Spanish "if" with past tenses in the indicative

The Spanish "if", i.e. the conjunction "si" can introduce the condition needed for an action in the main clause to be fulfilled. It can be followed by the indicative or the subjunctive. In this lesson we are studying the cases where si is followed by past tenses in the indicative.

Spanish "si" clauses with past tenses

When we use si with past tenses in the indicative, we consider the condition expressed in this clause as real or very possible. Have a look at the following examples with different past tenses:

In all these sentences, what happens in the conditional clause seems real or very possible. We generally use the indicative here when we have had a hint of what happened and we are essentially just stating it, as if we are saying "When this happened... or  "As this happened..."

To learn about Spanish si clauses followed by El Presente, see:

• Si [if] followed by present indicative + main clause (present tense/future tense)
• Si [if] followed by present indicative + main clause [command/request/advice]

To learn about Spanish si clauses followed by El Pretérito Imperfecto Subjuntivo for hypothetical cases, see:

Using the Spanish imperfect subjunctive in hypothetical clauses introduced by si followed by the Spanish conditional simple