This whole section is dedicated to learning how to say “if” in Japanese. Oh, if only it was as simple as English. In Japanese, there’s four (count them, four) ways to say “if”! Thankfully, the conjugations are sparse and easy especially since you don’t have to deal with tenses.<\/p>\n
We’ll first cover the simplest type of “if” which is the natural consequence conditional. This means that if [X] happens, [Y] will happen as a natural consequence. No question about it. If I drop a ball, it will fall to the ground. If I turn off the lights at night, it will get dark. We can express this type of condition in the following format.<\/p>\n
These examples are designed to show how \u300c\u3068\u300d is used to express natural consequence. However, even if the statement isn’t a natural consequence in itself, the \u300c\u3068\u300d will tell the audience that it is nevertheless expected to be a natural consequence.<\/p>\n
The “for sure” part is the implied meaning supplied by the \u300c\u3068\u300d. The speaker is saying that the following condition will occur in that situation, no matter what. As you can see from the last example, if the condition is a state-of-being, it must be expressed so explicitly using \u300c\u3060\u300d. This applies to all non-conjugated nouns and na-adjectives as I’m sure you’re used to by now. This will also help prevent confusion with other types of \u300c\u3068\u300d.<\/p>\n
Another relatively easy to understand type of “if” is the contextual conditional. You can use this particle to express what will happen given a certain context. For example, if you wanted to say, “Well, if everybody’s going, I’m going too” you would use the \u300c\u306a\u3089\u300d conditional because you are saying that you will go in the context of everybody else going. The contextual conditional always requires a context in which the conditional occurs. For instance, you would use it for saying things like, “If that’s<\/i> what you are talking about…” or “If that’s<\/i> the case, then…”<\/p>\n
In a sense, you are explaining what would occur if you assume a certain condition is satisfied. In other words, you are saying “if given a certain context, here is what will happen.” You will see this reflected in the English translations as the phrase “if given” in the examples.<\/p>\n
The \u300c\u306a\u3089\u300d is attached to the context in which the conditional occurs. The format is the same as the \u300c\u3068\u300d conditional, however, you must not<\/u> attach the declarative \u300c\u3060\u300d.<\/p>\n \u30a2\u30ea\u30b9\uff1a\u56f3\u66f8\u9928<\/span>\u306f\u3069\u3053<\/span>\u3067\u3059\u304b\u3002 \u30dc\u30d6\uff1a\u56f3\u66f8\u9928<\/span>\u306a\u3089<\/em>\u3001\u3042\u305d\u3053<\/span>\u3067\u3059\u3002 The following is incorrect.<\/p>\n You can also decide to use \u300c\u306a\u3089\u3070<\/em>\u300d instead of just \u300c\u306a\u3089\u300d. This means exactly the same thing except that it has a more formal nuance.<\/p>\n The next type of conditional just expresses a regular “if” condition without any assumptions or embedded meanings. The conjugation rules for the \u300c\u3070\u300d conditional is below. Note, the conjugation rule for nouns and na-adjectives is actually using the verb \u300c\u3042\u308b\u300d in \u300c\u3067\u3042\u308b\u300d, a formal expression we’ll learn much later.<\/p>\n I call this next conditional the past conditional because it is produced by taking the past tense and just adding \u300c\u3089\u300d. It is commonly called the \u300c\u305f\u3089\u300d conditional because all past-tense ends with \u300c\u305f\uff0f\u3060\u300d and so it always becomes \u300c\u305f\u3089\uff0f\u3060\u3089\u300d. Like the \u300c\u3070\u300d conditional, it is also a general conditional.<\/p>\n For i-adjectives and verbs, it is very difficult to differentiate between the two types of conditionals, and you can make life easier for yourself by considering them to be the same. However there is a small difference in that the \u300c\u305f\u3089\u300d conditional focuses on what happens after the condition. This is another reason why I call this the past conditional because the condition is “in the past” (not literally) and we’re interested in the result not the condition. The \u300c\u3070\u300d conditional, on the other hand, focuses on the conditional part.<\/p>\n Let’s compare the difference in nuance.<\/p>\n \uff21\uff1a\u53cb\u9054<\/span>\u306b\u4f1a\u3048\u308c\u3070<\/em><\/span>\u3001\u8cb7\u3044\u7269<\/span>\u306b\u884c\u304d\u307e\u3059<\/span>\u3002 \uff22\uff1a\u53cb\u9054<\/span>\u306b\u4f1a\u3048\u305f\u3089<\/em><\/span>\u3001\u8cb7\u3044\u7269<\/span>\u306b\u884c\u304d\u307e\u3059<\/span>\u3002 \uff21\uff1a\u304a\u91d1<\/span>\u304c\u3042\u308c\u3070<\/em><\/span>\u3044\u3044<\/span>\u306d\u3002 \uff22\uff1a\u304a\u91d1<\/span>\u304c\u3042\u3063\u305f\u3089<\/em><\/span>\u3044\u3044<\/span>\u306d\u3002 Going by the context, the \u300c\uff5e\u305f\u3089\u300d form sounds more natural for both examples because it doesn’t seem like we’re really focusing on the condition itself. We’re probably more interested in what’s going to happen once we meet the friend or how nice it would be if we had money.<\/p>\n The past conditional is the only type of conditional where the result can be in the past. It may seem strange to have an “if” when the result has already taken place. Indeed, in this usage, there really is no “if”, it’s just a way of expressing surprise at the result of the condition. This has little to do with conditionals but it is explained here because the grammatical structure is the same.<\/p>\n You can also use \u300c\u305f\u3089\u3070<\/em>\u300d instead of \u300c\u305f\u3089\u300d. Similar to \u300c\u306a\u3089\u3070\u300d, this means exactly the same thing except that it has a more formal nuance.<\/p>\n Some of you may be aware of the word \u300c\u3082\u3057<\/span>\u300d which means “if” and may be wondering how it fits into all of this. Well, if you want to say a conditional, you need to use one of the conditionals discussed above. \u300c\u3082\u3057<\/span>\u300d is really a supplement to add a sense of uncertainty on whether the condition is true. For instance, you might use it when you want to make an invitation and you don’t want to presume like the following example.<\/p>\n\n
\n= [Assumed Context] + \u306a\u3089 + [Result]<\/b><\/li>\nExamples<\/h3>\n
\n
\nIf given that everybody is going, then I’ll go too.<\/li>\n
\nIf given that Alice-san says so, there’s no problem.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\nExample Dialogue<\/h3>\n
\nAlice: Where is the library?<\/p>\n
\nBob: If given that you’re talking about the library, then it’s over there.<\/p>\n\n
General conditionals using \u300c\u3070\u300d<\/h2>\n
Vocabulary<\/h3>\n
\n
\n
\nExamples<\/p>\n\n
\nExamples<\/p>\n\n
\nExamples<\/p>\n\n
Examples<\/h3>\n
\n
\nIf I can meet with my friend, we will go shopping.<\/li>\n
\nIf I had money, it would be good, huh?<\/li>\n
\nIf it’s fun, I’ll go too.<\/li>\n
\nIf it’s not fun, I’ll also not go.<\/li>\n
\nIf you don’t eat, you will become sick.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\nPast conditional using \u300c\u305f\u3089\uff08\u3070\uff09\u300d<\/h2>\n
Vocabulary<\/h3>\n
\n
\n
\nExamples<\/p>\n\n
Examples<\/h3>\n
\n
\nIf I am free, I will go play.<\/li>\n
\nIf you’re a student, you can buy with a student discount.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\nExample 1<\/h3>\n
\nA: We will go shopping, if<\/em> I can meet with my friend.<\/p>\n
\nB: If I can meet with my friend, we will go shopping<\/em>.<\/p>\nExample 2<\/h3>\n
\nA: It would be good, if<\/em> I had money, huh?<\/p>\n
\nB: If I had money, it would be good, huh<\/em>?<\/p>\n\n
\nWhen I went home, there was no one there. (unexpected result)<\/li>\n
\nAs a result of going to America, I got really fat. (unexpected result)<\/li>\n<\/ol>\nHow does \u300c\u3082\u3057<\/span>\u300d fit into all of this?<\/h2>\n
Vocabulary<\/h3>\n
\n