1. plural of protasis: the conditional clause in a conditional sentence (the ‘if’ clause)
Usage: grammar; linguistics

Examples

• The protases in these sentences all begin with ‘if’.
• Students struggled to identify the protases in the complex conditional statements.
• In grammar class, we learned to distinguish protases from apodoses.
• The protases ‘If it rains’ and ‘If you study hard’ introduce conditions.
• Multiple protases can appear in a single complex sentence.
• The teacher explained how protases set up hypothetical situations.