若 and 倘若 for a Written “If”
Use 若 and 倘若 as written words for “if”: the condition comes first, and the result clause often uses 就, 便 or (with 若) 则.
Pattern
若/倘若 + condition，(subject) + 就/便/则 + result
若 and 倘若 mean “if” in written Chinese; 若 is short and can follow the subject, and it pairs with 则 in formal rules.
同学们若有任何问题，请及时与班主任联系。
When to use 若 and 倘若 for a Written “If”
若 and 倘若 both mean “if” and start the condition clause, like 如果. They are written words, found in notices, rules, essays and stories. 若 is short and very flexible: it can open the sentence or come right after the subject (同学们若有问题), and it often joins 有, 想, 要 or 是 (若有, 若想, 若要, 若是). 倘若 is a little longer and more literary; it usually opens the sentence and often describes a situation that may or may not happen, or an imagined one (倘若没有大家的帮助…). In the result clause, use 就 or 便 after the subject, or 则 at the start of the clause in formal rules: 若…，则….
倘若明天下大雪，学校便推迟一小时上课。
If it snows heavily tomorrow, school will start an hour later.
若想取得好成绩，则必须每天坚持练习。
If you want to get good results, you must practise every day.
倘若没有大家的帮助，我们不可能这么快完成任务。
If it weren’t for everyone’s help, we couldn’t have finished the task so quickly.
本次活动若因天气原因取消，将另行通知。
If this event is cancelled because of the weather, a separate notice will be given.
Common traps
- 若 and 倘若 are written; with friends say 如果 or 要是.
- 则 starts the result clause and goes before the verb, after any subject: 若…，则必须…; it pairs with 若, not with 要是.
- 倘若 states a condition, not a concession: for “even if”, use 即使…也….
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