Learn French: Si la température est parfaite, la poterie délicate ne cassera pas. - If the temperature is perfect, the delicate pottery will not break.

Si la température est parfaite, la poterie délicate ne cassera pas.

If the temperature is perfect, the delicate pottery will not break.

Breakdown of Si la température est parfaite, la poterie délicate ne cassera pas.

not (used before the verb)

pas

not (used after the verb)

Questions & Answers about Si la température est parfaite, la poterie délicate ne cassera pas.

This lesson is about conjunctions like jusqu'à ce que that take the subjunctive. Why isn't the subjunctive used after si here?

Unlike jusqu'à ce que (until), the conjunction si (if) never takes the subjunctive. Instead, French uses strict tense pairings for si clauses. To express a likely future outcome, you use si + present tense (est), followed by the future tense (cassera) in the main clause.

Why is it Si la température est (present) when we are talking about a future outcome?

Just like in English (If the temperature is perfect), the verb immediately following si (if) must be in the present tense to describe a realistic condition for the future. You cannot use the future tense right after si in this type of sentence.

Why does délicate come after poterie instead of before it?

In French, most adjectives go after the noun they describe. Adjectives that go before the noun are usually short, common ones relating to Beauty, Age, Goodness, or Size (the BAGS rule), like petit or beau. Since délicate doesn't fall into those categories, it naturally follows poterie.

Could I say ne se cassera pas instead of ne cassera pas?