Questions tagged [conditionals]
条件表現. Also known as if-then constructions. In Japanese conditionals are expressed with one of と, ～(れ)ば, ～たら, なら(ば).
126
questions
1
vote
0answers
93 views
How can I use the conditional ～ば and desiderative ～たい together?
I think the title is self-explanatory.
I've been wondering how to combine the desiderative (たい) and the conditional (えば/たら).
For example, if I want to say "Excuse me, what should I do if I want to ...
-1
votes
1answer
65 views
Help a translating this phrase
I was reading a manga and the grammar of this phrase kinda confused me:
今日三条くんの会社からなかったことにしてくれって連絡あったらしくて。
For context, the character is saying this to a second character about a third character's ...
2
votes
1answer
213 views
What does「電車に乗ってたらなんだっていうんだろね」mean in this context?
For context, in the light novel Hige wo Soru, Soshite Joshikousei wo Hirou's chapter 12:
the main character Yoshida leaves for work and his friend Sayu is left alone at their apartment. He's thought ...
2
votes
1answer
101 views
How to say “if a is happening or b is happening” using たら?
If I wanted to say:
If I am cooking or washing clothes, please help.
料理をしている[or]洗濯していたら、手伝ってください。
I know sometimes か is used to mean "or", but wouldn't that be confused with the question of ...
2
votes
1answer
79 views
The usage of ～ば
I know that ば is to indicate that "if A happens, B will happen too".
So, today, I've listened a song and it says:
I gotta believe
I don't wanna know 下手な真実なら
I don't wanna know 知らないくらいがいいのに
...
2
votes
1answer
108 views
Is V-て + は used to connect the two clauses of the following sentence with a conditional relationship, a causal relationship or a different one?
I came across the following sentence in my textbook when studying the grammar point Verb -て + ばかり + いる.
「そんなに働いてばかりいては病気になりますよ。」
The role of ばかり is clear, I just included it to give context and keep ...
6
votes
1answer
83 views
Uncertain event + ならissue
I'm studying なら conditional form now and cannot understand the following:
In a "Dictionary of basic japanese grammar" there is a note that s1ならs2 (s=sentence) could not be used when: 1) s1 never fails ...
3
votes
0answers
109 views
～ば vs ～ていれば in counterfactual conditionals
In l'électeur's answer here, he claims (with such confidence that he bolds the belief) that the correct way to say the English sentence
"If I had turned right back then, I wonder what would have ...
1
vote
0answers
56 views
Clarification of -たら context [duplicate]
I read the following sentence on the BBC Japanese site:
「そうしたら温かいものに触れて、直感的に下を見たら、小さな赤ちゃんの頭と両腕が見えた」
Until now I understood the -たら form only to mean "if", but the 見たら in this sentence indicates that ...
3
votes
1answer
108 views
Can a clause ending in ば be translated to “when”?
My question stems from item 4 and 5 in this picture, which is taken from a textbook of advanced Japanese reading. These two items fell into the normal present tense in English. In English, it would be ...
2
votes
1answer
121 views
General conditional (-えば form) expressing something without supposition or back thought?
I found a resource which says the -eba form is a form used to express a conditional without supposition or back thought.
I didn't find any others resources that spoke about the same thing. Is this a ...
3
votes
1answer
138 views
Negative (te-form) + しまう
I'm translating a song and came across this line:
感じなくなっちゃえばいい
At first I thought it was:
感じる in negative te-form + しまう in conditional ば form + いい
But I think there's something wrong ...
4
votes
1answer
170 views
Does the use of ていたら in the first clause require it in the second?
From my JLPT N1 grammar text, explaining special uses of the ている form, in describing 事実に反すること; the text explains that ている marks the sentence more emphatically as non-reality, than the use of 過去形. ...
4
votes
1answer
85 views
Should I use と or たら in that case? [duplicate]
I've got a task in uni today to put either と or たら. And there's a sentence I can't comprehend:
箸で食べて（みると、みたら）どうですか。
I don't quite understand which form I have to use here, so it would be great if I ...
3
votes
1answer
74 views
How to express conditional prefernces: “If you like X, I think you will like Y”
I'm trying to say "If you like men in suits, I think you will like the U.K.," but I'm struggling with it.
This is my attempt so far:
「あなたがスーツの男の人が好きであればあなたがイギリスきっと気に入ると思います。」
(1) Is this ...
3
votes
1answer
113 views
Is this と quotative or conditional?
調べた会社は「ルールがなくなると、就職する会社を探すための時間が長くなって、一生懸命勉強できなくなると心配する学生もいます。...」と話しています。
The investigating company says "If they get rid of the rules then the time to find a company who is hiring will get longer ...
0
votes
1answer
68 views
How do you translate 作ってみたら in 妹がチーズドックを作ってみたら兄がwwww?
It would seem to me the sentence says "little sister makes cheese dokku (whatever that food is) and .. big brother ... ?
I can't understand 作ってみたら . Is みたら the tara conditional form of 見る? Is it ...
1
vote
2answers
94 views
Strange use of conditional たら
I'm having trouble making sense of the sentence below. (It's taken from 『いつかこの恋を思い出してきっと泣いてしまう』.) I would appreciate anyone's help.
休み取れたんだったら、有給取ったのに
私これからぎゅうぎゅうの地下鉄乗るっちゃん
4
votes
2answers
122 views
What is the function of もし？
I know that もし translates to "if", but I dont know exactly when or how it should be used. I was reading Yoko Hasegawa's Japanese: a linguistic introduction. In the chapter on conditional clauses, some ...
5
votes
1answer
200 views
Combining もし・ば and -たい form together
My impression when using conditionals, most of the time, you lose the ability to express desire. For example, when conjugating to -たら、you have to use the past tense of the verb. Is it grammatically ...
1
vote
1answer
120 views
Can you say Dekiba
Can you say Dekiba as in Dekiru (to do) + ば (the suffix for 'be able to do'), so that dekiba becomes 'if you are able to'?
2
votes
1answer
68 views
what is してき in this sentence?
I tried looking up a similar example to this sentence, but i couldn't:
図鑑読んで出直してきな . this isn't the whole sentence, the first part ends with たら conditional.
3
votes
1answer
437 views
trouble understanding usage of なければ in this case
I'm sorry if this is too specific or unclear, if it's a bad question i can delete it. I'm really unclear on how なければ is functioning here, and how と in this case is functioning after 子どもたち. (also i'm ...
3
votes
1answer
238 views
English 2nd and 3rd conditional in Japanese
I have recently been trying to learn how to translate 2nd and 3rd conditional sentences accurately into Japanese, but didn't found a clear, detailed answer. By gathering different bits, it seems that ...
2
votes
1answer
66 views
Confusion about conditional だと used in article about beetle
I was reading this article and I am not too sure about sentence I came across.
男の子は「... 珍しいカブトムシだとわかってとてもうれしいです」と話していました。
I have a few problem areas here. I read it as: The boy said 'If the beetle ...
2
votes
3answers
229 views
How to translate 「こうなれば」
I'm trying to figure out what こうなれば/こうなりゃ means in the sentence
仲間を呼ばれた！こうなりゃ一匹ずつ潰していくまでだ。
なれば ＝ それだから。したがって。
The Google fish says こうなれば ＝ "in this way," but it seems like it should be translated ...
5
votes
2answers
98 views
Colloquial contraction “出しゃ[あ]” [duplicate]
I encountered this sentence.
なめんなよ。てめえみていな雑魚、おれが本気をだしゃあ…
I believe the context is quite obvious: The speaker feels stronger than his enemy, the listener. From how I understand it, I’d translate ...
1
vote
1answer
80 views
Question with only 〜ば conditional
In a novel I encountered a question that consists only from a 〜ば conditional. The speaker doesn’t want to go downstairs and is suggesting someone else to do that for him:
「降りれば？」
The meaning is ...
0
votes
1answer
99 views
Conditionals: と良いだ/です should be wrong?
It is said that the と conditional must not be used where the main clause expresses any of the following: an intention, a suggestion, a command, an obligation, a request, etc. However, I've encountered ...
4
votes
1answer
154 views
Meaning of 噂を聞かないと思ったら
In a manga, two American boxers are talking about a guy they used to know who now lives in Japan.
Boxer A: あのブルドッグがリングに上がるって本当かよ。
Boxer B: ああ。ここ数年噂を聞かねェと思ったらボクサーになってたんだよ。日本でな。
I think 数年〜...
1
vote
1answer
67 views
Question about this use of the conditional form
I'm trying to understand an exchange:
A: まともに行ってもここを通り抜けるのはキツイがな
B: 見りゃぁわかるぜ
In this case person B starts their sentence with a contraction of the conditional form of 見る, but I'm not sure why. It's ...
4
votes
2answers
220 views
What does the verb after なくちゃ or なくては mean?
If なくちゃ is followed by another verb, is it read as "you must do X or else Y will happen" or "you must do X and then Y will happen"?
Example:
In this sentence (from よだかの星):
おまえは、曇ってうすぐらい日か、夜でなくちゃ、...
5
votes
1answer
304 views
Usage of なら as described in Genki II is confusing to me
I'm finding the explanation of nara in Genki II very confusing..
I've understood nara as a conditional (in league with tara, and ba), sort of a variant of "if this were to be"..
Genki describes it ...
0
votes
2answers
143 views
quotative と without an accompanying verb?
The following is an excerpt from a dialogue between me and my language partner:
「農業を仕事としてする農家の人頭が減っていながら、大型の農場が増えています。」
を、日本の現状からわかりやすく言い替えてみると、
→全体の農家数が減る一方で、大規模農家が増えています。
For context: We were ...
-1
votes
1answer
78 views
Usage of なら in this context 俺相手なら なんでもいい みたいだった
俺相手なら なんでもいい みたいだった
I am still learning Japanese so if my translation/understanding of this sentence is wrong please let me know, but I have translated part of this sentence to mean "seemed like ...
15
votes
3answers
1k views
How to know if ～たら is hypothetical or temporal
I encountered the following sentence in the chapter introducing conditionals from the online grammar guide Imabi.
休んだら、元気になったWhen I rested, I got better.
Earlier, the article explained that たら can ...
4
votes
1answer
148 views
Usage of 「と」in a sentence from Harry Potter
In the following sentence
ダーズリー一家【いっか】が目【め】を覚【さ】ますと、外【そと】はどんよりとした灰色【はいいろ】の空【そら】だった。
「と」is used in a place where I'd rather use 「とき」 or 「たら」.
I know that 「と」is used for inevitable conditions like ...
3
votes
2answers
137 views
Why is と used in a seemingly temporal meaning here?
For full context:
http://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/easy/k10011281951000/k10011281951000.html
The sentence in question:
ＮＨＫが東京の２３の区に聞くと、新しい成人は約８万３４００人でした。このうち約１万８００人が外国人で、８人のうち１人が外国人でした
My attempt at ...
0
votes
2answers
157 views
What is expressed through もし…たら here
Full context:
友達申請をしてくださって、ありがとうございます。
アンドレアスさん、でいいですか？もし呼び方が違っていたら教えてください。
「みんなの日本語」を最後までやり終えたのですね。すばらしいです。
私は英語の勉強も、もちろんしていますが、日本語を教える勉強も始めたので、力になれたらうれしいです。
何でも聞いてください。...
0
votes
1answer
278 views
Is 「~していれば」a conditional verb form?
I'm wondering if 「~していれば」is not only a conditional verb form.
Because I once encountered a sentence; 「別担当者であれば...」.
I thought this sentence means "If there is a different person-in-charge...".
...
3
votes
1answer
140 views
Understanding AならBたらどうかしら
Sentence taken from this question：
「そうねぇ、私も考えていたのよ。捨ててしまうんなら取っておいたらどうかしらって。」
"Yeah, right. I , too, was thinking that it would (probably) be just as good to keep it as to throw it away." (...
0
votes
0answers
78 views
Why is と used here? [duplicate]
The sentence in question:
しばらく行くと、道路が急カーブになる所で、がけの下に川が見えてきた。
For full context:
https://www.satorireader.com/articles/sanzu-no-kawa-episode-1-edition-m?sentenceID=SrOvSLFfSOyCJFzmEmFt
My attempt at ...
6
votes
1answer
140 views
The logic behind なくば
だが、主であるそなたの許可なくばそれも許されぬ…！
I understand it pretty much means "However, being our master, we can't even do that without your permission." but I don't get why なく and ば are both together. I would have ...
3
votes
2answers
573 views
Is 場合は considered a conditional form? (and how do you correctly use it?)
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 ...
2
votes
2answers
162 views
帰宅すれば、必ずお風呂に入りなさい。'When you get home, be absolutely sure to take a bath' Why is this an incorrect usage of ~Ba?
× 帰宅すれば、必ずお風呂に入りなさい。Why is this incorrect? Is it because it is non-volitional? takes out the decision aspect?
2
votes
1answer
200 views
Conditional form comparison (large question)
I'm confused over the usage of conditional forms, AKA where to use them correctly, when not to use them and the differences.
Below are the forms I have learnt and my interpretation of how to use ...
4
votes
1answer
152 views
What does this ~ば mean, is this some irregular use of the conditional?
In Akutagawa Ryuunosuke's "藪の中" the wandering monk tells about the man who was killed:
男{おとこ}は、―いえ、太刀{たち}も帯{お}びておれば、弓矢{ゆみや}も携{たずさ}えておりました。
The translation is:
The man? No, he wore a sword but had ...
2
votes
1answer
70 views
Which clause(s) does といい modify in this sentence?
自然な話し方で話せるようになるためには、多くの日本人と色々な場面で話したり、日本の映画やドラマを見て、どんな場面で、どんな人が、どんな相手に、どんな話し方をしているかをよく観察するといいでしょう。
This is from the first reading of Tobira's second chapter. I actually have two questions:
Which ...
3
votes
1answer
297 views
Is ないとダメ a stronger “must” than なければダメ?
I learned that one way to form a "must" sentence is "negative verb + conditional + ダメ・ならない・いけない":
I mainly see two kinds of conditional used - the 仮定形 and と. For example
食べないとダメだ。
食べなければダメだ。
...
3
votes
2answers
192 views
Can you speak hypothetically without conditionals
In English, we often use "would" to directly make the sentence hypothetical, but how would you do this in Japanese? I only know how to use conditionals for this, but It doesn't give me the same ...
