If-then

[dzhozef-derfler.livejournal.com]

How does one construct an if-then statement in Russian? Such as, "If it were possible to do that, then I would have done it already." I think I know what it is, but I'm not sure...

Comments

[wolk-off.livejournal.com]

The example you give is
Если бы это было возможно сделать, то я уже это сделал бы.
The word order is quite flexible here, and
Если это было бы возможно сделать, то я бы уже сделал это
is also possible.
In colloquial speech, the "то" after the comma is sometimes dropped.

[apollotiger.livejournal.com]

That's interesting ... I think we do that in English too. Which leads me to another question: can you drop a "что" after a comma? Не знаю, это было doesn't seem to make as much sense as не знаю, что это было.

[halevi.livejournal.com]

No, "что" in this case is not droppable.

[miram.livejournal.com]

не знаю, что это было = I don't know what it was.
Never dropped.

[wolk-off.livejournal.com]

In the example you give - no you can't. This converts the phrase not into a colloquialism but into a nonsense :)

[gailochka.livejournal.com]

I'd say что in the meaning of "that" is droppable, in the meaning of "what" is not.

Like...
"I don't know what it was" - "Я не знаю, ЧТО это было" (what is not "accessorial" here - linguistic specialists will know better terms)
"I know that you're clever" - "Я знаю, что ты умный", или "Я знаю, ты умный" - something like that. Here you can drop "что".

Hope it makes sense. :)

[roman-v-m.livejournal.com]

Mr. wolk_off has answered but mind that there's no present and past Subjunctie in Russian but the only form бы + прошедшее время for both the unreal condition in the present and in the past.

[miram.livejournal.com]

Как вариант:
Будь это возможно, я бы уже это сделал.

[vladon.livejournal.com]

If-then = "Если-то".