Lesson 56 · إِذَا
If: إِذَا, إِنْ and لَوْ
إِذَا (if, when) is the everyday “if” for things that are likely, and it is followed by a past verb even about the future: إِذَا جَاءَ أَحْمَدُ فَأَخْبِرْنِي (if Ahmad comes, tell me).
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Examples
إِذَا جَاءَ أَحْمَدُ فَأَخْبِرْنِيidhaa jaa’a aḥmadu fa-akhbirniiIf Ahmad comes, tell me.
إِذَا تَعِبْتَ فَنَمْidhaa taʿibta fa-namIf you get tired, sleep.
إِنْ تَدْرُسْ تَنْجَحْin tadrus tanjaḥIf you study, you will succeed.
لَوْ دَرَسْتَ لَنَجَحْتَlaw darasta la-najaḥtaIf you had studied, you would have passed.
لَوْ كَانَ عِنْدِي مَالٌ لَحَجَجْتُlaw kaana ʿindii maalun la-ḥajajtuIf I had money, I would perform Hajj.
إِذَا جَاءَ نَصْرُ اللّٰهِ وَالْفَتْحُidhaa jaa’a naṣru llaahi wal-fatḥuWhen the help of Allah and the victory come (110:1)
Key points
- إِنْ is a more formal “if”; both verbs take the silent ending: إِنْ تَدْرُسْ تَنْجَحْ (if you study, you will succeed).
- لَوْ is for things that did not or will not happen, and the answer starts with لَـ: لَوْ دَرَسْتَ لَنَجَحْتَ (if you had studied, you would have passed).
- When the answer is a command or a noun sentence it starts with فَـ: إِذَا تَعِبْتَ فَنَمْ (if you get tired, sleep).
Practice
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Say “If you are hungry, eat.” (جُعْتَ)
إِذَا جُعْتَ فَكُلْ idhaa juʿta fa-kul
Say “If it rains, I will stay at home.”
إِذَا نَزَلَ الْمَطَرُ بَقِيتُ فِي الْبَيْتِ idhaa nazala l-maṭaru baqiitu fil-bayti
Say “If I were rich, I would travel.”
لَوْ كُنْتُ غَنِيًّا لَسَافَرْتُ law kuntu ghaniyyan la-saafartu