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Conditionals (Agar)
A2·Elementary'If' sentences, real possibilities and imagined ones
Lesson Overview
15 exercises · Level 3
Grammar Explanation
Conditionals (agar)
agar means "if". In speech it's often shortened to age. What matters is which tense goes in the "if" clause.
The Two Types
Real / likely, use the subjunctive
agar + subjunctive , [present or future result]
| Phonetic | Translation |
|---|---|
| agar berim, mibinamesh | If we go, I'll see him |
| age vaght daashte baashi, biaa | If you have time, come |
Unreal / imagined, use the past
agar + past , [past continuous result]
| Phonetic | Translation |
|---|---|
| agar pool daashtam, mikharidam | If I had money, I'd buy it |
| agar oomade bood, didamesh | If he had come, I'd have seen him |
Key Points
- Real conditions take the subjunctive after agar, never the plain present.
- Unreal conditions take the past tense after agar, even though the meaning is present or future.
- The result clause of an unreal condition normally uses mi- + past ("mikharidam" = I would buy).
- age is the spoken form of agar; both are correct.
- The two clauses can swap order: "mibinamesh agar berim".
Examples
| Phonetic | Translation |
|---|---|
| agar berim, khosh migzare | If we go, it'll be fun |
| age bebinamesh, migam | If I see him, I'll tell him |
| agar pool daashtam, safar mikardam | If I had money, I'd travel |
| agar bekhaay, komak mikonam | If you want, I'll help |