Real Conditional Sentences in Greek

In Brief

Greek uses αν (“if”) to introduce a condition that is real, possible, or open: Αν βρέξει, θα μείνουμε σπίτι (“If it rains, we’ll stay home”). Use a present form for states, habits, and ongoing situations, or a perfective non-past form for one complete future event. The result can contain θα, a present-tense statement, or a command—but an ordinary αν clause normally does not contain θα.

Overview

A conditional sentence connects a condition with its result. Each part is a clause (a group of words built around its own verb): in Αν βρέξει, θα μείνουμε σπίτι, αν βρέξει gives the condition and θα μείνουμε σπίτι gives the result. Traditional Greek terminology calls these parts the υπόθεση and the απόδοση.

Real conditionals describe situations presented as facts, regular possibilities, or genuinely open future possibilities. You use them for plans, offers, instructions, warnings, and everyday cause-and-effect statements: “if you have time,” “if the shop is open,” or “if it rains.” The speaker is not presenting the condition as imaginary or contrary to fact.

This B1 pattern builds directly on the Greek future. English speakers will recognize the broad logic of “if X, then Y,” but the Greek verb choice needs attention. Modern Greek distinguishes between an action viewed as ongoing or repeated and one viewed as a complete event. That distinction often matters more than the English label “present tense.”

How It Works

The basic structure

The condition and result can appear in either order:

Order	Pattern	Example
Condition first	Αν + condition, result	Αν βρέξει, θα μείνουμε σπίτι.
Result first	Result + αν + condition	Θα μείνουμε σπίτι αν βρέξει.

A comma normally separates a leading αν clause from the result. When the result comes first, a comma is usually unnecessary.

Greek often leaves out subject pronouns because the verb ending already identifies the person. Thus αν έρθεις means “if you come”; adding εσύ is only necessary for contrast or emphasis.

One possible future event

For a future event viewed as a whole, the common pattern is:

Clause	Structure	Example
Condition	αν + perfective non-past form	αν τελειώσω (“if I finish”)
Result	θα + future form	θα σου τηλεφωνήσω (“I’ll call you”)

The perfective form presents an action as one complete event. In this construction it has no να or θα before it, but its shape is the same one used after those particles: γράψω, έρθεις, βρέξει, βρούμε. It does not express time by itself; αν and the context give it a future interpretation.

Dictionary form	Ongoing/repeated form	Complete-event form	Conditional contrast
γράφω (write)	αν γράφεις	αν γράψεις	if you write regularly / if you write it once
έρχομαι (come)	αν έρχεσαι	αν έρθεις	if you regularly come / if you come on this occasion
βρέχει (rain)	αν βρέχει	αν βρέξει	if it is raining / if it rains as an event
βρίσκω (find)	αν βρίσκεις	αν βρεις	if you tend to find / if you find it

These pairs are not interchangeable tense variants. They show aspect—how the speaker views the action. For a single future achievement, the complete-event form is normally the natural choice: Αν βρω χρόνο, θα έρθω (“If I find time, I’ll come”).

Present states, habits, and general results

Use the present form when the condition is a state, is already in progress, or happens repeatedly:

• Αν θέλεις, έλα μαζί μου. — If you want, come with me.
• Αν έχεις χρόνο, πάρε με τηλέφωνο. — If you have time, call me.
• Αν βρέχει, δεν βγαίνουμε. — If it is raining, we do not go out.
• Αν τρώω αργά, δεν κοιμάμαι καλά. — If I eat late, I do not sleep well.

The result does not have to be future. It can state a regular consequence, describe the present, make a request, or give an instruction.

Meaning of result	Typical form	Example
Future consequence	θα + verb	Αν αργήσεις, θα φύγουμε.
General consequence	present	Αν κάνει κρύο, φοράω παλτό.
Command	imperative (command form)	Αν τον δεις, πες του να με πάρει.
Suggestion or obligation	modal expression	Αν πονάς, πρέπει να πας στον γιατρό.

Negation

Use δεν to negate an ordinary real condition and its statement result:

• Αν δεν βιαστείς, θα αργήσεις. — If you don’t hurry, you’ll be late.
• Αν δεν έχει κόσμο, θα καθίσουμε έξω. — If it isn’t crowded, we’ll sit outside.

A negative command in the result uses μη(ν) plus a dependent verb form, not δεν:

• Αν είσαι κουρασμένος, μην οδηγήσεις. — If you’re tired, don’t drive.

Why θα normally stays out of the αν clause

In a straightforward condition, θα belongs to the result:

• Natural: Αν έρθεις αύριο, θα μιλήσουμε.
• Not the ordinary conditional pattern: Αν θα έρθεις αύριο, θα μιλήσουμε.

English also normally says “if you come,” not “if you will come,” so this part may feel familiar. The important Greek point is that έρθεις can refer to the future without θα. Forms such as αν θα έρθει do occur when αν means “whether,” as in an indirect question; that is a different structure, discussed below.

No equivalent of English “then” is required

Greek does not need a word corresponding to “then” between the clauses. Τότε (“then”) can be added for emphasis or to mark a conclusion, but it is optional:

• Αν συμφωνείς, ξεκινάμε. — If you agree, we’ll start.
• Αν συμφωνείς, τότε ξεκινάμε. — If you agree, then we’ll start.

Examples in Context

Greek	English	Note
Αν βρέξει, θα μείνουμε σπίτι.	If it rains, we’ll stay home.	One possible future event
Αν θέλεις, έλα μαζί μου.	If you want, come with me.	Present state + command
Αν δεν βιαστείς, θα αργήσεις.	If you don’t hurry, you’ll be late.	Negative condition
Αν μπορέσω, θα σε βοηθήσω.	If I can, I’ll help you.	Complete-event form μπορέσω
Αν βρω φτηνά εισιτήρια, θα τα κλείσω σήμερα.	If I find cheap tickets, I’ll book them today.	Practical future plan
Θα σου στείλω μήνυμα αν φτάσω νωρίς.	I’ll send you a message if I arrive early.	Result clause first
Αν έχεις κάποια απορία, ρώτησέ με.	If you have a question, ask me.	Present state + affirmative command
Αν είσαι άρρωστος, μην πας στη δουλειά.	If you’re ill, don’t go to work.	Negative command with μην
Αν κάνει καλό καιρό, τρώμε στο μπαλκόνι.	If the weather is good, we eat on the balcony.	Repeated habit
Αν δουλεύεις από το σπίτι, γλιτώνεις χρόνο.	If you work from home, you save time.	General consequence
Αν μιλάς τόσο γρήγορα, δεν σε καταλαβαίνω.	If you speak that fast, I can’t understand you.	Ongoing manner
Αν γράψεις την αναφορά, θα την ελέγξω.	If you write the report, I’ll check it.	A completed report is intended
Αν γράφεις κάθε μέρα, θα βελτιωθείς γρήγορα.	If you write every day, you’ll improve quickly.	Repeated action
Αν είναι ανοιχτό το φαρμακείο, πρέπει να αγοράσουμε ασπιρίνη.	If the pharmacy is open, we need to buy aspirin.	Present condition + obligation
Αν τελειώσουμε νωρίς, μπορούμε να πιούμε έναν καφέ.	If we finish early, we can have a coffee.	Possibility in the result

Common Mistakes

Putting θα in an ordinary condition

• Wrong: Αν θα έρθεις νωρίς, θα φάμε μαζί.
• Right: Αν έρθεις νωρίς, θα φάμε μαζί.
• Why: The complete-event form έρθεις already receives future meaning from the conditional context. Reserve θα for the result here.

Using the ongoing form for a single completed event

• Awkward for the intended meaning: Αν τελειώνεις την αναφορά, στείλε μου την αναφορά.
• Right: Αν τελειώσεις την αναφορά, στείλε μου την αναφορά.
• Why: The intended condition is completing one report. Τελειώσεις presents that endpoint as a whole; τελειώνεις suggests an ongoing or repeated situation.

Using the complete-event form for a habit

• Wrong for a regular habit: Αν γράψεις κάθε μέρα, βελτιώνεσαι.
• Right: Αν γράφεις κάθε μέρα, βελτιώνεσαι.
• Why: Κάθε μέρα signals repetition, so the ongoing/repeated form γράφεις fits. The complete-event form can be grammatical in another context, but it changes the viewpoint.

Negating a command with δεν

• Wrong: Αν βρέχει, δεν φύγε.
• Right: Αν βρέχει, μη φύγεις.
• Why: Greek negative commands use μη(ν) plus the appropriate dependent form. Δεν negates statements, not direct commands.

Treating every αν as conditional “if”

• Misread: Δεν ξέρω αν θα έρθει. = “I don’t know if he comes.”
• Correct meaning: “I don’t know whether he will come.”
• Why: Here αν introduces an indirect yes/no question, not a condition. In this use, θα is perfectly normal.

Copying English word order too rigidly

• Possible but unnecessarily heavy: Αν εσύ έχεις χρόνο, εσύ τηλεφώνησέ μου.
• Natural: Αν έχεις χρόνο, τηλεφώνησέ μου.
• Why: Greek verb endings usually make the subject clear. Add εσύ only when contrasting “you” with someone else.

Usage Notes

Αν is neutral and works in speech and writing. Εάν has the same basic meaning but is more formal or careful, so it is common in instructions, official notices, and written conditions: Εάν επιθυμείτε περισσότερες πληροφορίες, επικοινωνήστε μαζί μας (“If you would like more information, contact us”).

Άμα is a common conversational alternative to αν. Άμα θες, πάμε τώρα means “If you want, let’s go now.” It sounds informal and is best avoided in formal documents, but it is ordinary—not incorrect—in speech.

The result often uses the present even when the practical meaning is immediate or future. Αν συμφωνείς, φεύγουμε can naturally mean “If you agree, we’re leaving / we’ll leave.” Speakers choose this vivid present when the plan feels settled or immediate.

With people, tone matters as much as grammar. Αν θέλεις, έλα can be a warm invitation, while Αν θες, έρχεσαι may sound blunt in some contexts. Politeness can be softened with a question or modal wording: Αν θέλετε, μπορείτε να περιμένετε εδώ (“If you like, you can wait here”).

Beyond the Basics / Advanced Use

If versus whether

Greek αν has two jobs. Conditional αν sets a condition; interrogative αν introduces an indirect yes/no question (“whether”). Compare:

Greek	Meaning	Function of αν
Αν έρθει, θα χαρώ.	If he comes, I’ll be happy.	Condition; normally no θα in the αν clause
Δεν ξέρω αν θα έρθει.	I don’t know whether he will come.	Indirect question; θα is normal
Ρώτησέ τον αν θέλει καφέ.	Ask him whether he wants coffee.	Indirect question about a present desire

This distinction explains many apparent exceptions to the “no θα after αν” learner rule.

Added shades of meaning

Greek can expand the connector to make the speaker’s attitude clearer:

• αν τυχόν — “if by any chance”: Αν τυχόν αργήσω, ξεκινήστε χωρίς εμένα.
• μόνο αν — “only if”: Θα πάω μόνο αν έρθεις κι εσύ.
• ακόμα κι αν — “even if”: Θα βγω ακόμα κι αν βρέχει.
• εκτός αν — “unless”: Θα έρθω, εκτός αν αρρωστήσω.

“Only if” reverses the usual focus: Θα πάω μόνο αν με καλέσουν means that their invitation is necessary for me to go. Εκτός αν introduces the exception that prevents the result.

Conditions about something already possible in the past

An αν clause can refer to a past event without creating an unreal conditional: Αν τον είδες χθες, γιατί δεν του μίλησες; (“If you saw him yesterday, why didn’t you speak to him?”). The speaker treats the past event as possible or accepted for the purpose of the question.

This differs from unreal forms such as Αν είχα χρόνο, θα ταξίδευα (“If I had time, I would travel”), where the situation is presented as contrary to present reality. Those hypothetical and counterfactual patterns belong to the broader study of Greek conditional sentences and should not be built by simply changing one verb in the real-conditional pattern.

Aspect can change the scenario

The contrast between αν διαβάζεις and αν διαβάσεις is not merely “present versus future”:

• Αν διαβάζεις συχνά, μαθαίνεις γρηγορότερα. — If you read/study often, you learn faster.
• Αν διαβάσεις αυτό το βιβλίο, θα καταλάβεις το θέμα. — If you read this book, you’ll understand the topic.

The first looks inside a repeated activity; the second treats reading one book as a complete event. Learning these as whole condition-result pairs is more reliable than translating English verb forms one at a time.

Practice Tips

1. Build three-result chains. Start with one condition, such as Αν έχω χρόνο..., and complete it with a future statement, a present statement, and a command: θα έρθω, σε βοηθάω, πάρε με τηλέφωνο.
2. Train aspect in pairs. Contrast a repeated condition with one completed event: αν γράφεις κάθε μέρα versus αν γράψεις το μήνυμα. Add time expressions such as κάθε μέρα, αύριο, and μία φορά to make the intended viewpoint clear.
3. Listen for connector choice. In conversations, note αν and informal άμα; in notices and business messages, look for εάν. Also check whether αν means conditional “if” or interrogative “whether.”

Related Concepts

• Prerequisite: Future Tenses — provides the θα forms and aspect contrast used in future results.