Because the ta-form usually ends in 〜た[-ta] this conditional marker will usually be 〜たら[-tara], but because the ta-form of some words ends in 〜だ[-da], it will sometimes show up as 〜だら[-dara] instead.
Japanese Articles
Conditionals: How to say “if” in Japanese?
By: Masaru Mito Wed Jun 10 2026
In Japanese, there are four different markers that can be translated using “if”: 〜たら[ta ra], ば[ba], と[to], and なら[nara]. Each is used somewhat differently, but they are all used to form conditional sentences. A conditional sentence has two parts. In Japanese, the condition always comes first and the conditional particle will always follow it.
condition
if this happens...
conditional marker
〜たら[ta ra] / ば[ba] / と[to]
result
…then this happens.
But though the particles たら[tara], ば[ba], と[to], and なら[nara] all follow conditions, they are used in slightly different situations. In this post, we’ll break down when and how to use each of these particles to form “if-then” sentences in Japanese. We’ll start by going through each particle individually, then we’ll give you some tips for choosing between them.
How to form conditional sentences in Japanese?
In Japanese, there are four main ways to build a conditional (“if-then”) sentence:
Using 〜たら[-tara]
Using ば[ba]
Using と[to]
Using なら[nara]
Let’s go through each structure to discuss when and how to use it!
Conditionals with 〜たら [-tara]
In Japanese, you can use 〜たら[-tara] for most types of conditional sentences, including cases where you’re almost certain that the condition will be met.
Once I hear back from her, I’ll let you know the answer.
→ I am basically sure I will hear back from her.If it rains tomorrow, I’ll wear rain boots.
→ I do not know for sure that it will rain, but I consider it a real possibility so I am making a plan.
Now let’s look at how to create sentences with this conditional marker!
The marker 〜たら[-tara] is actually created by combining the plain ta-form (past tense), which usually ends in 〜た[ta], with the ending 〜ら[ra]. Notice that there is a comma after 〜ら!
condition
ta-form
〜ら
-ra
result
日本に行ったら、寿司を食べたいです。
Nihon ni ittara, sushi o tabe tai desu.
When/If I go to Japan, I want to eat sushi.
高かったら、買いません。
Takakattara, kaimasen.
If it’s expensive, I won’t buy (it).
嫌いだったら、教えて下さい。
Kirai dattara, oshiete kudasai.
If you don’t like it, please let me know.
未成年だったら、入れません。
Miseinen dattara, hairemasen.
If you’re underage, you cannot go in.
雨が降らなかったら、ハイキングに行きます。
Ame ga furanakattara, haikingu ni ikimasu.
If it does not rain tomorrow, I will go on a hike.
Tip
In Japanese, you’ll often use 〜たら[-tara] in cases where you’re basically certain the condition will be met, where you might use “when,” “after,” or “once,” in English. For example:
9時になったら、パーティを始めましょう。
Kuji ni nattara, pāti o hajimemashō.
When it is 9 p.m., let’s start the party.
晩ご飯を食べたら、散歩に行きます。
Ban gohan o tabetara, sanpo ni ikimasu.
After eating dinner, I will go for a walk.
If you want to clarify that you’re less certain that the condition will be met, you can add the word もし[moshi] at the beginning of the sentence.
もし明日雨だったら、出かけません。
Moshi ashita ame dattara, dekakemasen.
If it’s rainy tomorrow, I won’t go out.
In most cases a sentence with 〜たら is translated with “if”, you can use ば[ba] as your conditional marker instead. Let’s look at this second marker now!
Conditionals with ば [ba]
When you use ば[ba], you’re also usually implying that the only way to get the result is to meet the condition. Here are a couple examples of English sentences you might translate using ば[ba].
I’ll give you a candy if you say ‘please.’
→ It’s implied that unless you say “please” you won’t get a candy.If you look carefully, you’ll find your keys.
→ It’s implied that the reason you haven’t found your keys is that you haven’t looked carefully.
As we saw above, the marker ば[ba] is added after the condition.
condition
ゆっくり休めば、元気になりますよ。
Yukkuri yasumeba, genki ni narimasu yo.
If you get some good rest, you’ll feel better.
Unfortunately, though, it’s not quite that simple! This is because the final word of the condition will combine with ば[ba] in a variety of ways to form a special conditional form or ba-form. Let’s look more closely!
How to make the conditional form in Japanese?
In Japanese, the conditional form, or ba-form, will generally end in ば[ba], but the exact form will depend on the word you’re putting into the conditional. This word will be the of the condition.
Ru-verbs:
To form the conditional of a ru-verb, simply replace the final る[ru] from the dictionary form with れば[reba].
DictionaryConditionalたべる
taberu
to eat
たべれば
tabereba
if (one) eats
みる
miru
to watch
みれば
mireba
if (one) watches
Irregular verbs like する[suru](do) and くる[kuru](come) follow this same pattern.
DictionaryConditionalする
suru
do
すれば
sureba
if (one) does
くる
kuru
to come
くれば
kureba
if (one) comes
U-verbs:
To form the conditional of a u-verb, drop the final “u” sound and add “eba.” The way the Japanese writing system works makes this change look more complicated than it is, but make sure to check out what’s happening in the transcriptions below. It’s actually quite simple!
DictionaryConditionalあう
au
to match
あえば
aeba
if (one) matches
いく
iku
to go
いけば
ikeba
if (one) goes
はなす
hanasu
to speak
はなせば
hanaseba
if (one) speaks
I-adjectives:
For i-adjectives, drop the final い[i] and add ければ[kereba].
DictionaryConditionalおもしろい
omoshiroi
(be) interesting
おもしろければ
omoshirokereba
if (it’s) interesting
たのしい
tanoshii
(be) fun
たのしければ
tanoshikereba
if (it’s) fun
Na-adjectives or Nouns:
If the predicate is a na-adjective or a noun, you can either add ならば[naraba] or であれば[de areba] to the dictionary form.
DictionaryConditionalべんり
benri
(be) interesting
べんりなら(ば)
benrinaraba
if (it’s) convenient
べんりであれば
benride areba
if (it’s) convenient
学生
gakusei
student
学生なら(ば)
gakuseinara(ba)
if (one) is a student
学生であれば
gakuseide areba
if (one) is a student
Here are two notes about these endings:
であれば[de areba] is more formal.
In conversation, the final ば[ba] of ならば[naraba] is sometimes dropped.
Negative form:
When creating the ba-form of a negative predicate, just create the plain negative form, then replace the final い[i] from with ければ[kereba]. This works for verbs, adjectives, and nouns!
TypeDictionaryPlain NegativeNeg. Conditionalverb
はなす
hanasu
to speak
はなさない
hanasa nai
to not speak
はなさなければ
hanasa nakereba
if (one) does not speak
adjective
むずかしい
muzukashii
(be) difficult
むずかしくない
muzukashiku nai
(be) not difficult
むずかしくなければ
muzukashiku nakereba
if (it’s) not difficult
Tip
When you want to ask for a condition necessary for the result, you can use どうすれば[dōsureba], which literally means “If I do what?”
Question:
どうすれば、安いチケットが見つけられますか。
Dōsureba, yasui chiketto ga mitsukeraremasu ka.
What can I do to find a cheap ticket?
lit. If I do what, I can find a cheap ticket?
Answer:
このウェブサイトを使えば、見つけられますよ。
Kono uebusaito o tsukaeba, mitsukeraremasu yo.
If you use this website, you can find one.
Conditionals with と [to]
Use と[to] to mark a condition in cases where the condition always or naturally produces a certain result. You’ll usually use this marker when you’re stating a fact about the world or about a person, rather than conveying a plan. The result is always outside of the speaker’s control.
Whenever I visit, she makes tea.
→ I’m stating a fact about visiting her. I can’t control her behavior.When the sun comes up, it gets warmer.
→ This is a fact about the world. I can’t control the world.
This conditional marker is easy to use! Just place と[to] after the plain present form of the .
condition
plain present
と
-to
result
春になると、あたたかくなります。
Haru ni naruto, atatakaku narimasu.
When spring comes, it gets warmer.
スープはあたたかいと、おいしいです。
Sūpu wa atatakaito, oishii desu.
When soup is warm, it tastes better.
静かだと、集中できます。
Shizuka dato, shūchū dekimasu.
If (the place) is quiet, you can focus.
学生だと、大学の寮に住めます。
Gakusei dato, daigaku no ryō ni sumemasu.
If you’re a student, you can live in the college dorm.
学生だ８時にならないと、彼は来ません。
Hachi ji ni naranai to, kare ha kimasen.
He won’t come until 8 a.m.
lit. If it’s not 8 a.m., he won’t come.
Conditionals with なら [nara]
A Japanese conditional with なら[nara] is classically used to express what the speaker would want to say now, if they knew for sure that the condition would be met or had been met.
If Mr. Tanaka is coming, please let me know.
→ If you know that Mr. Tanaka is coming, let me know now.
In conversation, you’ll often use this after someone actually gives you the information, like you might use “now that I know that…” or “if that’s true then…”.
Speaker A:
😞I’m tired.
Speaker B:
🙄If you’re tired, you should go to sleep!
Note, though, that we don’t use this to express objective facts. It’s mostly for conveying the speaker’s beliefs, thoughts, plans, advice, commands, etc.
❌If it rains, the ground will get wet.
→ This is not the speaker’s opinion or evaluation: it’s clearly a fact.
Using なら[nara] in conditionals is quite simple: it simply follows the plain present form. It is possible to place the nominalizer の[no] directly between the condition and the conditional なら[nara], but this is optional. Note that in conversation, の[no] is often reduced to ん[n] in this context!
condition
plain present
の
no
(optional)
なら
nara
result
田中さんが来る(の)なら、私は行きません。
Tanaka san ga kuru (no) nara, watashi wa ikimasen.
If Mr. Tanaka is coming, I won’t go.
値段が高い(の)なら、買えません。
Nedan ga takai (no) nara, kaemasen.
If the price is high, I cannot buy (it).
日本文化が好きなら、京都がいいですよ。
Nihon bunka ga suki nara , kyōto ga ii desu yo.
If you like Japanese culture, Kyoto is a good place to visit.
高校生なら、この漢字が読めると思います。
Kōkōsei nara , kono kanji ga yomeru to omoimasu.
If you are a high school student, I think you can read this kanji.
パーティに行かない(の)なら、連絡した方がいいです。
Pātii ni ika nai (no) nara, renraku shita hō ga iidesu.
If you don’t go to the party, you should contact (the organizer).
Notice that, in all the examples above, the result is what the speaker would say if someone right now gave them the information that the condition will be met.
Here’s an example of how you might use なら[nara] in a conversation.
Speaker A:
今からコンビニに行ってくる。
Ima kara konbini ni itte kuru.
I’m going to go to the convenience store now.
Speaker B:
コンビニに行くなら、アイス買ってきて。
Konbini ni iku nara, aisu katte kite.
If you go to the convenience store, please get me ice cream.
→ Speaker A provides some new information, and Speaker B gives their thoughts, given the new information.
Why add の [no]?
なら[nara] was actually a simplified version of the conditional ending ならば[naraba] that is used after nouns. Historically, therefore, we would add の[no] to the condition to turn it into a noun before adding this ending. In modern Japanese, the の[no] is no longer required, but it’s still often added. There’s not really any difference in meaning.
Conditional markers: たら [tara] vs. ば [ba] vs. と [to] vs. なら [nara]
Now that we’ve introduced the four main conditional markers in Japanese, let’s talk a bit more about how to choose between them. In this section, we'll go over the five factors to help you choose the best one:
Does the “result” come before the condition is met?
Is the “result” a request, command, invitation, suggestion, or desire?
Is the sentence hypothetical?
Does the sentence describe a general truth or habit?
Is the condition otherwise in the past?
Let’s go through each question and look at the answers for the different markers!
Does the “result” come before the condition is met?
If the result comes before the condition is actually met, you’ll always want to use なら[nara].
ニューヨークに行くなら、バスで行った方がいいです。
Nyūyōku ni iku nara, basu de itta hō ga iidesu.
If you go to New York, you should take a bus (to get there).
→ You would take the bus before getting to New York.田中さんが来るなら、教えて下さい。
Tanaka san ga kuru nara, oshiete kudasai.
If Mr. Tanaka is coming, please let me know.
→ You should tell the speaker now. There’s no reason to wait for Mr. Tanaka to arrive.
Recall that you’ll use なら[nara] to convey what you would say, if you knew that the condition would be met. You might, therefore, be talking about something that would happen either before or after the time the condition is met.
雨が降ったなら、試合はなかったでしょう。
Ame ga futta nara, shiai wa nakatta deshō.
If it had rained, there would have been no game.
The conditional markers 〜たら[-tara], と[to], and ば[ba] cannot be used if the result comes first. They are only used in cases where the result comes after the condition is met.
このボタンを押したら、ドアが開きます。
Kono botan o oshitara, doa ga hirakimasu.
If you push this button, then the door will open.
このボタンを押せば、ドアが開きます。
Kono botan o oseba, doa ga hirakimasu.
If you (just) push this button, then the door will open.
このボタンを押すと、ドアが開きます。
Kono botan o osu to, doa ga hirakimasu.
Whenever you push the button, the door will open.
Is the “result” a request, command, invitation, suggestion, or desire?
If the “result” is a request, command, invitation, suggestion, or expression of desire, you should use 〜たら[tara], なら[nara], or sometimes ば[ba].
If the condition is a state, all three can be used. The only real difference between the three is that ば[ba] sounds a little more formal.
安かったら、買いたいです。
Yasukatta ra, kaitai desu.
If (it’s) cheap, I want to buy (it).
安いなら、買いたいです。
Yasui nara, kaitai desu.
If (it’s) cheap, I want to buy (it).
安ければ、買いたいです。
Yasukereba, kaitai desu.
If (it’s) cheap, I want to buy (it).
→ slightly more formal
If the condition is an action, though, use 〜たら[tara] or なら[nara]. Notice, though, that here there is a slight difference in meaning between the two!
田中さんが来たら、教えて下さい。
Tanaka san ga kitara, oshiete kudasai.
When Mr. Tanaka comes, please let me know.
→ The speaker wants to be notified after Mr. Tanaka arrives.田中さんが来るなら、教えて下さい。
Tanaka san ga kuru nara, oshiete kudasai.
If Mr. Tanaka is coming, please let me know.
→ The speaker wants to be notified now Mr. Tanaka arrives.
ば[ba] should not be used if the condition is an action.
❌ 田中さんが来れば、教えて下さい。
Tanaka san ga kureba, oshiete kudasai.
If the “result” is a request, command, invitation, suggestion, or expression of desire, you should never use と[to] as your conditional marker.
Is the sentence hypothetical?
When you’re using a conditional to talk about a hypothetical situation, you can use たら[tara], なら[nara], or ば[ba]. However the exact structure will depend on what kind of hypothetical situation you’re discussing. Let’s have a look.
Exception!
Although と[to] is not usually used in hypotheticals, there are a few common hypothetical phrases which include this marker, like 〜といい[to ii](it would be nice if...) and 〜とよかった[to yokatta](it would’ve been nice if…).
宿題はもう少し早く出せるといいですね。
Shukudai wa mōsukoshi hayaku daseru to ii desu ne.
It would be nice if you could submit your homework a bit earlier.
Possible hypotheticals
In a possible hypothetical, the condition could technically be met, but you’re talking about it as an imaginary scenario, like a thought experiment.
If I were to win the lottery, I would buy a mansion!
→ Technically, it’s possible you could win the lottery, but you aren’t really thinking about it that way. Think about the difference between this and “If I win the lottery…” where you are actually making a plan.
You can use たら[tara], なら[nara], or ば[ba] to mark these types of conditionals in Japanese, and the tenses are exactly what we described above.
もっと時間があったら、京都にも行きたいんですが。
Motto jikan ga attara, kyōto nimo ikitai n desu ga.
If I had more time, I would like to visit Kyoto too.
もっと時間があるのなら、京都にも行きたいんですが。
Motto jikan ga arunonara, kyōto nimo ikitai n desu ga.
If I had more time, I would like to visit Kyoto too.
もっと時間があれば、京都にも行きたいんですが。
Motto jikan ga areba, kyōto nimo ikitai n desu ga.
If I had more time, I would like to visit Kyoto too.
→ This is a bit more formal than using たら[tara].
Tip
When なら[nara] is used in a hypothetical like this, the marker の[no] will usually be included.
Impossible hypotheticals
In an impossible hypothetical, the condition can’t be met, usually because it’s “too late.”
If I had won the lottery, I would have bought a mansion.
→ You already lost the lottery, so the condition cannot be met.
When discussing an impossible hypothetical, the condition will necessarily be discussing the past. Here you can still use たら[tara], なら[nara], or ば[ba] to mark these types of conditionals, but if you’re using なら[nara], the condition will need to be in the past tense, not the present.
もっと勉強したら、いい点が取れたんですが。
Motto benkyō shita ra, ii ten ga toreta n desu ga.
If I had studied more, I could have gotten a better score.
もっと勉強した(の)なら、いい点が取れたんですが。
Motto benkyō shita(no)nara, ii ten ga toreta n desu ga.
If I had studied more, I could have gotten a better score.
→ Notice that した (shita) is in the past tense!もっと勉強すれば、いい点が取れたんですが。
Motto benkyō sureba, ii ten ga toreta n desu ga.
If I had studied more, I could have gotten a better score.
→ Here we just use the normal ba-form.
Tip
As we saw above, の[no] will usually be included before なら[tara] in these types of hypotheticals.
Does the sentence describe a general truth or habit?
If the conditional sentence describes a general truth or habit, you can use たら[tara], と[to], or ば[ba].
赤と青を混ぜたら、紫になります。
Aka to ao o mazetara, murasaki ni narimasu.
When you mix red and blue, it (always) becomes purple.
赤と青を混ぜると、紫になります。
Aka to ao o mazeruto, murasaki ni narimasu.
When you mix red and blue, it (always) becomes purple.
赤と青を混ぜれば、紫になります。
Aka to ao o mazereba, murasaki ni narimasu.
When you mix red and blue, it (always) becomes purple.
You can also use these markers to describe a past habit. The tense of the verb in the condition does not change, but the result is past tense.
祖母の家に行ったら、いつもお菓子をもらえた。
Sobo no ie ni ittara, itsumo okashi o moraeta.
When I went to my grandmother’s house, she always gave me snacks.
祖母の家に行くと、いつもお菓子をもらえた。
Sobo no ie ni ikuto, itsumo okashi o moraeta.
When I went to my grandmother’s house, she always gave me snacks.
祖母の家に行けば、いつもお菓子をもらえた。
Sobo no ie ni ikeba, itsumo okashi o moraeta.
When I went to my grandmother’s house, she always gave me snacks.
You will not ever use なら[nara] to describe truths or habits, because these are not matters of opinion!
Is the condition otherwise in the past?
In other cases where the condition is in the past, you’ll usually なら[nara]. Notice that, in the example below, the sentence is not hypothetical and does not describe a past habit.
plain past tenseconditional marker
大事な資料を忘れたのなら、部長に話した方がいいですよ。
Daijina shiryō o wasureta no nara, buchō ni hanashita hō ga ii desu yo.
If you have forgotten an important document, it’s better to tell the department manager.
In this case, the verb is in the past tense, and の[no] appears between the verb and the conditional marker!
If you use たら[tara] or と[to] to form a “conditional” like this, the sentence will be grammatical, but it’ll still be understood to describe a past habit or to just describe something that happened one time.
カーテンの色を変えたら、部屋が明るくなりました
Kāten no iro o kaetara, heya ga akaruku narimashita.
When I changed the color of the curtains, the room became brighter.
→ This is something that happened one time: not really a conditional.カーテンの色を変えると、部屋が明るくなりました。
Kāten no iro o kaeru to, heya ga akaruku narimashita.
When I changed the color of the curtains, the room became brighter.
Important
Don’t use たら[tara] this way unless the result is out of the speaker’s control!
❌ 図書館へ行ったら、勉強しました。
Toshokan e ittara, benkyō shimashita.
When I went to the library, I studied.
→ The speaker controls the result.✅ 図書館へ行ったら、偶然友達に会いました。
Toshokan he ittara, gūzen tomodachi ni aimashita.
When I went to the library, I ran into my friend by chance.
→ The speaker did not control this result.
If the speaker did control the result, it’s better to use the te-form to connect the two events.
✅ 図書館へ行って、勉強しました。
Toshokan he itte, benkyō shimashita.
I went to the library and (then) studied.
To sum up
We’ve covered how to express conditionals with たら[tara], ば[ba], と[to], and なら[nara]. Here’s a summary for you:
Features of the conditional sentence | Conditional Marker | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
たら[tara] | ば[ba] | と[to] | なら[nara] | |
Description | Result follows condition | Necessary condition for a result | Natural consequence of a condition | Natural consequence of a condition |
Result before condition? | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ |
Result = command etc. | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ |
Hypotheticals? | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ |
Truths / Habits | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ |
Other past conditions | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ |
As you can see, たら[tara] has the widest range of usage and can be safely used in most cases. That means you just need to know when you can't or shouldn’t use たら[tara]! Here is a summary:
When NOT to use たら [tara]
When the “result” happens before the condition is met → Use なら[tara]
When the “result” is the speaker’s opinion/evaluation → Use なら[tara]
In a formal speech or writing → Use ば[ba]
When たら [tara] is not PREFERRED
To stress the importance of meeting the condition → ば[ba] preferred
For hypotheticals → ば[ba] preferred
For a general truth → ば[ba] or と[to] preferred
Now, are you ready to practice what you’ve learned? Check out our Japanese conditional exercises to test your skills. Happy learning!
