Breakdown of Плакат будет висеть, даже если активисты уйдут.
быть
to be
даже
even
висеть
to hang
уйти
to leave (on foot, pf) / to retreat into solitude
если
if
активист
activist
плакат
poster
Questions & Answers about Плакат будет висеть, даже если активисты уйдут.
Why does даже если use the regular future tense (уйдут) here instead of the subjunctive with бы?
We use the indicative mood (regular future tense) after даже если when the condition is seen as a real, open possibility in the future. If we wanted to express a hypothetical or unlikely situation ('even if the activists were to leave'), we would add бы and use the past tense: даже если бы активисты ушли.
Why do we use the imperfective future (будет висеть) in the main clause, but the perfective future (уйдут) in the 'even if' clause?
будет висеть is imperfective because it describes an ongoing state: the poster will remain hanging for a continuous period. уйдут, on the other hand, is perfective because it describes a single, completed event: the departure of the activists.
Could we use повесит instead of будет висеть to make both sides perfective?
No, because they mean different things. висеть is an intransitive verb meaning 'to be in a hanging state.' If you used the perfective повесит, it would come from the transitive verb повесить, which means 'to hang something up,' and it would require a subject doing the hanging (e.g., 'he will hang the poster').
Is a comma always required before даже если?
Yes. Just like with a standard если clause, Russian punctuation rules require a comma to separate the main clause from the subordinate clause, no matter which one comes first.
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