如果... (就)...
Reach for this whenever you want to set up a condition and a consequence — 'if X, then Y.' It's the everyday conditional in Mandarin, equally at home in casual speech, business emails, and headlines. The 如果 introduces the hypothetical scenario; 就 sits in front of the verb in the result clause and acts as the soft 'then.' 就 is often kept, sometimes dropped when the result is obvious or already adverbially marked, but as a learner you should default to including it — it makes the cause-effect link unmistakable.
Structure
如果 [CONDITION]，[SUBJECT] 就 [RESULT]
rúguǒ... jiù...
How to Think About It
如果 opens a door labeled 'hypothetical' and 就 closes it by stepping into the consequence. The 就 lives in the SECOND clause, glued to the verb — not floating around like English 'then,' which can wander to the start of a sentence. If you forget 就, native speakers will still understand you, but the sentence sounds slightly unfinished, like a piano chord without the resolving note.
Examples
如果你来，我就很高兴。
Rúguǒ nǐ lái, wǒ jiù hěn gāoxìng.
If you come, I'll be very happy.
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.
如果你想学好中文，就每天听一点。
Rúguǒ nǐ xiǎng xuéhǎo Zhōngwén, jiù měitiān tīng yìdiǎn.
If you want to master Chinese, listen a little every day.
Common Mistake
Learners place 就 at the front of the second clause like English 'then,' producing 如果 X，就 [subject] Y. In Chinese 就 must sit between the subject and the verb of the result clause, not before the subject.
如果下雨，就我不去。
如果下雨，我就不去。
Don't Confuse With
要是... (就)...
Same meaning, more colloquial. Pick 要是 for casual speech and 如果 for writing and news.
的话, ...就...
Use 的话 as a sentence-final 'if' marker; it can replace 如果 or pair with it. 如果...的话...就... is a common reinforced version.
只要...就...
Use 只要 when the condition is the ONLY thing needed for the result. 如果 is neutral — it just floats a hypothetical without implying sufficiency.
Practice
Fill in the blank: ___ 你有时间，我们就一起吃饭。
Show answer
如果
Fill in the blank: 如果他不来，我们 ___ 走吧。
Show answer
就
Arrange: 如果 / 我 / 累 / 就 / 不去 / 了
Show answer
如果我累了，就不去了。
Translate: If you buy the ticket, you can go in.
Show answer
如果你买票，就可以进去。
Write a sentence about your weekend plans using 如果...就...
Show answer
如果周末天气好，我就去公园跑步。
Hear It in Real Episodes
This pattern appears in 4 Fluentide episodes: