If: three different "ifs" and three different answers
Greek builds a condition in three ways, and the choice is not about time. It is about how true the thing is. For example: “Αν χαλάσει το πλυντήριο, θα καλέσω τεχνικό” — If the washing machine breaks, I'll call a technician. A rule from the Greek course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
Greek builds a condition in three ways, and the choice is not about time. It is about how true the thing is.
What may well happen: αν (an) plus the plain shape, and θα (tha) in the main part. Αν χαλάσει το πλυντήριο (an khalási to plindírio), θα καλέσω τεχνικό (tha kaléso tekhnikó). After αν a future meaning takes the shape without θα, as after να (na). "Αν θα χαλάσει (an tha khalási)" is the usual foreign slip.
What is not so right now: αν plus the second past, and θα with the same shape in the main part. Αν είχα χρόνο (an íkha khróno), θα το έφτιαχνα μόνος μου (tha to éftiakhna mónos mu). There is no time, and both halves admit it.
What is already beyond repair: αν plus είχα (íkha) with the fixed shape, θα είχα (tha íkha) in the main part. Αν είχα κρατήσει την απόδειξη (an íkha kratísi tin apódiksi), θα είχα κάνει επιστροφή (tha íkha káni epistrofí). The receipt is gone, and so is the refund.
Table
| the case | after αν | in the main clause |
|---|---|---|
| may well happen | the plain shape, no θα | θα + the plain shape |
| not so right now | the second past | θα + the second past |
| already beyond repair | είχα + the fixed shape | θα είχα + the fixed shape |
By example
- Αν χαλάσει το πλυντήριο, θα καλέσω τεχνικόan khalási to plindírio, tha kaléso tekhnikóIf the washing machine breaks, I'll call a technician
- Αν είχα χρόνο, θα το έφτιαχνα μόνος μουan íkha khróno, tha to éftiakhna mónos muIf I had the time, I would fix it myself
- Αν είχα κρατήσει την απόδειξη, θα είχα κάνει επιστροφήan íkha kratísi tin apódiksi, tha íkha káni epistrofíHad I kept the receipt, I would have made a return
How the rule settles in your head
A rule is not memorized from an explanation. It is memorized from an attempt to use it and a mistake — that is why the app delivers it mixed in with words, not as a separate lesson: it resurfaces exactly where you forgot it.
Frequently asked
Why αν θα is impossible in Greek?
Greek builds a condition in three ways, and the choice is not about time. It is about how true the thing is.
Three Greek ifs and which to use?
What may well happen: αν plus the plain shape, and θα in the main part. Αν χαλάσει το πλυντήριο, θα καλέσω τεχνικό. After αν a future meaning takes the shape without θα, as after να. "Αν θα χαλάσει" is the usual foreign slip.
How to say if I had time in Greek?
What is not so right now: αν plus the second past, and θα with the same shape in the main part. Αν είχα χρόνο, θα το έφτιαχνα μόνος μου. There is no time, and both halves admit it.
What does it look like in an example sentence Greek?
“Αν χαλάσει το πλυντήριο, θα καλέσω τεχνικό” (an khalási to plindírio, tha kaléso tekhnikó) — If the washing machine breaks, I'll call a technician. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.