- with the imperfect subjunctive for unreal conditions in the present and for
unlikely conditions in the future.
NOTE The present subjunctive is never used with si.Si me lo hubieras/hubieses pedido te habría/hubiera ayudado.
(see51.2)
If you had asked me I would have helped you.Si estuviera seguro lo haría.
If I were certain I would do it.Si te invitaran, ¿aceptarías? (see 50 )
If they invited you, would you accept?Ifsi expresses an open condition (i.e. envisaging something which might or equally
might not be the case), or if it introduces a fact, then the indicative is used:Si te invitan, ¿aceptarás? (see 50 )
If they invite you, will you accept?Si no llegas a las seis empezamos sin ti. (see 51.1)
If you don’t arrive at six we’ll start without you.Si le duele tanto es/será mejor llamar a un médico. (see 51.1)
If it hurts him/her so much we’d better call a doctor.Si ha llegado hablaré con él. (see 51.1)
If he has arrived I will speak to him.Si Miguel iba a volver tarde, avisaba a sus padres.
If Miguel was going to come home late, he told his parents.Likesi is si bien‘even if’/‘though’, which is often used to make contrasts between facts
(and hence in these circumstances used with the indicative):Si bien la casa es grande, el alquiler es muy caro. (see 52 )
Even though the house is big, the rent is very high./The house may be
big, but the rent is very high.18.2.5 The subjunctive in relative clauses
The subjunctive is used in relative clauses which have a negative or an indefinite
antecedent (i.e. the noun or pronoun to which the relative clause relates and which
stands immediately in front of the relative pronoun).^11 (p. 45);^13 (p. 52)
No conozco a nadie que tenga tanta paciencia.
I don’t know anyone who has such patience.Allí no hay fábricas que contaminen el medio ambiente.
There are no factories there to pollute the environment.USE OF THE SUBJUNCTIVE 18.2