Breakdown of Если мы завтра посадим зерно, то оно будет быстро расти.
оно
it
мы
we
быстро
fast, quickly
быть
to be
Questions & Answers about Если мы завтра посадим зерно, то оно будет быстро расти.
The English translation says 'If we plant' in the present tense. Why does the Russian use the future tense посадим?
In English, we use the present tense in the 'if' part of a future condition. Russian is more literal here: because the action is happening in the future, you use the future tense in both halves of the sentence. The verb посадим is the perfective future form, meaning 'we will plant'.
Do I always have to use то after an если clause?
No, it is optional! In Russian, you can say Если ..., то ... (If ..., then ...) or just leave out the то, exactly like the word 'then' is often dropped in English. Using то just makes the connection between the condition and the result a little stronger.
Why does the second half use the imperfective future будет расти instead of a single perfective verb?
This highlights the difference in verb aspects! Planting the grain (посадим) is a single, completed action, so it uses the perfective aspect. But growing (расти) is a continuous process. By using the compound future будет расти, the sentence focuses on the ongoing action of the grain growing over time.
Why is the word for 'it' оно in this sentence?
In Russian, pronouns must match the gender of the noun they replace. Here, 'it' refers back to зерно (grain), which ends in -о and is a neuter noun. Therefore, you must use the neuter pronoun оно.