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Generally speaking, rural drivers are a much better behaved species than city drivers. I'm not sure whether they're intrinsically this way, or there are just fewer opportunities for them to do behave badly. You can't go around running red lights if there aren't any red lights to run.
Linwood Barclay

Meaning of "if" in the English dictionary

Dictionary
DICTIONARY
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ETYMOLOGY OF THE WORD IF

Old English gif; related to Old Saxon ef if, Old High German iba whether, if.
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Etymology is the study of the origin of words and their changes in structure and significance.
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PRONUNCIATION OF IF

if  [ɪf] play
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GRAMMATICAL CATEGORY OF IF

noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation
If can act as a noun and a conjunction.
A noun is a type of word the meaning of which determines reality. Nouns provide the names for all things: people, objects, sensations, feelings, etc.

The conjunction is an invariable grammatical category used to join together words and sentences.

WHAT DOES IF MEAN IN ENGLISH?

If

If is a conjunction used in English conditional sentences. If or IF may also refer to...

Definition of if in the English dictionary

The first definition of if in the dictionary is in case that, or on condition that. Other definition of if is used to introduce an indirect question. In this sense, if approaches the meaning of whether. If is also even though.

WORDS THAT BEGIN LIKE IF

if only
if the cap fits
if the worst comes to the worst
if you please
IFA
IFAD
IFC
Ife
iff
iffier
iffiest
iffy
Ifni
IFP
IFR
IFS
iftar

Synonyms and antonyms of if in the English dictionary of synonyms

SYNONYMS

SYNONYMS OF «IF»

The following words have a similar or identical meaning as «if» and belong to the same grammatical category.
synonyms of if

Translation of «if» into 25 languages

TRANSLATOR
online translator

TRANSLATION OF IF

Find out the translation of if to 25 languages with our English multilingual translator.
The translations of if from English to other languages presented in this section have been obtained through automatic statistical translation; where the essential translation unit is the word «if» in English.

Translator English - Chinese

如果
1,325 millions of speakers

Translator English - Spanish

si
570 millions of speakers

English

if
510 millions of speakers

Translator English - Hindi

अगर
380 millions of speakers
ar

Translator English - Arabic

إِذَا
280 millions of speakers

Translator English - Russian

если
278 millions of speakers

Translator English - Portuguese

se
270 millions of speakers

Translator English - Bengali

যদি
260 millions of speakers

Translator English - French

si
220 millions of speakers

Translator English - Malay

Jika
190 millions of speakers

Translator English - German

wenn
180 millions of speakers

Translator English - Japanese

もしも・・・ならば
130 millions of speakers

Translator English - Korean

만일 ...이면
85 millions of speakers

Translator English - Javanese

Yen
85 millions of speakers
vi

Translator English - Vietnamese

nếu
80 millions of speakers

Translator English - Tamil

என்றால்
75 millions of speakers

Translator English - Marathi

तर
75 millions of speakers

Translator English - Turkish

Eğer
70 millions of speakers

Translator English - Italian

se
65 millions of speakers

Translator English - Polish

jeżeli
50 millions of speakers

Translator English - Ukrainian

якщо
40 millions of speakers

Translator English - Romanian

dacă
30 millions of speakers
el

Translator English - Greek

εάν
15 millions of speakers
af

Translator English - Afrikaans

As
14 millions of speakers
sv

Translator English - Swedish

om
10 millions of speakers
no

Translator English - Norwegian

hvis
5 millions of speakers

Trends of use of if

TRENDS

TENDENCIES OF USE OF THE TERM «IF»

The term «if» is very widely used and occupies the 277 position in our list of most widely used terms in the English dictionary.
0
100%
FREQUENCY
Very widely used
98
/100
The map shown above gives the frequency of use of the term «if» in the different countries.
Principal search tendencies and common uses of if
List of principal searches undertaken by users to access our English online dictionary and most widely used expressions with the word «if».

FREQUENCY OF USE OF THE TERM «IF» OVER TIME

The graph expresses the annual evolution of the frequency of use of the word «if» during the past 500 years. Its implementation is based on analysing how often the term «if» appears in digitalised printed sources in English between the year 1500 and the present day.

Examples of use in the English literature, quotes and news about if

EXAMPLES

10 QUOTES WITH «IF»

Famous quotes and sentences with the word if.
1
Ayad Akhtar
I can't be a spokesman for anything other than my own concerns. I have to be free to wrestle with my own preoccupations, and if I'm bringing any political awareness to that process, that mitigates my freedom.
2
Gaston Bachelard
To live life well is to express life poorly; if one expresses life too well, one is living it no longer.
3
Linwood Barclay
Generally speaking, rural drivers are a much better behaved species than city drivers. I'm not sure whether they're intrinsically this way, or there are just fewer opportunities for them to do behave badly. You can't go around running red lights if there aren't any red lights to run.
4
Shane Black
I think about the audience in the sense that I serve as my own audience. I have to please myself the way, if I saw the movie in a theater, I would be pleased. Do I think about catering to an audience? No.
5
Heston Blumenthal
If it doesn't taste good it doesn't go on the menu.
6
Nellie Bly
I had, toward the last, been shut off from all visitors, and so when the lawyer, Peter A. Hendricks, came and told me that friends of mine were willing to take charge of me if I would rather be with them than in the asylum, I was only too glad to give my consent.
7
Edie Brickell
If it turns out to be a hit, well, good luck dealing with fame. And if it's not a hit and you can still survive and make music you believe in, well, then you're truly blessed. I think that's where we are now.
8
T Bone Burnett
If it is true that we have a personal relationship with God, then that's enough for me.
9
Hilarie Burton
My weekends are spent hidden in the woods, and then I have to come back and pretend to be this very upper-crust insurance investigator. But, I mean, duality's nice. You never get bored. You can't say the grass is always greener if you're in both backyards.
10
Sophia Bush
Your body tells you what it needs, and if you sleep past your alarm on a Saturday morning, it's probably because you need the sleep.

10 ENGLISH BOOKS RELATING TO «IF»

Discover the use of if in the following bibliographical selection. Books relating to if and brief extracts from same to provide context of its use in English literature.
1
If--
Illustrations present such imaginative possibilities as worms with wheels, caterpillar toothpaste, and whales in outer space.
Sarah Perry, 1995
2
If on a winter's night a traveler
Italo Calvino imagines a novel capable of endless mutations in this intricately crafted story about writing and readers.
Italo Calvino, 2012
3
If: What do I know of Calvary Love?
A little book about Calvary love in common life. Based on 1st Corinthians 13. Over 100,000 in print.
Amy Carmichael, 2011
4
The God Particle: If the Universe is the Answer, what is the ...
The world's foremost experimental physicist uses humor, metaphor, and storytelling to delve into the mysteries of matter, discussing the as-yet-to-be-discovered God particle.
Leon M. Lederman, 1993
5
How to Tell If Your Cat Is Plotting to Kill You
It's a warning. 'How to Tell If Your Cat Is Plotting to Kill You' is a hilarious, brilliant offering of cat comics, facts, and instructional guides from the creative wonderland at TheOatmeal.com.
The Oatmeal, 2012
6
If I Could Keep You Little...
If I could keep you little, I'd decide on matching clothes. But then I'd miss you choosing dots on top and stripes below If I could keep you little I'd cut your bread in shapes. But then I'd miss you finding "Hey!
‎2010
7
What If?: Short Stories to Spark Diversity Dialogue
Twenty-six inspiring, lively, and personal stories that illustrate concepts of diversity and inclusion, as well as invite discussion among groups.
Steve L. Robbins, 2008
8
How to Tell If Your Boyfriend is the Antichrist: (and If He ...
Enter award-winning illustrator Patricia Carlin's edgy, impulse-dating humour guide for the hip, young and urban.A cross between The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, The Rules and He's Just Not That Into You, it ...
Patricia Carlin, 2007
9
If You're an Egalitarian, How Come You’re So Rich?
This book presents G. A. Cohen's Gifford Lectures, delivered at the University of Edinburgh in 1996.
G. A. COHEN, G. A Cohen, 2009
10
If I Perish
This brave woman remained faithful to Christ in the face of brutality, oppression, and ruthlessness of her captors. The story of how she won many of her fellow prisoners to Christ in the most deplorable conditions is an inspiration to all.
Esther Ahn Kim, 2009

10 NEWS ITEMS WHICH INCLUDE THE TERM «IF»

Find out what the national and international press are talking about and how the term if is used in the context of the following news items.
1
If you're short, what do you see at a gig? The top of Brian May's hair …
And that's if you're lucky – the shorter than average gig-goer is likely to see more armpits than bands. Brian May … as he looks on stage to a ... «The Guardian, Jul 15»
2
Housing market could face collapse if base rate rise hits buyer …
Millions of households who saw the cost of their tracker loans fall in line with base rate may now be eyeing the market nervously. Photograph: ... «The Guardian, Jul 15»
3
Caitlyn Jenner accepts courage award: 'If you want to call me names …
She added: “If you want to call me names, make jokes and doubt my intentions, go ahead because the reality is I can take it. But for thousands ... «The Guardian, Jul 15»
4
If David Lynch made a platform game, it might look like Strawberry …
Indeed. Created by Loren Schmidt, Strawberry Cubes is the red-hued glitch dream of a sleeping platform game, the kind that unnerves you in ... «Boing Boing, Jul 15»
5
Labor to demand Bishop resign if forms show flight claimed as …
The Speaker Bronwyn Bishop is facing mounting pressure about the use of her entitlements, which include chartered flights from Melbourne to ... «The Guardian, Jul 15»
6
Colorado theatre shooting: Jury to decide if James Holmes will face …
Psychiatrists who testified during the trial were split on whether Holmes was legally insane under Colorado law. Now a jury will decide if he will ... «CBC.ca, Jul 15»
7
If electric-car startup Faraday Future is for real, then Elon Musk will …
In fact, if another electric-car startup is coming onto the scene and is indeed for real, it would be welcome news for Tesla CEO Elon Musk. «Business Insider, Jul 15»
8
Hardy decision makes you wonder if NFL wants to fix crime problem …
I figured that if Selig's “hands were tied” his tongue wasn't, nor was he blindfolded. He had to see all those suddenly muscle-massed players, ... «New York Post, Jul 15»
9
What Would An E. Coli Do If It Were Much, Much Bigger? | Popular …
"Basically we were trying to find out from the mathematical model if we could build a living microbiome on a nonliving host and control the host ... «Popular Science, Jul 15»
10
Apple Pay: TfL says users will face penalty charges if battery runs …
If travellers run out of battery before they get to a station, and so can't tap out, they “could be charged a maximum fare”. If an inspector gets on ... «The Independent, Jul 15»

REFERENCE
« EDUCALINGO. If [online]. Available <https://educalingo.com/en/dic-en/if>. May 2024 ».
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