Conditional clauses with falls and sofern

With falls and sofern you state a condition — like with wenn, but somewhat more formal. Both introduce a subordinate clause preceded by a comma. In the subordinate clause the verb stands right at the end: Falls es regnet, bleiben wir zu Hause.

1. falls (in case / if) — you emphasise that something may happen, but is not certain: Falls du Fragen hast, ruf mich an.
2. sofern (provided that) — you state a prerequisite, a kind of condition meaning „only if“: Sofern keine Einwände bestehen, beginnen wir.

Both are often interchangeable with wenn, but sound more formal: Wenn es regnet, … — Falls es regnet, … In letters and written language you often see falls and sofern.