N3 · Conditions
と, ば, たら, なら side by side
choosing a conditional
Four ways to say if, and a short procedure for choosing the right one.
The four conditionals overlap a great deal, and in many sentences two or three are possible with only a shade of difference. 春になると暖かくなる, 春になれば暖かくなる and 春になったら暖かくなる are all correct. What matters is knowing where each one stops, because that is where mistakes are made.
Ask first what the second half is. If it is a request, an invitation, a wish or a plan, と is out, and ば is out too unless the first half is a state. たら is the safe choice. Ask next about time: if B happens before A — buying the guidebook before the trip — only なら can say it.
Then ask what kind of statement it is. An automatic result, a law of nature, a machine or a set of directions is the home of と, and ば fits too. A condition stated as what it takes, or a proverb, leans to ば. A response to what someone has just said, or advice about their plan, is なら. A single event in the future, or "once this is done", is たら.
Two uses are shared. To tell what you discovered when you did something, both と and たら work with a past-tense ending; と sounds more written, たら more spoken. To talk about what might have been, both ば and たら combine with よかった or のに.
The form
| と — it always follows | 春になると、暖かくなる。 |
| ば — this is what it takes | 練習すれば、上手になる。 |
| たら — once it has happened | 春になったら、旅行しよう。 |
| なら — given that plan | 旅行するなら、春がいい。 |
| discovery: と or たら | ドアを開けたら、猫がいた。 |
| regret: ば or たら | もっと早く出ればよかった。 |
The rules one by one
If the second half is a request, wish, invitation or plan, たら is the safe choice.
仕事が終わったら、連絡してね。Let me know when you finish work.
If B happens before A, only なら works.
旅行に行くなら、早めにホテルを予約したほうがいい。If you are going on a trip, you had better book a hotel early.
For automatic results, laws and directions, use と.
この角を右に曲がると、駅が見える。Turn right at this corner and you will see the station.
To stress the condition itself — what it takes — use ば.
毎日少しずつやれば、必ずできる。If you do a little every day, you will definitely manage it.
To react to what someone has just said, use なら.
「頭が痛い。」「それなら、今日は休んだら？」"I have a headache." "In that case, why not take today off?"
A closer look
Register: who says which
Beyond meaning, the four differ in register. たら is the most conversational and is what children and casual speakers reach for first. ば sounds slightly more measured and is the conditional of proverbs and general statements: ちりも積もれば山となる, "even dust, piled up, becomes a mountain".
と is frequent in explanations, manuals and written narrative. なら belongs to dialogue, because it needs something to respond to. A text that uses only たら is correct but sounds like speech written down; a mixture sounds like an educated writer.
How to spot it
- 〜と
- 〜ば
- 〜たら
- 〜なら
- もし
- それなら
Example sentences
財布を開けたら、千円しかなかった。When I opened my wallet, there was only a thousand yen.
寝る前にお茶を飲むと、眠れなくなる。If I drink tea before bed, I cannot sleep.
引っ越すなら、三月は避けたほうがいい。If you are moving house, it is best to avoid March.
説明書を読めば、使い方が分かる。If you read the manual, you will see how to use it.
駅に着いたら、電話して。Call me when you get to the station.
もっと早く相談してくれたら、手伝えたのに。If you had come to me sooner, I could have helped.
7 more example sentences
窓を開けると、涼しい風が入ってきた。When I opened the window, a cool breeze came in.
雨だったら、試合は中止にしよう。If it rains, let's call the match off.
英語を勉強するなら、毎日聞くことが大切だ。If you are going to study English, it is important to listen every day.
安ければ安いほどいいというわけではない。It is not true that the cheaper, the better.
このスイッチを入れると、機械が動き出す。When you turn on this switch, the machine starts.
宿題が済んだら、テレビを見てもいいよ。Once your homework is done, you can watch TV.
君が行くなら、僕も行く。If you are going, I will go too.
Worth knowing (1)
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When in doubt in speech, たら
If you have to choose quickly in conversation, たら is right far more often than it is wrong. Its only real blind spot is B before A, and that case is easy to recognise: the advice is about preparation. Learn that one exception and たら will carry you through most situations.
何かあったら、すぐ言ってください。If anything happens, tell me straight away.
The trap English speakers fall into
Watch out
The studying has to happen before the trip. たら always places B after A, so the wrong version advises studying once you are already in Japan, which is not what was meant. なら takes the trip as a premise and lets the advice apply to the time before it.
A request takes たら, before takes なら, always takes と, and what it takes takes ば.
Your turn
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