4. Used to introduce an exclamatory clause, indicating a wish: If they had only come earlier!

A possibility, condition, or stipulation: There will be no ifs, ands, or buts in this matter.

[Middle English, from Old English gif ; see i- in Indo-European roots .]

Usage Note: In informal writing both if and whether are standard in their use to introduce a clause indicating uncertainty after a verb such as ask, doubt, know, learn, or see: We shall soon learn whether (or if ) it is true. In such contexts, however, the use of if can sometimes create ambiguities. Depending on the intended meaning, the sentence Let her know if she is invited might be better paraphrased as Let her know whether she is invited or If she is invited, let her know. · In conditional sentences the clause introduced by if may contain either a past subjunctive verb (if I were going ) or an indicative verb (if I am going; if I was going ), depending on the intended meaning. According to the traditional rule, the subjunctive should be used to describe an occurrence that is presupposed to be contrary to fact, as in if I were ten years younger or if Napoleon had won at Waterloo. The main verb of such a sentence must then contain the modal verb would or (less frequently) should: If America were still a British colony, we would have an anthem that human voices could sing. If I were the president, I should (or would ) declare November 1 a national holiday. When the situation described by the if clause is not presupposed to be false, however, that clause must contain an indicative verb, and the choice of verb in the main clause will depend on the intended meaning: If Hamlet was really written by Marlowe, as many have argued, then we have underestimated Marlowe's genius. If Kevin was out all day, then it makes sense that he couldn't answer the phone. Note also that the presence of the modal verb would in the main clause should not be taken as a sign that the verb in the if clause must be in the subjunctive, if the content of that clause is not presupposed to be false: If there is anything I can do to help, I should be happy to do so. He would always call her from the office if he was (not were ) going to be late for dinner. · Again according to the traditional rule, the subjunctive is not correctly used following verbs such as ask or wonder in if clauses that express indirect questions, even if the content of the question is presumed to be contrary to fact: We wondered if dinner was (not were ) included in the room price. Some of the people we met even asked us if California was (not were ) an island. · With all deference to the traditional rules governing the use of the subjunctive, it should be noted that a survey of the prose of reputable writers over the past 200 years would reveal a persistent tendency to use the indicative was where the traditional rule would require the subjunctive were. A sentence beginning If I was the only boy in the world, while not strictly correct, is wholly unremarkable. But the corresponding practice of using the subjunctive in place of the indicative may be labeled a hypercorrection. · In spoken English there is a growing tendency to use would have in place of the subjunctive in contrary-to-fact clauses, as in If she would have only listened to me, this would have never happened. But in our 1995 survey, only 14 percent of the Usage Panel accepted this sentence. · When used as a coordinator, the phrase if not always signals a contrast, but it can have almost contradictory meanings, depending on the context. Sometimes it can mean "but not," as in She won her team's admiration, if not its award, for her performance in the playoffs and The board was encouraged, if not convinced, by the budgetary projections. At other times, especially when there is a comparison of two adjectives or noun phrases in which the second represents a significant increase in degree above the first, if not usually means "and even," as in This job will be difficult, if not impossible and The law practice includes clients from all over the state, if not the country. Since many sentences of this kind can be interpreted one way or the other, it is important that the context make clear what sort of contrast is being indicated by if not. See Usage Notes at doubt. should. wish .

1. in case that, or on condition that: if you try hard it might work ; if he were poor, would you marry him.

2. used to introduce an indirect question. In this sense, if approaches the meaning of whether

3. even though: an attractive if awkward girl.

1. (conditional ) → si
I'll go if you come with me → yo iré si tú me acompañas
if you studied harder you would pass your exams → si estudiaras más aprobarías los exámenes
if they are to be believed → si hacemos caso de lo que dicen
if you ask me → en lo que a mí se refiere
if you had come earlier, you would have seen him → si hubieras venido antes, le habrías visto
if I had known I would have told you → de haberlo sabido te lo habría dicho. si lo sé te lo digo
if it hadn't been for you we would have all died → de no ser or de no haber sido por ti hubiéramos muerto todos
you can go if you like → puedes ir si quieres
if necessary → si es necesario. si hace falta
if I were you I would go to Spain → yo que tú iría a España. yo en tu lugar iría a España
if you were to say that you'd be wrong → si dijeras eso te equivocarías
if it weren't for him, we wouldn't be in this mess! → ¡si estamos metidos en este lío. es por él. ¡no estaríamos metidos en este lío de no ser por él!
if and when she comes → si (en efecto) viene. en el caso de que venga

2. (= whenever ) → si, cuando
if she wants any help she asks me → si or cuando necesita ayuda me la pide
if it was fine we went out for a walk → si or cuando hacía buen tiempo dábamos un paseo

3. (= although ) → aunque, si bien
it's a nice film if rather long → es una buena película. aunque or si bien algo larga
I will do it, even if it is difficult → lo haré. aunque me resulte difícil
I'll finish it if or even if it takes me all day → lo terminaré aunque me lleve todo el día
even if he tells me himself I won't believe it → ni aunque me lo diga él mismo me lo creo
I couldn't eat it if I tried → aunque me lo propusiera no lo podría comer

Indicative/Subjunctive after "si"
Si can be followed by both the indicative and the subjunctive. The indicative describes facts and likely situations; the subjunctive describes remote or hypothetical situations.
Indicative

• Use si + ((PRESENT INDICATIVE)) to translate if + ((PRESENT)) in English:

If you go on overeating, you'll get fat Si sigues comiendo tanto, vas a engordar Don't do it if you don't want to No lo hagas si no quieres

! Don't use si with the ((PRESENT SUBJUNCTIVE)).

• Use si + ((IMPERFECT SUBJUNCTIVE)) to translate if + ((PAST)) for remote or uncertain possibilities and hypotheses:

If we won the lottery, we would never have to work again Si nos tocaseortocara la lotería, no tendríamos que trabajar nunca más What would you do if I weren't here? ¿Qué harías si yo no estuvieseorestuviera aquí?

• Use si + ((PLUPERFECT SUBJUNCTIVE)) (= hubiera or hubiese + ((PAST PARTICIPLE))) to translate if + had + ((PAST PARTICIPLE)):

If Paula hadn't lost her ticket, she would have left today Si Paula no hubieraorhubiese perdido el billete, habría salido hoy

NOTE Alternatively, instead of a clause with si, you can often use de (no) haber + ((PAST PARTICIPLE)):

If Paula hadn't lost her ticket, she would have left today De no haber perdido Paula el billete, habría salido hoy

(in conditional sentences) → si
You can have it if you like → Tu peux le prendre si tu veux.
I'd be pleased if you could do it → Je serais ravi si vous pouviez le faire.
if I were you → si j'étais vous, à votre place
if necessary → si nécessaire. le cas échéant
if only → si seulement
If only he were here → Si seulement il était là.
If only I had more money! → Si seulement j'avais plus d'argent!
if only to. → ne serait-ce que pour.
if only to show him my gratitude → ne serait-ce que pour lui témoigner ma gratitude
if not → sinon
Are you coming? If not, I'll go with Mark → Est-ce que tu viens. Sinon, j'irai avec Mark.

(= whether ) → si
Do you know if he's there? → Savez-vous s'il est là?

it's not as if. (= the explanation is not that ) → ce n'est pas comme si.
It's not as if my personality has changed → Ce n'est pas comme si ma personnalité avait changé.

n
there are a lot of ifs and buts → il y a beaucoup de si mpl et de mais mpl

conj → wenn ; (= in case also) → falls, für den Fall. dass … ; ( = whether. in direct clause) → ob ; I would be really pleased if you could do it → wenn Sie das tun könnten, wäre ich sehr froh ; if it rains tomorrow → wenn es or falls es morgen regnet ; if I may say so → wenn ich das sagen darf ; I wonder if he’ll come → ich bin gespannt. ob er kommt ; do you know if they have gone? → wissen Sie, ob sie gegangen sind? ; what if something happens to him? → was ist, wenn ihm etwas passiert. ; I’ll let you know if and when I come to a decision → ich werde Ihnen mitteilen. ob und wenn ich mich entschieden habe ; where will you live when you get married? — if we get married! → wo wollt ihr wohnen. wenn ihr heiratet. — wenn wir überhaupt heiraten. ; if I ask him he does help me → wenn ich ihn darum bitte, hilft er mir auch ; (even) if → auch wenn ; it’s a good film (even) if rather long → es ist ein guter Film. auch wenn er etwas lang ist ; even if they are poor, at least they are happy → sie sind zwar arm. aber wenigstens glücklich ; if only → wenn (doch) nur ; if only I had known! → wenn ich das nur gewusst hätte! ; I would like to see him, if only for a few hours → ich würde ihn gerne sehen. wenn auch nur für ein paar Stunden ; as if → als ob ; he acts as if he were or was (inf) rich → er tut so, als ob er reich wäre ; it’s not as if I meant to hurt her → es ist nicht so, dass ich ihr hätte wehtun wollen ; as if by chance → wie zufällig ; he stood there as if he were dumb → er stand wie stumm da ; meat was available once a week, if at all → Fleisch gab es einmal in der Woche. wenn überhaupt ; if necessary → falls nötig. im Bedarfsfall ; if so → wenn ja ; if not → falls nicht ; if not, why not? → falls nicht. warum? ; this is difficult, if not impossible, to do → das ist schwer. wenn nicht sogar unmöglich ; if I were you/him → wenn ich Sie/er wäre, an Ihrer/seiner Stelle ; if anything this one is bigger → wenn überhaupt. dann ist dieses hier größer ; if I know Pete, he’ll … → so wie ich Pete kenne. wird er … ; well, if he didn’t try to steal my bag! (inf) → wollte der doch tatsächlich meine Tasche klauen (inf) ; well, if it isn’t old Jim! (inf) → ich werd verrückt. das ist doch der Jim (inf)

n → Wenn nt ; it’s a big if → das ist noch sehr fraglich. das ist die große Frage ; ifs and buts → Wenn und Aber nt

a. → se
if anyone comes in → se viene or venisse qualcuno
I'll go if you come with me → ci vado se vieni anche tu
I'd be pleased if you could do it → sarei molto contento se potessi farlo
if necessary → se (è) necessario
if I were you → se fossi in te, io al tuo posto
if you ask me. → secondo me.

b. (whenever ) → tutte le volte or ogni volta che. quando
if we are in Scotland, we always go to see her → quando siamo in Scozia. andiamo sempre a trovarla

c. (although ) (even) if → anche se + sub
I am determined to do it, (even) if it takes all week → sono deciso a farlo, dovessi impiegarci tutta la settimana

d. (whether ) → se
I don't know if he is here → non so se c'è

e. (in phrases ) if so → se è così
if not → se no
if only → se solo or soltanto
if only she were here → se solo fosse qui
if only I could → se soltanto potessi, magari (potessi)
I would like to see her if only for a few minutes → vorrei vederla magari or anche solo per pochi minuti
if only to show him my gratitude → se non altro per esprimergli la mia gratitudine
as if → come se
as if by chance → come per caso
see alsoas, even

1. in the event that; on condition that. He will have to go into hospital if his illness gets any worse; I'll only stay if you can stay too. as إذا ، إنْ ако se jestliže wenn hvis εάν si kui اگر jos si אם अगर u slučaju da ha kalau ef se もし～ならば 만약 …이라면 jei ja kalau als. indien hvis. dersom jeśli كه ،كه چيرې se dacă если ak če ukoliko om ถ้า (eğer/şayet). -se/sa (表示條件)如果 якщо اگر nếu （表示条件）如果

2. supposing that. If he were to come along now, we would be in trouble. as لَو в случай, че se jestliže wenn hvis εάν si. en el caso de que kui چنانچه jos si אילו बावजूद ako feltéve, hogy seandainya ef se 仮に～とすれば …이라고 가정한다면 jei ja seandainya als. gesteld dat hvis. dersom gdyby څنګه چي se dacă если бы keby če ako om, ifall ถ้าหากว่า eğer. farzedelim ki 假如 якби, коли б بالفرض giả sử 假如

3. whenever. If I sneeze, my nose bleeds. wanneer, as كُلَّما، إن، عِندَما когато sempre que kdykoli immer wenn hvis όταν si. cada vez que, siempre que kui هرگاه jos si. chaque fois que כאשר तो भी kada ha; amikor csak setiap kali ef, í hvert skipti, hvenær sem se ～の時はいつも. 할 때마다 jei, kai ja; kad vien setiap kali als når. hver gang gdy. kiedy كه چيرې sempre que dacă, de fiecare dată când всякий раз, когда kedykoľvek če kada om เมื่อไรก็ตาม her. -diğinde, her. -dikçe 每當 коли جب بھی bất cứ khi nào 无论何时

4. although. They are happy, if poor. hoewel مَع أنَّ въпреки, че embora i když wenn auch men αν και a pesar de. aunque kuigi اگر چه vaikka bien que למרות फिर भी pa makar (ha)bár walaupun þótt anche se たとえ～でも 비록. 일지라도 nors lai gan walaupun al skjønt mimo, że اګر څه embora deşi хотя и aj keď čeprav iako om än แม้นว่า. -diği hâlde. ise de 儘管 хоч і اگرچہ mặc dầu 尽管

5. whether. I don't know if I can come or not. of فيما إذا дали se zda ob om αν si kas آیا -ko, -kö si הַאִם क्या da li vajon apakah hvort se ～かどうか. 인지 아닌지 ar (netiešā jautājumā) vai sama ada of om czy آیا se dacă ли či če da li om, huruvida หรือไม่ acaba. up madığını 是否 чи شاید کہ liệu 是否

I wish that. If only I were rich! as. maar net يا ليْت! لَيْتَني، أتمنّى само ако se ao menos kdyby jen wenn nur hvis bare; gid αχ και να, φτάνει να si al menos kui ainult ای کاش؛ خوب می شد اگر kunpa si seulement אילו अगर ऎसा kada bih bárcsak kalau saja ef aðeins se solo ～であればなあ 오직

이기만 하면 kad. ja vien kalaulah als. maar dersom/om (jeg bare) gdyby tylko كاشكي se ao menos măcar dacă/să если бы keby (len) ko bi le da sam om. bara ถ้าหาก keşke. -se, ah bir. 真希望… якби کاش giá như 要是. 就好，我希望