Si,Si,Si,Si+!!!!


 * Si, Si, Si, Si, Si, Si, Si, Si!!!!!!!! **


 * //Si//** is a tiny French word that is probably one of the most versatile in the French language. Though **//si//** mainly corresponds to three little English words: "if," "so," and "yes," the context of its usage often indicates a slightly different or expanded meaning.


 * 1.) Si = “if”**

Most of the time, you’ll probably hear si used to mean "if," as Bertrand Pierre uses it in his emotional song, //Si vous n’avez rien à me dire// (with text by Victor Hugo, of Les Misérables fame):

//Si vous n'avez rien à me dire / Pourquoi venir auprès de moi?// If you have nothing to say to me / Why come up to me?

Je ne sais pas si je veux y aller I don't know if I want to go

Dis-moi si ça te conviendra Tell me if that will work for you

Si j'étais riche, j'achèterais une maison If I were rich, I would buy a house

Note that when si meaning "if" is followed by il ("he" or "it") or ils ("they," masculine), it is contracted to s'. This is perhaps most commonly seen in the expression for "please," s’il vous plaît (formal) or s’il te plaît (informal), which literally translates to "if it pleases you."


 * 2**.) **Si = as/so (comparison)**

Si can make a comparison:

Il n'est pas si intelligent qu'il pense He's not as smart as he thinks

Ce n'est pas si facile It's not as easy as that./It's not that easy


 * 3.) Si = “so” (intensifier)**

Since si and "so" look quite similar, it shouldn’t be too hard to remember this meaning of the word. Just keep in mind that si refers to the adverb "so" (as in "so happy"), not to "so" as a conjunction (as in "move so I can see"):

Pourquoi si long et pourquoi si las, tenir à bout de bras? Why so long and why so weary, to hold at arm's length?

Je suis si fatigué I'm so tired

J'ai si faim I'm so hungry

Je ne savais pas qu'il était si mignon I didn't know he was so cute


 * 4.) Si = however, no matter how**

Si can be followed by a subjunctive clause to express a concession:

Si beau qu'il fasse, je ne peux pas sortir No matter how nice the weather is, I can't go out

Si gentil que tu sois, je ne t'aime pas However kind you are, I don't love you

If someone asks a question and you're not sure (or can't believe) you heard correctly, you can request confirmation or clarification by repeating what you did hear with the word si:
 * 5.) Si = did I hear correctly, is this what you're asking?**

Si j'ai faim ? (Are you asking) if I'm hungry? (You couldn't really hear the question)

Si je veux quoi ? You're asking if I want what? (You're not sure you heard correctly; you heard "Do you want a free TV?")

Si j'ai combien d'enfants ? You're asking if I have how many kids? (You didn't hear "how many," or you heard "Do you have 7 kids?")


 * 6.) Si = “whereas” (contrast/opposition)**

Si can also be used to indicate a contrast or opposition, in which case it means "whereas":

Si Émilie aime la musique rock, Henri la déteste. Whereas Émilie loves rock music, Henri hates it.

S'il est beau, sa femme est laide Whereas he is handsome, his wife is ugly

Si tu es gentil, ton frère est méchant You're kind, while your brother is mean


 * 7.) Et si = what if, how about**

In informal French, et si is often tacked on the beginning of a suggestion (with the verb in the imperfect):

Et si on allait au ciné ? How about going to the movies?

Et si tu amenais ton frère ? Why don't you bring your brother?

Et si on parlait d'amour ? What if we talked about love?


 * 8.) Si = “yes”**

One of the first words you learn in French is the word for "yes," oui, but sometimes si can also mean "yes" (as it does in Spanish and Italian). However, si only means "yes" in a very specific context: when someone is **contradicting a negative question or statement.** In case that sounds kind of convoluted, here's an example:

Non! Il n'est pas bien, Sarkozy! -Si, si, si. -Si, il est bien. No! He's not good, Sarkozy! -Yes, yes, yes. -Yes, he's good.

If oui were used here instead of si, the speaker would just be confirming the negative statement ("Yes, Sarkozy is not good"). On the other hand, si takes a negative proposition ("He's not good, Sarkozy!") and turns it into a positive one ("Yes, he's good"). This is why it can come in very handy when you want to correct someone or express a contrary opinion.

To conclude, here are two expressions with si that you might find useful: si ça se trouve... ("maybe" or "it could be the case that") and si ce n'est que... (apart from the fact that):

Si ça se trouve, Georges n'a jamais terminé ses études. It could be that Georges never finished school.

Nous n'avons rien en commun, si ce n'est que nous sommes tous les deux français. We have nothing in common apart from the fact that we are both French.