Conjunctions are really important in Russian because they help connect different parts of sentences.

Two common conjunctions are "что," which means "that," and "если," which means "if."

Learning how to use these words will make it easier for you to form and understand more complicated sentences in Russian.

1. What "что" Does:
The word "что" starts subordinate clauses. These clauses give extra information or explain something from the main sentence.

• Example:
  • Main sentence: Я знаю (I know).
  • With subordinate clause: Я знаю, что он придет. (I know that he will come.)

In this example, "Я знаю" (I know) connects to "что он придет" (that he will come) with the word "что." This tells us what the speaker knows.

2. What "если" Does:
The word "если" starts conditional subordinate clauses. These clauses describe a condition that has to happen for the main part of the sentence to be true.

• Example:
  • Main sentence: Я пойду (I will go).
  • With subordinate clause: Я пойду, если будет хорошая погода. (I will go if the weather is good.)

In this case, "Я пойду" (I will go) depends on the condition "если будет хорошая погода" (if the weather is good).

3. Using Both Conjunctions in Complex Sentences:
You can use multiple subordinate clauses in one sentence to give more details.

• Example:
  • Я не знаю, что он собирается делать, если погода не улучшится. (I don’t know what he plans to do if the weather doesn’t improve.)

Here, "что" explains what he plans to do, while "если" tells us about the condition of the weather.

4. Important Rules for Using "что" and "если":

• Order: Usually, the clauses that start with "что" or "если" come after the main clause. But sometimes they can come first if you want to emphasize something.

• Punctuation: If a subordinate clause starts the sentence, put a comma before the main clause. If it comes after, you don’t need a comma.

• Example:

  • Если он придет, мы начнем. (If he comes, we will start.)
  • Мы начнем, если он придет. (We will start if he comes.)

5. Summary of How to Use:

• Use "что" to share information or give details, and use "если" for conditions.
• Both conjunctions are very helpful for creating complex sentences that improve communication in Russian.

By mastering "что" and "если," learners of Russian can really enhance their sentence-making skills and become better at speaking the language.