01 · The shape everything is built on
Si estudias, aprendes.
If you study, you learn.
Si + present, present — the simplest version of the pattern, and the one every other si-sentence grows out of.
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If Only
Real plans, advice, and daydreams with si — spoken in a live back-and-forth, not diagrammed.
The rule that fixes most si-clause mistakes: after si in a real condition, use the present tense — never the future. Si tengo tiempo, te llamaré, not si tendré. From there, real conditionals come in three flavors: si + present → present for general truths (Si llueve, la calle se moja), → future for likely outcomes (Si estudias, aprobarás el examen), and → imperative for advice (Si tienes hambre, come algo). For daydreams and unreal situations you switch gears: si + imperfect subjunctive → conditional — Si tuviera dinero, viajaría por el mundo; Si fuera tú, hablaría con él.
Below: the sentences that carry each pattern, how locals actually hedge their plans, the classic errors — and how &Be gets these into your mouth by talking, with no fill-in-the-blank worksheets.
The warm-up pack
The 'if' sentences you'll actually say — real plans, honest advice, the odd daydream.
01 · The shape everything is built on
Si estudias, aprendes.
If you study, you learn.
Si + present, present — the simplest version of the pattern, and the one every other si-sentence grows out of.
02 · A real plan, out loud
Si tengo tiempo, te llamaré.
If I have time, I'll call you.
The mistake almost everyone makes is putting future after si too. Spanish keeps si in the present even when the result is future.
03 · Real plan vs. daydream
Si tengo tiempo, te llamaré. Si tuviera dinero, viajaría por el mundo.
If I have time, I'll call you. If I had money, I'd travel the world.
Same word, si, doing two different jobs — present tense for something that might happen, imperfect subjunctive for something that probably won't.
04 · Advice that doesn't sound bossy
Si tienes hambre, come algo.
If you're hungry, eat something.
Si + present + a command is how Spanish gives advice without it landing like an order.
05 · The favor you offer
Si necesitas ayuda, llámame.
If you need help, call me.
This exact shape is what you reach for anytime you're offering, not demanding — file it next to card 04.
06 · The reason clause
Te llamo para que vengas temprano.
I'm calling you so you come early.
Para que always drags the next verb into the subjunctive — vengas, not vienes. Worth memorizing as a pair.
07 · Same rule, everyday version
Cierra la puerta para que no entre frío.
Close the door so cold doesn't come in.
Once "para que" leaves your mouth, the subjunctive should already be loaded — entre, not entra.
08 · The daydream pattern
Si fuera tú, hablaría con él.
If I were you, I'd talk to him.
Fuera, not era — "si era tú" is the mistake almost everyone makes once before it sticks for good.
09 · The wistful version
Si pudiera, te ayudaría.
If I could, I'd help you.
Short and common, and it's about willingness, not ability — you're not saying you can't, just that circumstances won't let you.
10 · The weekend plan
Si hace buen tiempo, iremos al parque.
If the weather is good, we'll go to the park.
Casual, future-facing, completely real — this is si-clause small talk, not grammar theory.
11 · Order flips, meaning doesn't
Si terminas la tarea, podemos ver una película.
If you finish your homework, we can watch a movie.
You could just as easily say "podemos ver una película si terminas la tarea" — same comma rule, either order works.
FLUENT
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Ten-minute spoken lessons. A teacher who answers back — and gently fixes what you got wrong.
First 10 lessons freeandbefluent.com/spanish/if-onlyRegional Spanish
Textbooks teach one word. Locals use several — pick your region's and stay consistent.
Watch out
The part no drill site can do
Carla
Your grammar teacher for this pack
Nothing to fill in here — in the If Only lessons you say your conditions to Carla, and she plays with them. She takes your real plan — Si tengo tiempo, te llamo — and flips it into the daydream version: Si tuviera tiempo, te llamaría. Same idea, two reality levels, and you say both. She asks for advice and you reach for yo en tu lugar or si fuera tú; she swaps the clause order — Si terminas pronto, te llamo / Te llamo si terminas pronto — until either way feels natural out loud.
Blank mid-sentence and nothing bad happens — she waits. That's the practice, without unnecessary judgement.
Finish the 5 lessons and If Only is yours — earned, not given.
First 10 lessons free · 10-minute spoken lessons · your AI coaching team remembers you
Quick answers
No — the si-clause stays in the present even when the result is future: Si tengo tiempo, te llamaré, Si hace buen tiempo, iremos al parque. Si tendré tiempo is the giveaway error.
Hypotheticals take imperfect subjunctive + conditional: Si tuviera dinero, viajaría por el mundo. Same pattern for any unreal condition: Si pudiera, te ayudaría; Si viviera en España, aprendería más rápido.
Si fuera tú, hablaría con él — imperfect subjunctive fuera, never si era. In conversation you'll also hear the shortcuts yo en tu lugar and yo que tú.
Reality level. Si tengo tiempo, te llamo = a real, likely condition. Si tuviera tiempo, te llamaría = unreal or wishful — you probably don't have the time. Same idea, two distances from reality.
Yes, always: Te llamo para que vengas temprano; Cierra la puerta para que no entre frío. If you catch yourself saying para que + normal present, swap in the subjunctive — para que sepas, not para que sabes.