IB Diploma French B SL · Grammar backbone 6 of 10 — Si-clauses & reported speech
IB French B Grammar
Si-clauses & reported speech
Two high-value IB French B structures. Si-clauses ("if…") follow three fixed tense patterns, and the same one golden rule governs all three. Reported speech turns direct quotation into indirect speech with a predictable backshift of tenses.
si-clause = fixed tense pairingsreported speech = backshift + que + time shifts
IB Diploma French B (SL): this grammar is the backbone of all five prescribed themes — identities, experiences, human ingenuity, social organization and sharing the planet — and it powers every receptive, productive and interactive task.
Work through each screen and answer the questions — some ask you to pick the tense, some to build the clause. Collect ⭐ and press Start.
Si-clauses · Type 1
Type 1 — the real condition
When the condition is real / likely, use si + présent in the "if" clause and the présent, futur or impératif in the main clause:
Si + présent → présent / futur / impératifSi j'ai le temps, je viendrai.
Si j'ai le temps, je viendrai. — If I have time, I'll come.
Si tu étudies, tu réussiras. — If you study, you'll pass.
Si-clauses · Type 2
Type 2 — the hypothetical
For a hypothetical / unlikely present situation, use si + imparfait with the conditionnel présent in the main clause:
Si + imparfait → conditionnel présentSi j'avais le temps, je viendrais.
Si j'avais le temps, je viendrais. — If I had time, I would come.
Si j'étais riche, je voyagerais. — If I were rich, I would travel.
Quick check
Which tense in the si-clause?
?Complete: Si j'___ le temps, je viendrais. ("If I had time, I'd come.") — from avoir.
Si-clauses · Type 3
Type 3 — the impossible past
For an impossible / regretted past situation, use si + plus-que-parfait with the conditionnel passé in the main clause:
Si + plus-que-parfait → conditionnel passéSi j'avais eu le temps, je serais venu.
Si j'avais eu le temps, je serais venu. — If I had had time, I would have come.
Si j'avais su, je serais venu. — If I had known, I would have come.
The golden rule
Never in the si-clause
Whatever the type, one rule holds every time:
✗ never the futur or the conditionnel… inside the 'si' clause itself
✓ Si je suis libre… — not si je serai libre
✓ Si j'étais riche… — not si je serais riche
Marker magnet:*si je serais is one of the most-penalised errors at IB French B. The conditional lives in the main clause, never after si.
Sort it
Which tense does the si-clause take?
Type it
Your turn — a Type-2 protasis
1Write "if I had time" using avoir — the si-clause of a Type-2 sentence.
Hint: Si + the imperfect of avoir (j' ___) + le temps.
Quick check
Type 1 — real condition
?Complete: Si j'___ le temps, je viendrai. ("If I have time, I'll come.") — from avoir.
Type it
Your turn — a Type-3 protasis
2Write "if I had known" using savoir — the si-clause of a Type-3 sentence.
Hint: Si + the pluperfect of savoir — j'avais + past participle su.
Quick check
Type 3 — the main clause
?Complete: Si j'avais su, je ___ venu. ("If I had known, I would have come.") — from venir.
Quick check
The golden rule in action
?Complete: Si je ___ riche, je voyagerais. ("If I were rich, I'd travel.") — from être.
Reported speech
Direct → indirect: the backshift
When you report what someone said after a past reporting verb (il a dit que…), the tenses shift back one step and you add que:
direct speech
reported (after past verb)
présent
imparfait
passé composé
plus-que-parfait
futur
conditionnel
"Je suis fatigué" → Il a dit qu'il était fatigué.
Type it
Your turn — present → imperfect
3Report "Je suis fatigué": Il a dit qu'il ___ fatigué. — from être.
Hint: present est backshifts to the imperfect.
Reported speech
Time & place words shift too
Alongside the tenses, the time and place markers move into the reported frame:
direct
reported
aujourd'hui
ce jour-là
demain
le lendemain
ici
là
Example: "Je pars demain" → Il a dit qu'il partait le lendemain.
Game · Match
Match direct → reported
Tap a direct form on the left, then its reported equivalent on the right.
DIRECT
présent
passé composé
futur
aujourd'hui
demain
ici
REPORTED
ce jour-là
imparfait
là
conditionnel
le lendemain
plus-que-parfait
Type it
Your turn — a Type-1 si-clause
4Write "if it rains" using pleuvoir — a Type-1 si-clause (mind the elision).
Hint: si + il elides to s'il, then the present of pleuvoir.
Sort it
Which si-clause tense?
Sort each opening by whether the si-clause takes the imparfait / plus-que-parfait (types 2/3) or the présent (type 1).