Today, we are going to learn the many ways to express a hypothetical relationship in Chinese, which is the concept of “if” in English. One of the most commonly and straightforward ways to say “if” in Chinese is 如果 (rú guǒ) . In this post, besides learning the Chinese structures for 如果, you will also learn other ways to express “if” in Chinese. The choice of which “If” structure to use depends on the context and level of formality.
Expressing “if” using 如果 (rú guǒ)
如果 is one of the most straightforward and commonly used ways to say “if” in Chinese. 如果 used to introduce a hypothetical or conditional situation. It is a written and a spoken language.
1. 如果 … 就 (rú guǒ …. jiù)
如果明天下雨，我们就不去爬山. 我们去看电影。
rú guǒ míng tiān xià yǔ, wǒ men jiù bù qù pá shān, wǒ men qù kàn diàn yǐng.
If it rains tomorrow, then we won’t go mountain climbing. we’ll go watch a movie.
2. 如果 … . 的话 (rú guǒ …. de huà)
如果明天下雨的话，我们就不去爬山. 我们去看电影。
rú guǒ míng tiān xià yǔ de huà, wǒ men jiù bù qù pá shān, wǒ men qù kàn diàn yǐng.
If it rains tomorrow, we won’t go mountain climbing. we’ll go watch a movie.
的话” adds an additional emphasis to the condition being presented.
.
3. 如果 …. 那 / 那么 （rú guǒ …. nà/nà me)
如果明天下雨，那/那么我们就不去爬山. 我们去看电影。
rú guǒ míng tiān xià yǔ, nà/nà me wǒ men jiù bù qù pá shān, wǒ men qù kàn diàn yǐng.
If it rains tomorrow, then we won’t go mountain climbing. We’ll go watch a movie.
那/那么 imparts a more relaxed, informal feel to the sentence.
Using 要是 / 要是 … 的话 to say “If”
要是 (yào shì) is equivalent to if, suppose or in case in English. 要是 mostly used in spoken language. In formal situations, it is not common to use 要是. In most contexts, you can substitute 要是 and 如果 with each other.
A: 我再也受不了了！我要辞职！
A: Wǒ zài yě shòu bù liǎo le! Wǒ yào cízhí!
A: I can’t take it anymore! I’m resigning!
B: 我要是你，我早就辞职不干了。还会等到现在！or
我要是你（的话），我早就辞职不干了。还会等到现在！
B: Wǒ yào shì nǐ, wǒ zǎo jiù cízhí bù gàn le. Hái huì děng dào xiàn zài!
Wǒ yào shì nǐ (de huà), wǒ zǎo jiù cí zhí bù gàn le. Hái huì děng dào xiàn zài!
B: If I were you, I would have quit a long time ago. Why wait until now?
You can substitute 要是 to 如果 for this sentence. It becomes,
B: 我如果是你，我早就辞职不干了。还会等到现在！
我如果是你（的话），我早就辞职不干了。还会等到现在！
B: Wǒ rú guǒ shì nǐ, wǒ zǎo jiù cí zhí bù gàn le. Hái huì děng dào xiàn zài!
Wǒ rú guǒ shì nǐ (de huà), wǒ zǎo jiù cízhí bù gàn le. Hái huì děng dào xiàn zài!
是 is a must after 如果. It is wrong to say 我如果你(的话）…
How to say “if” using 假如 (jiǎ rú) / 假如… 的话 ((jiǎ rú …. de huà)
假如 is similar in meaning to 如果. 假如 is a written language and it is used after the subject of a sentence and not before the subject, like in 如果.
A: 周末做什么好呢？
A: Zhōu mò zuò shén me hǎo ne?
A: What should we do for the weekend?
B: 假如你有时间 (的话），我们可以开车去郊外野餐。
B: Jiǎ rú nǐ yǒu shí jiān (dehuà), wǒ men kě yǐ kāi chē qù jiāo wài yě cān.
B: If you have time (if possible), we can drive to the outskirts for a picnic.
You can change this sentence to 如果 / 要是.
B: 如果你有时间 (的话），我们可以开车去郊外野餐。
B: Rú guǒ nǐ yǒu shí jiān (de huà), wǒ men kě yǐ kāi chē qù jiāo wài yě cān.
B: If you have time (if possible), we can drive to the countryside for a picnic.
But,
B: 你如果有时间 (的话），我们可以开车去郊外野餐。
B: Nǐ rú guǒ yǒu shí jiān (de huà), wǒ men kě yǐ kāi chē qù jiāo wài yě cān.
B: If you have time (if possible), we can drive to the countryside for a picnic.
In this case, it is incorrect to say 你假如有时间 (的话），我们可以开车去郊外野餐。
Must say 假如你有时间 (的话），我们可以开车去郊外野餐。
Expressing “If” using 若 or 若是 (ruò or ruò shì)
若 (ruò) or 若是 is equivalent to “if” or “in the event that” in English. It’s often used to introduce conditional clauses or express hypothetical situation like what we have already discussed. “若是” is formal and can be found more often in written context.
若（是）你现在辞职，你很难找到另一份工作。
ruò (shì) nǐ xiàn zài cí zhí, nǐ hěn nán zhǎo dào lìng yī fèn gōng zuò
If you resign from your job now, it will be difficult for you to find another job.
We hope this post helps you to better understand the various ways to say “IF” in Chinese. For pronunciation and video presentation of this lesson, please click “here“.
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