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Conditional sentences are compound sentences containing two clauses: 1) Protasis and 2) Apodosis
1) The first clause is named the protasis. It contains the condition or supposed cause and is introduced typically by sī (if) and the negatives sī nōn (if not) or nisi (unless, except).1
2) The second clause, or main one, is called the apodosis and serves as the conclusion of the condition.
Conditionals are of two major types: 1) Particular or 2) General
1) Particular conditions refer to a definite incident at a definite time
2) General conditions refer to any number of actions that occur at any time.
| Particular Conditions | General Conditions |
| Simple Present Condition | Present General Condition |
| Simple Past Condition | Past General Condition |
| Future More Vivid | |
| Future Less Vivid | |
| Present Contrary to Fact | |
| Past Contrary to Fact |
This condition contains the Present Indicative in both clauses translating them as present indicatives.
sī adest, bene est - if he is [now] here, it is well.
sī Caesarem probātis, in mē offenditis - if you favor Caesar, you find fault with me. (B.C. II.32.10)
sī huic crēdis, errās - If you believe this, you are wrong.
sī id facit, prūdēns est - if he is doing this [and it is quite possible that he is], he is wise
This condition contains the Imperfect or Perfect Indicative in both clauses translating them as past indicatives.
sī aderat, bene erat - if he was [then] here, it was well
sī adfuit, bene fuit - if he has been [was] here, it has been well
sī id fēcit, prūdēns fuit - if he did this [and quite possibly he did], he was wise
Future More Vivid (future as yet unfulfilled)
This condition contains the Future Indicative in both clauses translating the verb in the protasis as a present indicative and the verb in the apodosis as a future...
sī aderit, bene erit - if he is (shall be) here, it will be well
sī id faciet, prūdēns erit - if he does (will do) this [quite possibly he will], he will be wise
Or the Future Perfect Indicative in the protasis translating the verb as a present indicative, and the Future Indicative in the apodosis translating the verb as a future.
sī adfuerit, bene erit - if he is (shall have been) here, it will [then] be well
Cēnābis bene. . . . sī tēcum attuleris bonam atque magnam cēnam...
Future Less Vivid (The "Should/Would" Conditional)
This condition contains the Present Subjunctive in both clauses translating the protasis as "should" and the apodosis as "would"...
sī adsit, bene sit - if he should be (or were to be) here, it would be well
sī hōc dīcās, errēs - If you should say this, you would be mistaken
sī velim Hannibalis proelia omnia dēscrībere, diēs mē dēficiat - If I should wish to describe all the battles of Hannibal, time would fail me.
sī id faciat, prūdēns sit - if he should do this, he would be wise
Or the Perfect Subjunctive in the protasis, and the Present Subjunctive in the apodosis
sī adfuerit, bene sit - if he should be (should have been) here, it would [then] be well.
sī hōc dīxerīs, errāverīs - if you should say this, you would be mistaken
This condition contains the Imperfect Subjunctive (referring to present time) in both clauses translating the protasis as "were ...-ing" and the apodosis as "would (be)."
sī adesset, bene esset - if he were [now] here [but in fact he is not], it would be well [but it is not]
sī amīcī meī adessent, opis nōn indigērem - if my friends were here, I would not lack assistance
sapientia nōn expeterētur, sī nihil efficeret - wisdom would not be desired, if it accomplished nothing
sī id faceret, prūdēns esset - If he were doing this, he would be wise
This condition contains the Pluperfect Subjunctive (referring to past time) in both clauses translating the protasis as "had" and the apodosis as "would have."
sī adfuisset, bene fuisset - if he had [then] been here [but he was not], it would have been well [but it was not]
sī hōc dīxissēs, errāssēs - if you had said this, you would have erred
sī id fēcisset, prūdēns fuisset - if he had done this, he would have been wise
Present General Condition (indefinite time)
This condition may contain the Present Subjunctive second person singular in the protasis and the Present Indicative in the apodosis...
sī hōc dīcās, crēditur - if anyone [ever] says this, it is [always] believed
Or the Perfect Indicative in the protasis and the Present Indicative in the apodosis
sī quid dīxit, crēditur - if he [ever] says anything, it is [always] believed
Past General Condition (repeated action in past time)
This condition may contain the Pluperfect Indicative in the protasis and the Imperfect Indicative in the apodosis...
sī quid dīxerat, crēdēbātur - if he [ever] said anything, it was [always] believed
Or the Imperfect Subjunctive in the protasis and the Imperfect Indicative in the apodosis.
sī quid dīceret, crēdēbātur
Notes
1. Other introductory words include sīc (so), tum (then), igitur (then, therefore) and ita (thus, so; therefore) in the affirmative. Cum and quandō (when) and ubi (where) occur in the affirmative when the idea of either space or time is concerned. recede
Jerard White, Magister Linguae Latinae
last updated Saturday, August 21 2004