhu. |
| If you move the piece on the board, your turn ends. | إذا حركت القطعة على الرقعة، انتهى دورك.idhâ harrakta al-qitata ala ar-ruqati, intahâ dawruka |
Whether a player earns a point or suffers a penalty for cheating, both verbs remain in the past tense to state the rule definitively.
| If the player cheats, he loses a point. | إذا غش اللاعب، خسر نقطة.idhâ ghashsha l-lâ'ibu, khasira nuqtatan |
Using فـ in the Result Clause
If the result clause is a question (using هل) or a negative future statement (using لن), attach the prefix فـ to the beginning of the result clause. This acts like "then" in English.
| If he draws the card, he will not quit. | إذا سحب الورقة، فلن ينسحب.idhâ sahaba l-waraqata, falan yansahiba. |
| If the opponent rolls the dice again, does he win? | إذا رمى الخصم النرد مرة أخرى، فهل يفوز؟idhâ ramâ al-khasmu an-narda marratan ukhrâ, fahal yafûzu? |
You can also flip the sentence order and place the result before the إذا clause. When you do this, the prefix فـ is not needed.
| Do I advance if I have the dice? | هل أتقدم إذا كان عندي النرد؟hal ataqaddamu idhâ kâna indî an-nardu? |
