Conditional Expressions

🗾 Japanese Conditional Expressions: Your Magic “IF” Power!

The Big Picture: Doors That Open With Magic Words

Imagine you have a special remote control. When you press different buttons, different things happen!

• Press the red button → The TV turns on
• Press the blue button → Music plays
• Press the green button → Lights change color

Japanese conditionals work exactly like this! They’re magic words that say “IF this happens, THEN that happens.”

Today, you’ll learn 4 magic button types for saying “if” in Japanese:

1. 🔴 ば / たら / なら - “If this happens…”
2. 🟡 ても - “Even if this happens…”
3. 🔵 とき - “When this happens…”
4. 🟢 ないで - “Please don’t do this…”

🔴 Part 1: The Three “IF” Brothers - ば, たら, なら

Meet the Family

Think of three brothers who all mean “if” but have different personalities:

🅱️ ば (BA) - The Logical One

How to make it:

Verb stem + ば
食べる → 食べれば (tabereba) - if eat
行く → 行けば (ikeba) - if go

Simple Rule: Change the last vowel to “e” + ば

Example Story:

Little Yuki asked her mom: “How do I get to school?”

Mom said: 「まっすぐ行けば、学校があります」 (Massugu ikeba, gakkou ga arimasu) “If you go straight, there’s the school.”

When to use: For logical facts and natural results.

🌡️ Example: 春になれば、桜が咲く (Haru ni nareba, sakura ga saku) “If spring comes, cherry blossoms bloom.”

⭕ たら (TARA) - The Flexible One

The most friendly and easy to use!

How to make it:

Past tense + ら
食べた → 食べたら (tabetara) - if eat
行った → 行ったら (ittara) - if go

Example Story:

Taro found a mysterious door. A cat said:

「このドアを開けたら、宝物があるよ」 (Kono doa wo aketara, takaramono ga aru yo) “If you open this door, there’s treasure!”

When to use: Almost anywhere! It’s the safest choice.

🍕 Example: お腹がすいたら、ピザを食べよう (Onaka ga suitara, piza wo tabeyou) “If I get hungry, let’s eat pizza.”

📍 なら (NARA) - The Topic Expert

How to make it:

Plain form + なら
行く + なら → 行くなら (iku nara)
日本 + なら → 日本なら (nihon nara)

Example Story:

Friends are planning a trip:

Friend A: “Where should we go for sushi?”

Friend B: 「寿司なら、築地がいいよ」 (Sushi nara, Tsukiji ga ii yo) “If we’re talking about sushi, Tsukiji is good!”

When to use: When giving advice or opinions about a topic.

📱 Example: スマホを買うなら、このお店が安い (Sumaho wo kau nara, kono omise ga yasui) “If you’re buying a smartphone, this shop is cheap.”

Quick Comparison

graph TD
    A["Want to say IF?"] --> B{What type?}
    B -->|General Truth| C["ば"]
    B -->|Any Situation| D["たら ⭐ Safest!"]
    B -->|Topic/Advice| E["なら"]
    C --> F["春になれば花が咲く"]
    D --> G["雨が降ったら傘をさす"]
    E --> H["東京なら新宿がいい"]

🟡 Part 2: ても (TEMO) - “Even If” / “Even Though”

The Superhero Power

Imagine a superhero who says: “Even if it rains, I will come!”

That’s what ても does. It shows something will happen no matter what!

How to make it:

て form + も
食べて → 食べても (tabetemo) - even if eat
高くて → 高くても (takakutemo) - even if expensive

Example Story

Little Hana wanted ice cream, but it was cold outside.

Hana: 「寒くても、アイスを食べたい！」 (Samukutemo, aisu wo tabetai!) “Even if it’s cold, I want to eat ice cream!”

More Examples

ても vs たら

graph TD
    A["Condition"] --> B{Will result change?}
    B -->|Yes - Result depends on condition| C["Use たら"]
    B -->|No - Result happens anyway| D["Use ても"]
    C --> E["雨が降ったら行かない<br>If it rains, I won't go]
    D --> F[雨が降っても行く<br>Even if it rains, I'll go"]

🔵 Part 3: とき (TOKI) - “When”

The Time Machine Word

とき means “time” or “when.” It’s like pressing a button at a specific moment!

How to make it:

Plain form + とき
食べる + とき → 食べるとき - when eating (future)
食べた + とき → 食べたとき - when ate (past)

The Big Secret: Before vs After!

Example Story

Grandma gives advice to little Kenji:

「寝るとき、歯を磨いてね」 (Neru toki, ha wo migaite ne) “When going to bed, brush your teeth, okay?”

(= Before you sleep, brush teeth!)

「日本に着いたとき、電話してね」 (Nihon ni tsuita toki, denwa shite ne) “When you arrive in Japan, call me, okay?”

(= After you arrive, call me!)

More とき Examples

🟢 Part 4: ないで (NAIDE) - “Please Don’t”

The Gentle Stop Sign

ないで is like a kind stop sign. It says “please don’t do that.”

How to make it:

Negative stem + ないで
食べる → 食べないで (tabenaide) - don't eat
行く → 行かないで (ikanaide) - don't go

Two Uses of ないで

Use 1: Please don’t do something

「行かないで！」 (Ikanaide!) “Don’t go!” / “Please don’t go!”

Use 2: Do something WITHOUT doing something else

「見ないで食べて」 (Minaide tabete) “Eat without looking”

Example Story

Mom to little Sora who’s leaving for school:

「朝ごはんを食べないで学校に行かないで！」 (Asagohan wo tabenaide gakkou ni ikanaide!) “Don’t go to school without eating breakfast!”

Common ないで Phrases

🎯 The Complete Picture

graph TD
    A["Japanese Conditionals"] --> B["ば・たら・なら"]
    A --> C["ても"]
    A --> D["とき"]
    A --> E["ないで"]

    B --> B1["IF something happens"]
    C --> C1["EVEN IF something happens"]
    D --> D1["WHEN something happens"]
    E --> E1["Please DON'T / Without doing]

    B1 --> B2[雨が降ったら帰る<br>If it rains, I'll go home"]
    C1 --> C2["雨が降っても行く<br>Even if it rains, I'll go]
    D1 --> D2[雨のとき傘をさす<br>When it rains, use umbrella]
    E1 --> E2[走らないで<br>Don't run"]

💪 You Did It!

You just learned 4 powerful ways to express conditions in Japanese:

🌟 Final Tip

When in doubt, use たら for “if” - it works in almost every situation!

You’re now ready to express conditions like a Japanese speaker! 🎉

Remember: Practice makes perfect. 毎日練習すれば、上手になる！ (Mainichi renshuu sureba, jouzu ni naru!) “If you practice every day, you’ll become good!”