Expressing "if... then..." with "ruguo... jiu..."

One of the benefits of Chinese is that the grammar is often very logical and concise. In this article, we look at the 如果 ⋯⋯，就⋯⋯ (rúguǒ..., jiù...) two-part structure.

Standard Pattern

Structure

如果⋯⋯，就⋯⋯ is an often-used pattern that is utilized in the same way that "If…, then…" is in English.

如果 ⋯⋯ ，就 ⋯⋯

Examples

• 如果 有 困难 ，就 给 我 打 电话 。 Rúguǒ yǒu kùnnan, jiù gěi wǒ dǎ diànhuà.If there is any difficulty, give me a call.
• 如果 你 输 了 ，就 给 我 一 百 块 。Rúguǒ nǐ shū le, jiù gěi wǒ yī bǎi kuài.If you lose, you need to give me 100 kuai.
• 如果 真的 找 不 回来 ，就 再 买 一 个 吧 。Rúguǒ zhēnde zhǎo bu huílái, jiù zài mǎi yī gè ba.If you can't find it, then buy a new one.
• 如果 他 再 来 ，我们 就 报警 。Rúguǒ tā zài lái, wǒmen jiù bàojǐng.If he keeps showing up, we'll call the police.
• 如果 你们 已经 不 相爱 了 ，就 分手 吧 。Rúguǒ nǐmen yǐjīng bù xiāngài le, jiù fēnshǒu ba.If you no longer love each other, just break up.

Fuller Pattern

Sometimes 那么 (nàme) is used instead of 就 (jiù), imparting a more relaxed, informal feel to the sentence. Sometimes just 那 (nà) will be used instead of 那么 (nàme).

Structure

如果 ⋯⋯ ，那么 / 那 ⋯⋯

Examples

• 如果 他 知道 ，那 他 一 定 会 告诉 我 。Rúguǒ tā zhīdào, nà tā yīdìng huì gàosu wǒ.If he knew, he would definitely tell me.
• 如果 大家 都 不 感兴趣 ，那 我 不 说 了。Rúguǒ dàjiā dōu bù gǎn xìngqù, nà wǒ bù shuō le.If none of you are interested, I will stop talking.
• 如果 你们 真的 想 合作 ，那么 我们 应该 找 时间 好好 谈谈 。Rúguǒ nǐmen zhēnde xiǎng hézuò, nàme wǒmen yīnggāi zhǎo shíjian hǎohǎo tántan.If you really want to work with us, then we should schedule a day to discuss it.
• 如果 能 找到 投资 ，那 下个月 就 可以 开始 做 了 。Rúguǒ néng zhǎodào tóuzī, nà xià gè yuè jiù kěyǐ kāishǐ zuò le.If we can find the investment, we'll be able to get on it next month.
• 如果 你 想 申请 ，那么 现在 就 要 开始 准备 。Rúguǒ nǐ xiǎng shēnqǐng, nàme xiànzài jiù yào kāishǐ zhǔnbèi.If you want to apply, you need to start to prepare right away.

Adding in 的话

This article is focused on the two-part "if... then..." pattern 如果⋯⋯，就⋯⋯. But it's also possible to take the first half and make it into a "sandwich pattern" using 如果……的话.

See also

• "If… then…" with "yaoshi"
• "If… then…" with "jiaru"
• The "if" sandwich pattern using "ruguo... dehua"
• "Only if" with "zhiyou"

Sources and further reading

Books

• Common Chinese Patterns 330 (汉语常用格式330例) (pp. 184) Anything Goes (无所不谈) →buy
• New Practical Chinese Reader 2 (新实用汉语课本2) (pp. 240) Anything Goes (无所不谈) →buy