場合は、doesn't seem much of a conditional grammar structure to me but in class we learnt this form alongside たら、なら、と＆ば。 How does 場合は、compare to these structures and how do you correctly use it? (as in contextually not how to conjugate)
Thank you!
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Are you asking about the grammatical usage or how the meaning compares?– kandymanNov 13, 2017 at 18:26
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How the meaning compares, it seems to me to be pretty interchangeable with ~tara but less common, I was confused about when to use it.– lois.eNov 13, 2017 at 18:40
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2 Answers
It is often used in conditional/hypothetical constructs.
「（もし） Phrase/Mini-Sentence A + 場合（に）は + Phrase/Mini-Sentence B」
would be the usual pattern with 「もし」 and 「に」 being optional. It means:
"If/In case A, then B."
「場合{ばあい}は」, thus, is used just like 「たら」 and 「れば」
Examples:
「（もし）雨{あめ}が降{ふ}った場合（に）は、ピクニックは中止{ちゅうし}となります。」 = "If it rains, the picnic will be canceled."
「（もし）サンドイッチがなかった場合（に）は、おにぎりを買{か}ってきて。」 = "If they have no sandwiches (left), please get some rice balls."
～場合 means "in case" or "if". It's a relatively stiff expression and is used more often in written formal documents, polite business conversations and such.
～場合 looks like a form of a verb, but it's normally not called a "form". 場合 is a noun which is usually translated into English without using a noun. The preceding verb modifies 場合 as a relative clause. That's why 場合 can also be modified by attributive/adjectival expressions (e.g., その場合 = "in that case ...", 多くの場合 = "in many cases ...", 作戦Aの場合 = "in case we choose strategy A...").
English also has some nouns that work like conjunctives, for example:
The moment she was alone she opened the letter.
（彼女は）1人になるとすぐ手紙を開いた。
Other similar examples in Japanese include ～時 ("when ～"), ～とたん ("as soon as ～"), ～ところ ("upon ～"). These are special nouns, not part of a form.
