Three patterns
اگر means "if". What follows it decides whether the condition is possible or imaginary.
| Type | اگر clause | Result clause | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| possible | present subjunctive | present / future | اگر وقت داشته باشم، میآیم. |
| unreal now | past continuous | past continuous | اگر پول داشتم، میخریدم. |
| unreal past | past perfect | past continuous | اگر آمده بودی، او را میدیدی. |
Possible conditions
The subjunctive is the careful choice after اگر; the plain present is common in relaxed speech.
- اگر فردا بیایی، با هم میرویم. — If you come tomorrow, we will go together.
- اگر باران ببارد، بیرون نمیرویم. — If it rains, we won't go out.
- اگر وقت داشته باشم، به تو زنگ میزنم. — If I have time, I'll call you.
When the condition must be completed before the result, especially before a command, the simple past is common instead: اگر رسیدی، به من خبر بده. — If you get there, let me know.
Unreal in the present
Both halves go into the past continuous. This is where English says "would".
- اگر پول داشتم، این خانه را میخریدم. — If I had money, I would buy this house.
- اگر جای تو بودم، قبول نمیکردم. — If I were you, I would not accept.
- کاش اینجا بودی. — I wish you were here.
Unreal in the past
The اگر clause takes the past perfect, the result stays in the past continuous.
- اگر زودتر آمده بودی، او را میدیدی. — If you had come earlier, you would have seen him.
- اگر درس خوانده بودم، قبول میشدم. — If I had studied, I would have passed.
- کاش به او گفته بودم. — I wish I had told him.
Small print
The order of the two clauses can be reversed: میآیم اگر وقت داشته باشم. The comma disappears. در غیر این صورت and وگرنه mean "otherwise": عجله کن، وگرنه دیر میشود.
Watch out as an English speaker
- Persian has no separate word for "would": it is carried by می on a past verb. ✗ اگر پول داشتم، خواهم خرید. / ✓ اگر پول داشتم، میخریدم.
- No future after اگر, exactly like English: ✗ اگر فردا خواهی آمد / ✓ اگر فردا بیایی.
- داشتن and بودن have irregular subjunctives: ✗ اگر وقت بدارم / ✓ اگر وقت داشته باشم; ✓ اگر آنجا باشی.
- "If I were" is simply the past: ✓ اگر جای تو بودم, never باشم here.
Example dialogue
اگر فردا هوا خوب باشد، به کوه میرویم. — If the weather is good tomorrow, we'll go to the mountains.
و اگر باران ببارد؟ — And if it rains?
در خانه میمانیم. اگر ماشین داشتم، به شمال میرفتیم. — We'll stay home. If I had a car, we would go north.
کاش پارسال ماشین خریده بودی. — I wish you had bought a car last year.