Learn Spanish (Latin America): Si viene una helada fuerte, perderemos todo el trigo. - If a strong frost comes, we will lose all the wheat.

Si viene una helada fuerte, perderemos todo el trigo.

If a strong frost comes, we will lose all the wheat.

Breakdown of Si viene una helada fuerte, perderemos todo el trigo.

Questions & Answers about Si viene una helada fuerte, perderemos todo el trigo.

Why is it viene (present tense) instead of the future tense or subjunctive, since the frost hasn't come yet?

In Spanish, when talking about a likely or possible condition in the future using si (if), you must use the present indicative (viene). You cannot use the future tense or present subjunctive immediately after si in this type of "if-then" sentence.

How would I change this to say "Even if a strong frost comes..." using the concessive clauses from this lesson?

You could say "Por más que venga una helada fuerte..." or "Por mucho que venga una helada fuerte...". Because a future frost is a hypothetical event that hasn't happened yet, you must use the subjunctive (venga) after these phrases, unlike the regular si clause which takes the indicative.

Why is the verb viene placed before the subject una helada fuerte?

In Spanish, especially with verbs of motion or arrival like venir (to come) or llegar (to arrive), it is very common and natural to put the verb before the subject. Saying "Si una helada fuerte viene..." is grammatically fine, but putting the verb first sounds much more natural to native speakers.

Is helada related to the word for ice cream (helado)?