Modern Spanish Grammar: A Practical Guide

USE OF THE SUBJUNCTIVE 18.2• with the imperfect subjunctive for unreal conditions in the present and forunlikely conditions in the future.NOTEThe present subjunctive is never used with si.Si me lo hubieras/hubieses pedido te habría/hubiera ayudado.(see 51.2)If you had asked me I would have helped you.Si estuviera seguro lo haría.If I were certain I would do it.Si te invitaran, ¿aceptarías? (see 50)If they invited you, would you accept?If si expresses an open condition (i.e. envisaging something which might or equallymight not be the case), or if it introduces a fact, then the indicative is used:Si te invitan, ¿aceptarás? (see 50)If they invite you, will you accept?Si no llegas a las seis empezamos sin ti. (see 51.1)If you don’t arrive at six we’ll start without you.Si le duele tanto es/será mejor llamar a un médico. (see 51.1)If it hurts him/her so much we’d better call a doctor.Si ha llegado hablaré con él. (see 51.1)If he has arrived I will speak to him.Si Miguel iba a volver tarde, avisaba a sus padres.If Miguel was going to come home late, he told his parents.Like si is si bien ‘even if’/‘though’, which is often used to make contrasts between facts(and hence in these circumstances used with the indicative):Si bien la casa es grande, el alquiler es muy caro. (see 52)Even though the house is big, the rent is very high./The house may bebig, but the rent is very high.18.2.5 The subjunctive in relative clausesThe subjunctive is used in relative clauses which have a negative or an indefiniteantecedent (i.e. the noun or pronoun to which the relative clause relates and whichstands immediately in front of the relative pronoun).11 (p. 45); 13 (p. 52)No conozco a nadie que tenga tanta paciencia.I don’t know anyone who has such patience.Allí no hay fábricas que contaminen el medio ambiente.There are no factories there to pollute the environment.90