The Second Conditional
To imagine a hypothetical situation in the present or future, use the second conditional. In English, we say "If I were on Mars, I would wear a spacesuit."
In French, pair si (if) with the imparfait (imperfect tense) for the condition, and use the conditionnel (conditional tense) for the result:
Si + [Imparfait] ➔ [Conditionnel]
| If the gravity were less strong, the astronaut would float. | Si la gravité était moins forte, l'astronaute flotterait. |
| If I were on Mars, I would wear the suit for the oxygen. | Si j'étais sur Mars, je porterais la combinaison pour l'oxygène. |
| If we had a base in the galaxy, we would live there. | Si nous avions une base dans la galaxie, nous y habiterions. |
Elision with "Si"
The word si drops its i and uses an apostrophe before il or ils (s'il, s'ils). It does not change before elle or elles (si elle, si elles).
| If there were no gravity, everything would float. | S'il n'y avait pas de gravité, tout flotterait. |
| If they left the solar system, they would explore a new galaxy. | S'ils quittaient le système solaire, ils exploreraient une nouvelle galaxie. |
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