si los encuentran

Question

Why isn't the subjunctive used here? This is the sentence from El león, la bruja, y el ropero.

¡Ya saben qué hacer con ellos si los encuentran!

You know what to do if you find them! (The White Witch has just ordered her secret-police wolves to go and kill the three Pevensies.)

Answer 1

I should have mentioned that the key concept in these cases is truth. If the main clause is considered by the speaker to be true, it is indicative. If it is considered to be false, it is subjunctive. In both English and Spanish. Therefore, in my second pair of examples, the speaker of the first sentence considers the person to be rich. The speaker of the second sentence, though, does NOT consider the person to be rich, and the reference to being rich is only hypothetical (false).

99% of Americans don't use this construction correctly in English. Sadly, it is a dying form.

Answer 2

Thank you, everyone. The examples & counterexamples are helpful. Some day I will "get" this . . . about the time I win the lottery

Answer 3

To add other examples:

If you (guys) find them, say hi for me.
If you found them, they would run away.

Si (ustedes) los en encuentran, salúdenme.
Si los encontraran, ellos se irían corriendo.

If you are rich, why don't you buy some new clothes?
If you were rich, you wouldn't wear those old clothes.

Si eres rico, ¿por qué no te compras nueva ropa?
Se fueras rico, no llevarías ropa tan vieja.

Answer 4

Since you don't object to "rules", I'd say that it's because it's stating a simple condition as opposed to the "si" introducing a condition-contrary-to-fact (hypothetical) situation. Compare with English "If you meet him, give him my regards." vs "If you were to meet him, what would you do'"

Answer 5

The reason is the meaning of the conjunction "si", which can introduce a conditional declaration. As a general rule, with "si" you use:

...indicative if the condition is likely or possible. Normally, all tenses but futures and conditionals can be used.
...subjunctive if the condition is impossible or extremely unlikely. In this case, only imperfect or pluperfect tenses.

There is one particular exception with one verb where the present subjunctive can be used after "si", but I advice you not to use it.

Answer 6

You never have present subjunctive after "si", if you want subjunctive it has to be the imperfect subjunctive. If you want more like a paradigm that I use, just ask and I will be happy to post it