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Si tocas el timbre, abriré la puerta.

Si tocas el timbre, abriré la puerta.
If you ring the doorbell, I will open the door.
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Questions & Answers about Si tocas el timbre, abriré la puerta.

What does si mean here, and why doesn’t it have an accent?
  • si without an accent means if.
  • sí with an accent means yes or the reflexive pronoun oneself (as in sí mismo).
  • In this sentence it’s the conditional if, so no accent: si.
Why is the present tense (tocas) used after si instead of a future tense?
  • In Spanish, real/likely conditions use: si + present indicative + future/imperative/present.
  • So: Si tocas, not Si tocarás. The future is not used after si in conditional clauses.
  • Exception: with si meaning whether (not conditional), the future is fine: No sé si tocarás el timbre (I don’t know whether you’ll ring).
Why is the future (abriré) used in the main clause?
  • abriré expresses a promise, decision, or prediction about the future.
  • Alternatives:
    • Si tocas el timbre, voy a abrir la puerta (near future, like “I’m going to …”).
    • Si tocas el timbre, abro la puerta (can express an immediate, scheduled, or habitual response).
Could I say Si tocas el timbre, abro la puerta?
  • Yes. With both verbs in the present, it often expresses a habitual or programmed response.
  • With abriré, it sounds more like a one-time promise or a firm decision about the future.
Why not Si toques el timbre? Isn’t subjunctive used for uncertainty?
  • Not in real conditional clauses with si. Use the indicative: Si tocas.
  • Subjunctive with si appears in the “unreal/less likely” pattern: Si tocaras el timbre, abriría la puerta (If you were to ring, I would open).
  • Also, after time expressions like cuando referring to the future: Cuando toques el timbre, abriré la puerta (see below).
Can I swap the clause order? Do I need the comma?
  • Both are fine:
    • Si tocas el timbre, abriré la puerta. (Comma required.)
    • Abriré la puerta si tocas el timbre. (No comma.)
Who is tocas addressing: tú or usted?
  • tocas = tú (informal singular).
  • Formal singular (usted): Si toca (usted) el timbre, abriré la puerta.
  • Plural: Si tocáis (vosotros, Spain) / Si tocan (ustedes).
Is tocar el timbre the natural way to say “ring the doorbell” in Spain? Any alternatives?
  • Yes, tocar el timbre is the standard phrase.
  • Common alternatives (Spain):
    • llamar al timbre
    • dar(le) al timbre
    • pulsar el timbre
    • apretar el botón del timbre
  • Note: llamar a la puerta normally means “to knock on the door,” not to ring. In much of Latin America, tocar la puerta = “knock.”
What if I mean the intercom/buzzer in an apartment building?
  • Common Spain terms: el telefonillo, el portero (automático), el interfono.
  • Example: Si llamas al telefonillo, te abro.
Why la puerta (the door) and not una puerta or no article?
  • The definite article la is used because the door is specific/understood from context (the entrance door).
  • una puerta would sound like any random door, which isn’t intended here.
  • Don’t add the preposition a: it’s abrir la puerta, not abrir a la puerta.
Can I replace la puerta with pronouns?
  • Yes:
    • La abriré = I’ll open it (the door).
    • Te abriré (la puerta) = I’ll open (the door) for you.
    • Te la abriré = I’ll open it for you.
  • With usted (indirect object le), remember le/les → se before a direct object pronoun: Si toca el timbre, se la abriré.
How do I say a less likely or hypothetical condition?
  • Use the “second conditional”: Si tocaras el timbre, abriría la puerta.
  • For a past contrary-to-fact: Si hubieras tocado el timbre, habría abierto la puerta.
How do I express past-time conditions?
  • Habitual in the past: Si tocabas el timbre, abría la puerta.
  • One specific completed event: Si tocaste el timbre, abrí la puerta. (Often implies sequence or verification.)
Can I use cuando instead of si?
  • Yes, but it changes the nuance:
    • Cuando toques el timbre, abriré la puerta. = When you ring (I expect you will), I’ll open.
    • With cuando referring to the future, use the present subjunctive (toques), not tocarás.
Is abriré spelled with an accent? What does it tell me?
  • Yes: abriré. The accent marks the stress on the last syllable (-ré) and distinguishes it from other forms (e.g., abre = he/she opens; command to tú: open).
  • Writing abrire is incorrect.
Any pronunciation tips?
  • Si tocas el timbre, abriré la puerta:
    • Stress: si TO-cas el TIM-bre, a-bri-RÉ la PUER-ta.
    • Single r in timbre/abriré/puerta is a quick tap.
    • c before a in tocas = hard [k].
    • b between vowels (as in abriré) is a soft bilabial fricative.
    • ue in puerta is a diphthong [we].
Can the main clause be an imperative?
  • Yes: Si tocan el timbre, abre la puerta. (If they ring, open the door.)
  • The imperative cannot go in the si-clause; it goes in the main clause only.
How do I negate it?
  • Si no tocas el timbre, no abriré la puerta.
  • You can negate either clause as needed: Si tocas el timbre, no abriré la puerta, etc.