Si vs. cuando

DeborahC1Kwiziq community member

Si vs. cuando

Hi, I was wondering if in the following examples, "cuando" can be interchanged with "si", because there are lessons about si-sentences with the exact same combination of tenses/modes to excited hypothetical situations.

Ella te habría perdonado cuando tú le hubieras pedido perdón.

She would have forgiven you when you had apologised to her. (hypothetical situation)

Dijo que me llamaría cuando llegara al hotel.

He said he'd call me when he arrives at the hotel. (future/hypothetical event)


Thanks so much! I really enjoy this course :) 
Asked 3 years ago
InmaKwiziq team memberCorrect answer

Hola Deborah

In some cases the "cuando" clause can be taken as an "if" meaning clause but not always, so it's not safe to always alternate these two. For example, in the first sentence: 

Ella te habría perdonado cuando/si tú le hubieras pedido perdón.

She would have forgiven you when/if you had apologised to her. (hypothetical situation)

However in the second sentence:

Dijo que me llamaría cuando/ (si ???) llegara al hotel.

He said he'd call me when he arrives at the hotel. 

This would be grammatically incorrect using "si" - to have this same meaning you'd need a different tense: 

Dijo que me llamaría si llegaba al hotel.

He said he'd call me if he arrived at the hotel. 

The first option using cuando llegara implies that at some point he was going to arrive. The second sentence using si llegaba implies that that could or could not happen, no certainty at all.

I hope this clarified it a bit.

Saludos

Inma

Si vs. cuando

Hi, I was wondering if in the following examples, "cuando" can be interchanged with "si", because there are lessons about si-sentences with the exact same combination of tenses/modes to excited hypothetical situations.

Ella te habría perdonado cuando tú le hubieras pedido perdón.

She would have forgiven you when you had apologised to her. (hypothetical situation)

Dijo que me llamaría cuando llegara al hotel.

He said he'd call me when he arrives at the hotel. (future/hypothetical event)


Thanks so much! I really enjoy this course :) 

Sign in to submit your answer

Don't have an account yet? Join today

Ask a question

Find your Spanish level for FREE

Test your Spanish to the CEFR standard

Find your Spanish level
I'll be right with you...