Italiano — Real conditional
The real conditional (periodo ipotetico della realtà) states a condition treated as true or likely: if it holds, the result follows. In Italian the se-clause takes the indicative, and the main clause takes the indicative or the imperative, as in Se piove, resto a casa.
How it works
Build it as se + indicative → indicative or imperative. The present, the passato prossimo or the future can appear on either side: Se studi, passerai l'esame; Se hai fame, mangia qualcosa. The se-clause may come first or second, and only a leading se-clause is set off by a comma.
Examples
| Se-clause (indicative) | Main clause | Verb pattern |
|---|---|---|
| Se piove | resto a casa | present + present |
| Se studi | passerai l'esame | present + future |
| Se avrai tempo | ti chiamerò | future + future |
| Se hai finito | possiamo uscire | passato prossimo + present |
| Se hai fame | mangia qualcosa | present + imperative |
| Se non capisci | chiedi pure | present + imperative |
Good to know
Keep the mood indicative after se here: say Se hai tempo, not the subjunctive Se abbia tempo — the subjunctive belongs to the unreal conditionals. A very common everyday variant simply repeats the future on both sides: Se avrai tempo, ti chiamerò.