Joining sentences · 3 of 3

If

אִם for what may happen, and הָיָה with the present for what isn't so.

"If" is אִם im. For something that may happen, the if-clause takes the tense it means; for the future, both halves take the future, unlike English. אָז az "then" may start the second half.

What isn't so

For something that isn't so, or wasn't, both halves take a past form of הָיָה and a present form: הָיִיתִי קוֹנֶה hayiti kone "I would buy, I would have bought". The same words serve for now and for the past.

Formal Hebrew uses אִלּוּ ilu or לוּ lu for this "if".

I would like

הָיִיתִי רוֹצֶה hayiti rotse, or רוֹצָה rotsa for a woman, is a polite "I'd like".

Whether, even if, unless

אִם also means "whether": אֲנִי לֹא יוֹדֵעַ אִם הוּא יָבוֹא "I don't know if he'll come". אֲפִלּוּ אִם afilu im is "even if", and אֶלָּא אִם כֵּן ela im ken "unless".

Cards from this guide

8 cards

Each card asks about one thing this guide teaches, and its back gives the answer with why and an example. They're reviewed with the rest of the Joining sentences cards.

  • How do you say 'if'?

    אִם (im).

  • What tense goes after אִם for the future, as in 'if it rains tomorrow'?

    The future: אִם יֵרֵד גֶּשֶׁם מָחָר (im yered geshem makhar).

  • How does a man say 'I would buy'?

    הָיִיתִי קוֹנֶה (hayiti kone).

  • How do you say 'if I had time', when you don't?

    אִם הָיָה לִי זְמַן (im haya li zman).

  • Does הָיִיתָ בָּא (hayita ba) mean 'you would come' or 'you would have come'?

    Either: one form serves for now and for the past.

  • How does a woman say 'I'd like ...' politely?

    הָיִיתִי רוֹצָה (hayiti rotsa).

  • What does אִם mean after 'I don't know' or 'I asked'?

    'Whether', 'if'.

  • How do you say 'even if'?

    אֲפִלּוּ אִם (afilu im).

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