Conditional sentence

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In grammar, conditional sentences are sentences discussing factual implications or hypothetical situations and their consequences. Languages use a variety of conditional constructions and verb forms (such as the conditional mood) to form these kinds of sentences.

Full conditional sentences contain two clauses: the condition or protasis, and the result or apodosis.

If it rains [condition], (then) the picnic will be cancelled [result].

Syntactically, the result is the main clause, and the condition is a subordinate clause. It is primarily the properties of the protasis (condition) (tense and degree of factualness), however, that determine the properties of the entire sentence.