Regresaré a casa temprano si llueve esta tarde.

I will return home early if it rains this afternoon.

Breakdown of Regresaré a casa temprano si llueve esta tarde.

• yo: I
• la casa: the house
• a: to
• temprano: early
• esta: this
• la tarde: the afternoon
• regresar: to return
• llover: to rain

Questions & Answers about Regresaré a casa temprano si llueve esta tarde.

Why is Regresaré in the future tense instead of the present tense?

In Spanish, the future tense is used to talk about something that will happen later, just like "I will return" in English. Using regreso would mean "I return" in the present tense, which doesn’t convey the idea of a future plan or action.

Why do we say a casa and not en casa to mean "home"?

In Spanish, a casa means "to home," indicating movement toward your house, while en casa typically means "at home," showing you are already there. Since you’re talking about going home, a casa is correct.

Why is temprano used here instead of pronto? Aren’t they both used for "early"?

They can sometimes overlap, but temprano generally means "early" in a time-related sense (earlier than usual in the day), while pronto often means "soon" or "quickly." In this sentence, temprano focuses on coming back earlier than normal because of the rain.

Why do we use the present tense llueve after si, if this talks about a future action?

In Spanish, it’s common to use the present tense in a si (if) clause when referring to a possibility in the future. This construction mirrors the idea "If it rains later..." but in Spanish, the present tense is used: si llueve.

Why is there no article before esta tarde?

When referring to parts of the day with este/esta, Spanish doesn’t require an article. Esta tarde means "this afternoon," and including a separate article is unnecessary.