Learn Hardcore Chinese: rúguǒ nǐ yǒu shíjiān, wǒmen jiù yìqǐ qù xuéxiào. - If you have time, we will go to school together.

In the pattern 如果...就..., 就 means “then/so,” linking the condition to the result. It often also adds a sense of quickness, readiness, or a natural consequence: “If X, then we’ll (immediately) do Y.”

Is 就 required here? What happens if I omit it?

You can omit 就 and say: 如果你有时间，我们一起去学校。 It’s still correct. Including 就 makes the connection and the “readiness/then-ness” clearer and is very common in speech and writing.

Where should I place 就 in the main clause?

Typical order: Subject + 就 + (other adverbs like 一起/马上) + Verb + Object.

Here: 我们就一起去学校.
Putting 就 after 一起 (e.g., 我们一起就去学校) is possible in some contexts but is less common and can sound a bit awkward. The safest default is before other adverbs: 就一起.

Can I use 要是 or 只要 instead of 如果?

要是 (yàoshi): more colloquial, same basic meaning. Example: 要是你有时间，我们就一起去学校。
只要 (zhǐyào) ... 就 ...: “as long as.” It makes the condition feel sufficient rather than hypothetical. Example: 只要你有时间，我们就一起去学校。

How is this sentence pronounced with tone sandhi?

Key sandhi points:

你有: two third tones; the first becomes second: ní yǒu.
一起: 一 becomes fourth tone before a third tone: yìqǐ.
们 in 我们 is neutral. A natural reading: rúguǒ ní yǒu shíjiān, wǒmen jiù yìqǐ qù xuéxiào.

What’s the difference between 有时间 and 有空/有空儿?

有时间: literally “have time,” neutral and common.
有空/有空儿: “have free time” or “be available,” a bit more colloquial.
Examples:
你有时间吗？ “Do you have time?”
你有空吗？ “Are you free (available)?”

Do I need a measure word with 时间? Can I say “a bit of time”?

You can say:

有时间 (have time, general)
有点儿时间 / 有一点儿时间 (have a bit of time) If you’re counting occurrences (“times”), use 次: e.g., 三次 (three times), which is a different meaning of “time.”

Why isn’t there any tense marking for “will go”?

Mandarin doesn’t conjugate for tense. The future meaning is inferred from context (the conditional) or you can add a time word: 明天如果你有时间，我们就一起去学校。

Can I add 吧 at the end to make it a suggestion?

Yes. 如果你有时间，我们就一起去学校吧。 Adding 吧 softens it into a friendly suggestion/invitation. Without 吧, it sounds more like a plan/statement.

What’s the difference between 去学校, 到学校去, and 上学/去上学?

去学校: go to the school (the place).
到学校去: emphasizes reaching the destination; stylistically a bit more formal/complete.
上学/去上学: go to school in the sense of attending classes (activity), not necessarily emphasizing the physical location. Avoid 上学校 in modern Mandarin; say 上学.

Can I say 去到学校?

In standard Mainland Mandarin, 去到 is generally avoided; prefer 去学校 or 到学校去. 去到 appears in some regional varieties (and is common in Cantonese-influenced speech and in Taiwan), but it’s safer to use the standard forms above.

Can I move the conditional to the end?

Yes, add 的话:

我们就一起去学校，如果你有时间的话。 More commonly, you’ll see it as:
如果你有时间的话，我们就一起去学校。 or simply
你有时间的话，我们就一起去学校。

Can I drop the subject 你 in the conditional?

Yes, if context makes it clear:

如果有时间，我们就一起去学校。 Mandarin often drops obvious subjects.

Does 我们 include the listener? Is there an “exclusive we” in Chinese?

Mandarin doesn’t grammatically distinguish inclusive/exclusive “we.” 我们 could mean “we (including you)” or “we (not including you).” Here, context clearly makes it inclusive (you and I go together).

What’s the difference between 就 and 才 in this kind of sentence?

就: natural/quick consequence or readiness. “If you have time, then (we’ll) go.”
才: “only then,” often implying restriction or later-than-expected timing.
More natural uses:
只有你有时间，我们才一起去学校。 “Only if you have time will we go together.”
Using 才 directly after 如果 is possible but often sounds unnecessarily restrictive; 只有 pairs more naturally with 才.

Why is it 你有时间, not something like 你在有时间 or 你是有时间?

有 means “to have/there is,” so 你有时间 = “you have time.”
在 marks ongoing action/location, not possession; 在有时间 is ungrammatical.
是 is the copula (“to be”) used for equating nouns, not for possession.

How do I negate or change the plan if there’s no time?

Common patterns:

如果你没有时间，我们就改天去吧。 “If you don’t have time, let’s go another day.”
如果你没时间，我们就不去了。 “If you don’t have time, then we won’t go.”
Note 没(有) negates 有.

Can I add a linking 那(么) in the second clause?

Yes, to make the conclusion explicit:

如果你有时间，那(么)我们就一起去学校。
This reads like: “If you have time, then in that case, we’ll go together.”

Is the comma important? How does it affect speech?

Yes. The comma marks a prosodic pause between the condition and the result. In speech, you naturally pause slightly after 如果你有时间, then continue with 我们就一起去学校.

Are there useful variants of this pattern?

你一有时间，我们就一起去学校。 “As soon as you have time, we’ll go together.” (pattern: 一…就…)
要是你有时间，我们就马上去学校。 add 马上 (“right away”) for immediacy.