Lesson 34: Condition with “nếu”

To talk about hypothetical situations ("if"), Vietnamese uses the nếu... thì... pattern.

The Conditional Frame

Just like "Because... so...", the "If... then..." pattern is a fixed pair: Nếu [Condition], thì [Result].

Nếu trời mưa thì tôi ở nhà.
"If it rains, then I stay home."

Strong Hypotheticals with "nếu như"

Nếu như adds a "what if" flavor, often effectively emphasizing the condition.

Nếu như tôi là bạn...
"If I were you..."

Short-hand Conditions

In conversation, you can drop nếu and just use thì to imply the "if."

Thích thì mua đi!
"(If you) like (it), then buy (it)!"

Future Possibilities

These markers anchor thoughts about things that haven't happened yet.

Nếu rảnh thì đi cà phê.
"If free, then go for coffee."

Examples

Nếu cần giúp thì gọi tôi.
"If need help, then call me."

Đắt quá thì thôi.
"(If it's) too expensive, then never mind."

Note on nuance

Thì is a powerful little word. In this context, it acts as the bridge that says "then this happens." Even if you don't say nếu, saying thì makes the listener understand that the first part was a condition.