📖LearnModule 10 · Lesson 9 of 30Independent User · CEFR B1 + B2 mastery, and the C1 bridgeUnit 2 · L'hypothèse, les trois niveaux
Autres façons de poser une condition
Module 10 of the free French course (CEFR B1 + B2 mastery, and the C1 bridge), lesson 9 of 30: Si is not the only door. On this page: 8 words with their genders and respellings, the rule, a watch-out line, the conjugation table and the audio — the study notes behind the workbook's lesson 9.
The words
French
English
Say it
au cas où
just in case
oh kah OO
sinon
otherwise
see-NOH(n)
se dépêcher
to hurry
suh day-peh-SHAY
le parapluie
the umbrella
luh pah-rah-PLWEE
la condition
the condition
lah koh(n)-dee-SYOH(n)
pleuvoir
to rain
pluh-VWAHR
prévoir
to plan ahead
pray-VWAHR
la précaution
the precaution
lah pray-koh-SYOH(n)
Respellings follow the course’s say-it key; the stressed syllable is in capitals. Print this lesson’s flashcards (PDF) — the words on the front, the English and respelling on the back.
Hear the words
Each word is read twice — say it back in the gap. Computer-generated voice; credits on the course page.
La règle · The rule
Si is not the only door. À condition que takes the subjunctive (je viens à condition que tu sois là). Au cas où takes the conditional (prends un parapluie au cas où il pleuvrait).
Et aussi · And also
Sinon means otherwise and is the fastest condition in the language: dépêche-toi, sinon on va rater le début. Sauf si means unless, and takes a plain indicative.
Attention · Watch out
à condition que takes the subjunctive; au cas où takes the CONDITIONAL (au cas où il pleuvrait); sauf si and sinon take the indicative. Three doors, three moods.
être, subjonctif — the table
je sois · tu sois · il/elle soit · nous soyons · vous soyez · ils/elles soient
Do it now — on paper
Say all 8 words aloud twice from the respelling, then once from the French spelling alone — begin with au cas où.
Copy every word with its accents on paper; then cover the English column and write each meaning back from the French.
Write out être, subjonctif in full from memory, every person, and check each form against the table above.
This free course is the reading half. The writing half — write-in lessons, daily practice pages with built-in review, self-checks and a full answer key — is the companion workbook series, The French Ladder: one workbook per module, fifteen in all, released band by band with the Basic band (Modules 1–5) first.
Keep these words
Turn this lesson’s words into flashcards, then space your reviews — the two habits the research behind our study guides backs hardest.