如果... (那)...
Reach for this when you want to set up a hypothetical and state its consequence — 'if X, (then) Y.' It's the most common conditional in Chinese. 如果 marks the condition; the optional 那 (or 那就) at the front of the second clause makes the consequence feel more deliberate. Both real conditions ('if it rains tomorrow') and unreal ones ('if I were rich') use the same structure — Chinese doesn't change form for tense or mood.
Structure
如果 [CONDITION]，(那) [RESULT]
rúguǒ... (nà)...
How to Think About It
如果 plants a flag at the top of an imaginary branch — 'inside this hypothetical, here's what's true.' The optional 那 acts as a pointer back to that branch: 'in that case...' Drop 那 and the sentence still works, but adding it makes the cause-result link feel intentional, like the speaker is leading the listener through the reasoning step by step.
Examples
如果明天下雨，我们就不去了。
Rúguǒ míngtiān xià yǔ, wǒmen jiù bú qù le.
If it rains tomorrow, we won't go.
如果你累了，那就早点睡。
Rúguǒ nǐ lèi le, nà jiù zǎo diǎn shuì.
If you're tired, then go to bed early.
如果我有时间，我会去看你。
Rúguǒ wǒ yǒu shíjiān, wǒ huì qù kàn nǐ.
If I have time, I'll come see you.
Common Mistake
Learners try to translate 'would' into a separate Chinese word, but Chinese expresses the unreal mood entirely through 如果. Adding 会 is fine for predicted future results, but inventing extra modals to 'sound conditional' is unnecessary.
如果我有钱，我会会买一个大房子。
如果我有钱，我就会买一个大房子。
Don't Confuse With
要是... 就...
Same meaning, more colloquial. Use 要是 in speech, 如果 in writing or formal contexts.
只要... 就...
只要 means 'as long as' — a minimum sufficient condition. 如果 simply hypothesizes; 只要 promises the result will follow.
万一... 就...
万一 means 'in the unlikely event that...' Use it when the condition is bad and improbable; 如果 is neutral.
Practice
Fill in the blank: ___ 明天下雨，我们就不去了。
Show answer
如果
Fill in the blank: 如果你累了， ___ 就早点睡。
Show answer
那
Arrange: 下雨，/ 我们 / 就 / 如果 / 不去了 / 明天 / 。
Show answer
如果明天下雨，我们就不去了。
Translate to Chinese: If I have time, I'll come see you.
Show answer
如果我有时间，我会去看你。
Write a sentence using 如果...那... about what you'd do tomorrow if the weather is good.
Show answer
如果明天天气好，那我们就去公园。
Hear It in Real Episodes
This pattern appears in 1 Fluentide episode: