Questions & Answers about Если квитанция не придёт завтра, я перезвоню в банк.
Why is there a comma after завтра?
Because the sentence starts with a subordinate если-clause (Если квитанция не придёт завтра) followed by the main clause (я перезвоню в банк). In Russian, when the если-clause comes first, it’s normally separated by a comma from the main clause.
Could I put the если-clause at the end instead?
Yes. You can also say:
- Я перезвоню в банк, если квитанция не придёт завтра.
The comma is still used to separate the clauses.
Why does Russian use future tense in both parts, unlike English (If it doesn’t arrive…, I’ll call…)?
Russian commonly uses the future in both clauses when talking about a real future condition:
- не придёт = future (perfective)
- перезвоню = future (perfective)
Russian doesn’t follow the English rule of “present after if”; it simply uses the tense that matches the time reference.
What tense is придёт? It looks like present tense.