Mission: imagine winning the lottery
Hypotheses with si, imagined (si + imparfait, conditionnel) versus real (si + présent, futur). Talk about what might happen and what you would do.
FrenchB1 · Hypotheses and plansAbout 6 min: 3 reading, 3 practiceUpdated
- Imagine unreal situations with si + imparfait and the conditionnel
- Talk about real possibilities with si + présent and the futur
- Never put the conditional right after si
- Use si j'étais toi to advise
- Choose between real and imagined
Hypotheses and plans: lesson 2 of 4
- B1 · Hypotheses and plans
- Mission: give a friend advice 7 min
- Mission: imagine winning the lottery 6 min
- Mission: describe how you do things 7 min
- Mission: talk about your ambitions at a job interview 6 min
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Level Level B1 (around the DELF B1 exam). Real French: chatting with a friend about what you would do with a lot of money.
What it is
Your mission: your friend Théo is buying a lottery ticket and asks, « Si tu gagnais un million d'euros, qu'est-ce que tu ferais ? » Tell him your three first moves, then say what you will do this weekend if it rains.
French has two main kinds of si sentences (if sentences) that you must keep apart:
| Kind | Pattern |
|---|---|
| Real, possible | si + présent, futur |
| Imagined, unlikely | si + imparfait, conditionnel |
With a real si, the main clause can also be the present or an imperative: Si tu veux, on y va. / Si tu finis tôt, appelle-moi.
- Real: Si j'ai le temps demain, j'irai à la piscine. (I might well have time.)
- Imagined: Si je gagnais au loto, j'achèterais une maison. (I probably won't win.)
The golden rule: never put a conditional or a futur right after si in an if-clause. In an if-clause the tense after si is normally the présent or the imparfait (never the conditional or the futur); the passé composé is also fine: Si tu as fini, appelle-moi. Not wrong: si je gagnerais, not wrong: si je gagnerai.
Elision: si + il(s) becomes s'il(s): s'il pleut. (si elle stays as it is.)
Advising: Si j'étais toi, je… (If I were you, I would…): Si j'étais toi, je changerais de travail. French uses j'étais here, never je serais.
Quick check
Tap an answer to check it.
Imagined situation: "If I had more time, I would travel."
- A conditional never follows si in an if-clause
- si + présent goes with the futur, not with the conditional
Show answer
Si j'avais plus de temps, je voyagerais.. imagined = si + imparfait, conditionnel.
Why it matters
Daydreaming, giving advice, negotiating (si vous me proposiez un meilleur prix, j'accepterais) and comparing options all need si sentences. Getting the tenses right here makes you sound clearly B1 rather than A2.
Worked example
On the phone with a friend:
- Théo: Je joue au loto ce soir ! Si tu gagnais un million, qu'est-ce que tu ferais ?
- You: D'abord, je paierais mes dettes. Ensuite, si j'avais assez d'argent, j'achèterais une petite maison à la mer.
- Théo: Et tu arrêterais de travailler ?
- You: Non ! Je ne ferais pas ça. Je travaillerais moins, c'est tout.
- Théo: Et ce week-end, tu fais quoi ?
- You: S'il pleut, je resterai à la maison. S'il fait beau, nous irons à la plage.
Real French: Et si on allait au cinéma ? (How about going to the cinema?) is a very common way to make a suggestion: et si + imparfait.
Common mistake
Putting the conditional after si: wrong: Si j'aurais de l'argent, j'achèterais une voiture. Say Si j'avais de l'argent, j'achèterais une voiture. The same goes for the futur: wrong: S'il pleuvra is wrong; say s'il pleut, ….
More detail: the one exception
The ban is for if clauses. Si also means whether in indirect questions, and there the conditional is allowed: Je me demande si ce serait possible. (I wonder whether it would be possible.) In an if clause it is never allowed.
Quick check
Tap an answer to check it.
Which sentence is correct?
- A conditional never follows si in an if-clause
- Imparfait after si needs the conditional, not the futur
Show answer
Si j'avais de l'argent, j'achèterais une voiture.. si + imparfait, conditionnel.
Key terms
- si + imparfait, conditionnel
- imagined, unlikely or unreal situation
- si + présent, futur (or imperative)
- real, possible situation
- si j'étais toi, je…
- if I were you, I would…
- s'il / s'ils
- si before il / ils
- et si on… ?
- what if we…? / how about…?
- gagner au loto
- to win the lottery
- un million d'euros
- a million euros
Practise the key terms
Tap a card to turn it over. 7 cards.
| Front | Back |
|---|---|
| si + imparfait, conditionnel | imagined, unlikely or unreal situation |
| si + présent, futur (or imperative) | real, possible situation |
| si j'étais toi, je… | if I were you, I would… |
| s'il / s'ils | si before il / ils |
| et si on… ? | what if we…? / how about…? |
| gagner au loto | to win the lottery |
| un million d'euros | a million euros |
Practice
Sort it
Real possibility or imagined?
Si j'ai le temps, je viendrai.
si + présent, futurShow answer
Real. si + présent, futur
Si j'avais le temps, je viendrais.
si + imparfait, conditionnelShow answer
Imagined. si + imparfait, conditionnel
S'il pleut demain, nous resterons ici.
si + présent, futurShow answer
Real. si + présent, futur
Si j'étais riche, j'achèterais un château.
si + imparfait, conditionnelShow answer
Imagined. si + imparfait, conditionnel
Si tu finis tôt, appelle-moi.
si + présent, imperativeShow answer
Real. si + présent, imperative
Quick quiz
Tap an answer to check it.
Real possibility: "If it rains tomorrow, we'll stay at home."
- imparfait after si needs the conditional
- The futur never follows si in an if-clause
Show answer
S'il pleut demain, nous resterons à la maison.. si + présent, futur.
Imagined: "If I won, I would buy a house."
- A conditional never follows si in an if-clause
- si + présent goes with the futur, not the conditional
Show answer
Si je gagnais, j'achèterais une maison.. si + imparfait, conditionnel.
Advice to a friend: "If I were you, I would call her."
- A conditional never follows si in an if-clause
- The main clause needs the conditional
Show answer
Si j'étais toi, je l'appellerais.. si + imparfait (j'étais), conditionnel.
Build the sentence
Build "If I won the lottery, I would travel everywhere." Start with si.
Show answer
Si je gagnais au loto, je voyagerais partout.. si + imparfait, then the conditional.
Practise speaking
Studyfern has no voice tools of its own. To practise out loud, copy this prompt into a voice-capable AI assistant and talk with it.
Mission role-play. You are Théo, my friend who is about to buy a lottery ticket. Speak naturally but clearly, at level B1, using tu. Start with « Alors, si tu gagnais un million d'euros, qu'est-ce que tu ferais ? ». Ask one question at a time, and keep asking follow-ups (« Et ensuite ? », « Tu arrêterais de travailler ? »). Then ask what I will do this weekend if the weather is bad, so I must use si + présent and the futur. After each of my answers, tell me in English what kind of mistake I made, if any, and let me try again; watch the tense after si and never accept a conditional right after si. When I have used si + imparfait with the conditional three times and si + présent with the futur once, say « Mission accomplie ! » and give me one tip. Keep every reply under 3 sentences.
Listen too. Listen to native speakers before and after: see the free listening and shadowing links.
Good to know. AI feedback on pronunciation is hit and miss, so check yourself against native recordings. Many assistants turn your speech into text first, so a vowel or liaison you got wrong may be silently “heard” as the right word. Don't share personal details: use a made-up name and town.
New to this? Read Practising speaking with an AI.
In short
- Real, possible: si + présent, futur (or imperative).
- Imagined: si + imparfait, conditionnel.
- Never a conditional or a futur right after si in an if-clause.
- Si j'étais toi, je… advises; s'il(s) before il(s); et si on… ? suggests.
Mastery check
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Check yourself
Answer in your head first, then open the answer. Nothing is saved.
Complete: « Si j'avais une voiture, je (aller) à la mer. »
Show answer
j'irais (si j'avais une voiture, j'irais à la mer).
Which tense follows si for a real possibility?
Show answer
The présent (with the futur in the main clause): s'il fait beau, nous sortirons.
Say "If I were you, I would wait."
Show answer
Si j'étais toi, j'attendrais.
Further reading
- TV5MONDE, Apprendre le français: free exercises on real clips.
- RFI, Journal en français facile, daily news in simple French.
Finished? Mark it done to fill in your leaf on the French map.