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.

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, 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

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.

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

Contents

Standard Pattern

Structure

Examples

Fuller Pattern

Structure

Examples

Adding in 的话

See also

Sources and further reading

Books