Japanese Grammar Bank

JAPANESE CONDITIONAL FORM

In Japanese, conditional forms allow speakers to express “if” scenarios or hypothetical situations.

With several types of conditionals, each form adds nuance to how likely or logical the outcome may be.

HOW TO USE ば, CONJUGATION

ば is used when we want to express a hypothetical condition.

This form indicates a strong connection between the two events in succession. It’s like the event (B) is connected to the occurrence of the event (A).

To use ば in a sentence, you have to learn the ば form of the verb.

Have a look at the following table to understand how to conjugate the verb to the ば form.

For verbs: Drop the final u and add eba.

Dictionary formば form
Ru-verb踊る (odoru)踊れば (odoreba)
走る (hashiru)走れば (hashireba)
U-verb聞く(kiku)聞けば (kikeba)
読む (yomu)読めば (yomeba)
Irregular verbする (suru)すれば (sureba)
来る (kuru)来れば (kureba)

Adjective and Noun: With い adjective, drop the final い and add ければ. With な adjective and noun, just attach であれば.

Plain formば form
い adjective楽しい (tanoshii)楽しければ (tanoshikereba)
かわいい (kawaii)かわいければ (kawaikereba)
な adjective静か (shizuka)静かであれば (shizukadeareba)
元気 (genki)元気であれば (genkideareba)
Noun会社員 (kaishain)会社員であれば (kaishaindeareba)
日本人 (nihonjin)日本人であれば (nihonjindeareba)

CONDITIONAL FORM WITH ば

Now that you understand how to conjugate ば form, let’s learn how to use the ば form verb to express conditionals.

PATTERN

Clause A + ば + Clause B

Meaning: if A, then B

In this pattern, clause A describes the condition, provided that the consequence described in clause A will follow.

Let’s see some examples:

JapaneseRomajiEnglish
もしインドに住んでいれば、毎日カレーを食べる。Moshi indo ni sunde ireba, mainichi karee wo taberu.If I lived in India, I would eat curry every day.
もしその映画がおもしろければ、見に行ってもいいよ。Moshi sono eiga ga omoshirokereba, mini ittemo iiyo.I don’t mind going to watch that movie if it is interesting.
部屋が暗ければ、電気をつけてください。Heya ga kurakereba, denki wo tsukete kudasai.You may turn on the light if the room is dark.
View More Examples:
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家事が忙しくなければ、明日買い物に行きます。Kaji ga isogashiku nakereba, ashita kaimono ni ikimasu.I will go to shopping tomorrow if I am not busy with house chores.
ご飯が美味しければ、たくさんたべてしまいます。Gohan ga oishikereba, takusan tabete shimai masu.I eat a lot if the food is delicious.
あなたが行かなければ、私も行きません。Anata ga ika nakereba watashi mo ikimasen.I too won’t go if you are not going.

These examples show that two events connected with ば have a strong relation.

If the first event does not occur, then the second event does not occur as well.

HOW TO USE たら, CONJUGATION

たら can express time sequences like “when” or “after” and conditions like “if”, depending on the context.

たら is the most common to express conditionals.

The initial た in たら comes from the short form past tense endings of predicates.

Plain formThe short form past tenseたら form
Verbs飛ぶ
(tobu)		飛んだ
(tonda)		飛んだら
(tondara)
い adjectivesやさしい
(yasashii)		やさしかった
(yasashikatta)		やさしかったら
(yasashikattara)
な adjectives親切な
(shinsetsuna)		親切だった
(shinsetsudatta)		親切だったら
(shinsetsudattara)
Noun日本人
(nihonjin)		日本人だった
(nihonjindatta)		日本人だったら
(nihonjindattara)

CONDITIONAL FORM WITH たら

PATTERN

A + たら + B

Meaning: B is valid, contingent on the fulfillment of A

In this pattern, the event or situation in B is realized if and when the condition A is met.

Here are examples:

JapaneseRomajiEnglish
韓国に行ったら、キムチを食べます。Kankoku ni ittara kimuchi wo tabemasu.I will eat kimchi when I go to Korea.
田中さんに会ったら、質問をしようと思います。Tanaka san ni attara shitsumon wo shiyou to omoimasu.I will ask a question if I meet Mr. Tanaka.
飛行機のチケットが安かったら、来月アメリカに行こうと思います。Hikouki no chiketto ga yasukattara, raigetsu amerika ni ikou to omoimasu.I want to go to the United States next month if the airplane ticket is cheap.
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japaneseromajienglish
雨が降ったら、映画を見に行きます。Ame ga huttara, eiga wo mini ikimasu.I will go to the cinema to watch the movie if it is raining.
仕事が終わったら、同僚たちと食事をしに行きます。Shigoto ga owattara, douryoutachi to shokuji wo shini ikimasu.I will go for dinner with my colleagues after finishing our work.
お金があったら、家と車を買いたいです。Okane ga attara, ie to kuruma wo kaitai desu.I wish to buy my own house and car if I had enough money!

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FAQs

What are the main Japanese conditional forms?

There are four main conditional forms in Japanese: ば (ba), たら (tara), と (to), and なら (nara). Each has different nuances and usage depending on the context of the condition being expressed.

What is the difference between たら and ば?

たら is often used for more general or hypothetical situations, while ば is used when the condition is more logical or expected.

For example, 雨が降ったら、外に行きません (If it rains, I won’t go outside) vs. 雨が降れば、外に行きません (If it rains, I won’t go outside – more certain or logical).

When do you use と for conditional sentences?

と is used to express conditions that lead to inevitable or natural results.

For example, 春になると、桜が咲きます (When it becomes spring, the cherry blossoms bloom). It’s often used for habitual actions or facts.

Learn more about と here.

What is the nuance of using なら?

なら is used when making suggestions or giving advice based on a specific condition or situation.

It’s commonly used in response to something that has been mentioned.

For example, 映画を見るなら、あの映画がおすすめです (If you’re going to watch a movie, I recommend that one).

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