If-Clauses (Periodo Ipotetico)

Italian if-sentences (periodo ipotetico) come in three types:

• Real: se + present → present or future. Se piove, resto a casa (If it rains, I stay at home).
• Possible: se + imperfect subjunctive → conditional. Se avessi soldi, viaggerei (If I had money, I would travel).
• Unreal past: se + pluperfect subjunctive (avessi/fossi + participle) → past conditional (avrei/sarei + participle). Se fossi uscito prima, avrei preso il treno (If I had left earlier, I would have caught the train).

The conditional never follows se: say se avessi, never se avrei. Check which clause has the gap: the se-clause takes the indicative or the subjunctive, the other clause the indicative or the conditional. With essere the participle agrees with the subject.