Imagining the Unreal
To talk about imaginary or hypothetical situations in the present—like having superpowers or saving the world—Farsi uses the second conditional.
Start the sentence with اگر (if). The condition (the "if" part) uses either the Simple Past or the Past Continuous tense. The result clause (the "would" part) always takes the Past Continuous.
"To Be" and "To Have"
When talking about states of being or possessing something, the اگر clause typically uses the Simple Past forms of verbs like "to be" or "to have." The result clause uses the Past Continuous (which starts with the prefix می).
| If I were a superhero, I would build a new weapon. | اگر یک ابرقهرمان بودم، سلاح جدیدی میساختم.agar yek abarghahremân boodam, selâh-e jadidi misâkhtam. |
| If she had magical power, she would defeat the enemy herself. | اگر او قدرت جادویی داشت، خودش دشمن را شکست میداد.agar u qodrat-e jâdui dâsht, khodash doshman râ shekast midâd. |
Action Verbs in the Condition
When the "if" condition involves an action rather than a state, Farsi often uses the Past Continuous in both halves of the sentence to emphasize that the scenario is currently unreal.
| If an alien attacked, no one except you would save us. | اگر یک بیگانه حمله میکرد، هیچکس به جز تو ما را نجات نمیداد.agar yek bigâne hamle mikard, hichkas be joz to mâ râ nejât nemidâd. |
| If I read his mind, I would understand his secret. | اگر ذهن او را میخواندم، راز او را میفهمیدم.agar zehn-e u râ mikhândam, râz-e u râ mifahmidam. |
Negatives and Questions
To make a hypothetical situation negative, add the negative prefix (نـ or نیـ) to the verbs just as you normally would. You can also easily turn the result clause into a question.
| If they didn't have magical power, the enemy would win. | اگر آنها قدرت جادویی نداشتند، دشمن پیروز میشد.agar ânhâ qodrat jâdui nadâshtand, doshman pirouz mishod. |
| If you had the power, would you read someone's mind? | اگر قدرت داشتی، آیا ذهن کسی را میخواندی؟agar qodrat dâshti, âyâ zehn-e kasi râ mikhândi? |
| If the villain attacked, would the superhero save the city? | اگر شرور حمله میکرد، آیا ابرقهرمان شهر را نجات میداد؟agar sharur hamle mikard, âyâ abarqahraman shahr râ nejât midâd? |