Temporal, causal and conditional clauses in Russian
How it works
In the Russian language, subordinate clauses are used to express time, reason and condition. Time references are often introduced by conjunctions such as ‹когда›, ‹пока› or ‹после того как›. Reasons are expressed with ‹потому что›, ‹так как› or ‹из-за того что›. Conditions are usually formed with ‹если›; ‹когда› can also express repeated “whenever” in a suitable context. In normal temporal, causal and conditional clauses, finite verb forms are used without any special “subjunctive”. Unreal or hypothetical conditions in Russian are usually expressed with ‹бы›, for example: ‹Если бы был дождь, мы остались бы дома.› Example of a real condition: ‹Если будет дождь, мы останемся дома.›
Temporal, causal and conditional clauses are recognized by the conjunction and by the meaning of the sentence: time with ‹когда›, ‹пока›, ‹после того как›; reason with ‹потому что›, ‹так как›; condition with ‹если›. With reference to the future, a sentence with German “wenn” may be temporal or conditional in Russian depending on the meaning, for example ‹Когда я закончу работу, я позвоню.› versus ‹Если я закончу работу, я позвоню.› Unreal conditions are usually formed with ‹бы›.
An example
Which conjunction expresses the reason in the sentence ‹Я не пошёл гулять, потому что был дождь.›?
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50 Exercises
To the learning unit →Own explanation and own practice exercises by AmyMath. Subject reference framework: Russian. The topic assignment may vary by federal state.