Learn Hardcore Spanish (Latin America): Si llueve, iremos en metro en lugar de tomar un taxi. - If it rains, we will go by subway instead of taking a taxi.

Because this sentence expresses a real or likely condition. In Spanish, when you talk about a possible future event under a “si” clause, you normally pair the present indicative in the si‐clause with the future indicative in the main clause. This is called the first conditional. Using the subjunctive (Si lloviera, iríamos) would make it more hypothetical or unlikely.

Why do we use the future tense iremos instead of some other form like vamos a ir or the conditional iríamos?

Iremos is the simple future (“we will go”). It directly matches the first conditional structure (Si + present indicative, future indicative). You could also say vamos a ir en metro colloquially, but iremos is more formal. Using the conditional iríamos would shift the mood to a hypothetical scenario (Si lloviera, iríamos).

How does the structure “Si + present indicative, future” compare to English?

It’s very similar to “If it rains, we will go by subway.” In Spanish:
• “Si llueve” = “If it rains” (present tense for the condition)
• “iremos” = “we will go” (future tense for the result)

Why do we say en metro and not por metro or con metro?

Spanish uses en to indicate the means of transport: en metro, en autobús, en coche.
• Por would suggest reason or cause, not means.
• Con is rarely used for mass transit.
Also, we usually omit the article here. Saying en el metro is possible if you mean “on the subway system” rather than “by subway.”

Could we say en el metro instead of en metro? What’s the difference?

Yes, you can say en el metro, but it shifts the nuance:
• en metro = “by subway” (mode of transport, general)
• en el metro = “in/at the subway” (referring to the physical system or station)

Why is the phrase en lugar de used, and what does it mean?

En lugar de means “instead of” or “in place of.” It introduces an alternative action. You could also use en vez de with the same meaning; both are standard.

Why is the verb tomar in the infinitive after en lugar de?

After any preposition in Spanish (here de in en lugar de), the following verb must be in the infinitive:
“en lugar de + [infinitive].”
Hence en lugar de tomar un taxi, not tomamos or tomaramos.

Can we drop the article un in tomar un taxi and just say tomar taxi?

Dropping un can sound less natural. Normally you say tomar un taxi (“take a taxi”). Without un, it’s grammatically possible but unusual in most Latin American dialects.

Why is tomar used for “take a taxi”? Are there other verbs?

In Latin America, tomar is the standard verb for “take” when talking about transportation: tomar un taxi, tomar un autobús. In Spain, you often hear cojer (written coger) for the same meaning. In some Latin American countries, however, coger has other connotations, so tomar is safest.

Do we need a comma after “Si llueve” and before “iremos en metro…”?

Yes. When the si‐clause comes first, you separate it from the main clause with a comma:
“Si llueve, iremos en metro…”
If you reverse the order (“Iremos en metro si llueve”), the comma is optional.