Si Tengo Tiempo, Voy - Real Conditionals

You can talk about the future (Lesson 1) and you can soften any request (Lesson 2). This lesson teaches you how to plan around uncertainty — the if-then logic that runs every Saturday morning conversation. Si llueve, no salimos. Si hace bueno, vamos a la sierra. Type-1 conditionals are the workhorse of everyday Spanish planning, and the grammar is simpler than English. By the end, you'll be making real plans with two-clause sentences without thinking.

The Structure — Two Halves, One Sentence

A type-1 (real) conditional in Spanish has two clauses:

Si + presente, + presente / futuro / imperativo.

The si-clause describes the condition (the "if" part). The result clause describes what happens.

Three ways to fill in the result clause:

Result type	Example	English
presente	Si llueve, no salimos.	If it rains, we don't go out.
futuro simple	Si llueve, no saldremos.	If it rains, we won't go out.
imperativo	Si llueve, quédate en casa.	If it rains, stay home.

A few full examples in each style:

Presente result (most common in everyday speech):

• Si tengo tiempo, voy a verte. – If I have time, I'll come see you.
• Si me apetece, salgo a cenar fuera. – If I feel like it, I go out for dinner.
• Si llueve, comemos en casa. – If it rains, we eat at home.

Futuro result (slightly more emphatic):

• Si terminamos pronto, iremos al cine. – If we finish early, we'll go to the cinema.
• Si me invitan, iré. – If they invite me, I'll go.
• Si hace bueno, saldremos a pasear. – If it's nice out, we'll go for a walk.

Imperative result (giving instructions):

• Si tienes hambre, coge algo de la nevera. – If you're hungry, grab something from the fridge.
• Si llaman, dile que estoy en una reunión. – If they call, tell them I'm in a meeting.
• Si no estás cansado, ven con nosotros. – If you're not tired, come with us.

The Two Cardinal Mistakes

Type-1 conditionals are simple in Spanish, but two mistakes are common enough to flag specifically. Both involve the si-clause:

Mistake 1: si + futuro. Never. Spanish does not allow si llovará or si tendré tiempo. The si-clause is always present indicative.

❌ Wrong	✅ Right
Si lloverá, no salimos.	Si llueve, no salimos.
Si tendré tiempo, voy.	Si tengo tiempo, voy.

Mistake 2: si + condicional. Same rule. Never si tendría or si querría in a real conditional. This is one of the marks of a non-native speaker — it's so common that Spaniards have a name for it (dequeísmo's cousin, "si querría").

❌ Wrong	✅ Right
Si tendría tiempo, iría.	Si tengo tiempo, iré.
Si querrías venir, ven.	Si quieres venir, ven.

The single rule that fixes both mistakes:

After si in a real conditional, always use the present indicative.

The result clause can vary — present, futuro, imperative — but the si-clause stays in plain present.

Order Doesn't Matter

You can lead with the si-clause or with the result clause. The meaning is identical:

• Si llueve, no salimos. If it rains, we don't go out.
• No salimos si llueve. We don't go out if it rains.

The only difference is rhythm. Leading with si emphasises the condition; leading with the result clause emphasises the action. Both are natural in Spanish.

A small punctuation note: when the si-clause comes first, separate the two clauses with a comma. When it comes second, no comma is needed.

Stacking with Entonces

For emphasis, Spanish often pairs si with entonces ("then") in the result clause:

• Si llueve, entonces nos quedamos en casa. – If it rains, then we stay home.
• Si no llega a las ocho, entonces empezamos sin él. – If he's not here by eight, then we start without him.

Entonces isn't required, but it makes the if-then logic explicit and shows up constantly in spoken Spanish, especially when discussing plans with multiple branches.

A close cousin: en ese caso ("in that case") replies to a previous condition:

Pablo: Mañana puede que llueva. Marta: En ese caso, nos quedamos en casa.

Pablo: It might rain tomorrow. Marta: In that case, we stay home.

Common Triggers

A short list of si-clauses that come up in everyday Spanish planning:

Spanish	English
si llueve	if it rains
si hace bueno	if the weather's good
si hace calor	if it's hot
si hace frío	if it's cold
si tengo tiempo	if I have time
si puedo	if I can
si me apetece	if I feel like it
si quieres	if you want
si no estás cansado	if you're not tired
si terminamos pronto	if we finish early
si me invitan	if they invite me
si te parece bien	if it's OK with you
si no	if not
si acaso	if anything

Practice

Words to Remember

Spanish	English
si	if
entonces	then
en ese caso	in that case
depende	it depends
si llueve	if it rains
si hace bueno	if the weather's good
si tengo tiempo	if I have time
si puedo	if I can
si me apetece	if I feel like it
si quieres	if you want
si no estás cansado	if you're not tired
si terminamos pronto	if we finish early
si te parece bien	if it's OK with you
si no	if not
si acaso	if anything
comer en casa	to eat at home
salir a pasear	to go for a walk
ir al cine	to go to the cinema
quedarse en casa	to stay home
empezar sin alguien	to start without someone

Conversation

Planning Saturday over WhatsApp

Marta: Si hace bueno, vamos a la sierra. If it's nice out, we'll go to the mountains.

Pablo: ¿Y si llueve? And if it rains?

Marta: Si llueve, nos quedamos en casa y vemos una peli. If it rains, we stay home and watch a film.

Telling a colleague to come along

Lucía: Si terminas pronto, ven con nosotros al bar. If you finish early, come with us to the bar.

Diego: Si puedo, voy. ¿A qué hora salís? If I can, I'll come. What time do you leave?

Lucía: Sobre las ocho. Si no llegas, te llamo. Around eight. If you don't arrive, I'll call you.

Coordinating with a friend on the phone

Carmen: Si quieres, paso a recogerte. If you want, I'll come pick you up.

Javi: Vale, si te parece bien, sobre las siete. OK, if it works for you, around seven.

Carmen: Trato hecho. Si llueve, cogemos un taxi. Deal. If it rains, we'll grab a taxi.