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Conjunction
| A subordinate conjunction which indicates that the action/state expressed by the main clause in a sentence takes place after the action/state expressed by the subordinate clause. | If; when; after |
| 【Related Expression: ば; なら; と4; 時】 |
(ks). 山田さんが来たら私は帰る・帰ります。
When/If Mr. Yamada comes, I'll go home.
| {V/Adjective (い/な)N+copula} informal past | ら | |
| 話したら | If/when someone talks/talked | |
| 高かったら | If something is/were expensive | |
| 静かだったら | If something is/were quiet | |
| 先生だったら | If someone is/were a teacher |
(a). 先生に聞いたら直ぐ分かった。
When I asked my teacher, I understood right away.
(b). 私は大学を出たら小学校の先生になります。
I'll be an elementary school teacher after graduating from college.
(c). 私は忙しいですから、面白かったら読みますが、面白くなかったら読みませんよ。
I'm busy, so I'll read it if it's interesting, but I won't if it's not interesting.
(d). 嫌いだったら残して下さい。
If you don't like it, please leave it.
(e). 英語だったら分かると思います。
I think I'll understand it if it's English.
1. The meaning of Sentence1たらSentence2 varies depending on the contents of Sentence1 and Sentence2 and also on the situation in which this construction is used. However, Sentence always represents an antecedent and Sentence2 a subsequence. For example, in Key Sentence, Mr. Yamada's coming precedes the speaker's returning home. Likewise, in Example (a), the speaker's asking his teacher precedes his understanding something. If this relation does not hold, this construction cannot be used. For example, (1) cannot be expressed by the たら construction because the event of Sentence1, the speaker's going to Chicago, does not precede the event of Sentence2, his going there by car.
(In this situation, 時 is used. (⇨ 時)) For the same reason, たら is ungrammatical in the situation in (2).
(In this case, なら is used. (⇨ なら))
2. In Sentence1たらSentence2, it is often the case that Sentence1 represents a condition and Sentence2 an event which occurs under that condition. Therefore, the whole sentence basically means 'when Sentence1 is satisfied, Sentence2 takes place' or 'Sentence1 brings about Sentence2', as in Examples (c), (d) and (e).
3. As seen in Key Sentence, たら may mean 'when' in one case and 'if' in another. たら means 'when' if Sentence1 is a certainty; if not, たら means 'if'. Thus, in (3), たら means 'when'.
もし before Sentence1たら makes sentences unambiguous; it always means 'if Sentence1'. Example:
4. In Sentence1たらSentence2, Sentence2 can be a command, a request, a suggestion, an invitation or a volitional sentence.
| ⎧a. 来なさい。 | |
| ⎪b. 来てください。 | |
| ⎪c. 来たらどうですか。 | |
| ⎩d. 来ませんか。 |
| ⎧a. come to my place. | |
| ⎪b. please come to my place. | |
| ⎪c. why don't you come to my place? | |
| ⎩d. wouldn't you like to come to my place? |
5. Sentence1たらSentence2 can also be used in counterfactual situations, as in (7).
6. When Sentence2 in "Sentence1たらSentence2" represents a past action, the action cannot be one intentionally taken by the agent after the action or event represented by Sentence1. Thus, the (a) sentences in (8) and (9) are acceptable, but the (b) sentences are not.
【Related Expressions】
ば, なら and と4 have similar functions but they are different trom たら in the following ways:
I. In Sentence1たらSentence2, if the event in Sentence1 precedes the event in Sentence2, those events can be past events. This is also the case with Sentence1とSentence2, but not with Sentence1ばSentence2 and Sentence1ならSentence2, as in [1].
[1]
II. As stated in Note 4, Sentence2 in Sentence1たらSentence2 can be a command, a request, a suggestion, an invitation or a volitional sentence. This is also the case with Sentence2 in Sentence1ばSentence2 and Sentence1ならSentence2 but not with Sentence2 in Sentence1とSentence2. Example:
[2]
II. Although Sentence2 in Sentence1たらSentence2, Sentence1ばSentence2 and Sentence1ならSentence2 can be a command a request, a suggestion, an invitation or a volitional sentence, the meanings are not exactly the same. The following examples show the differences clearly.
[3]
As seen above, [3a] is ambiguous; it is not clear that Ben is coming. If Ben's coming is certain, [3a] indicates the time the speaker will leave. If Ben's coining is uncertain, [3a] indicates the condition under which the speaker will leave. In both cases, however, Ben's coming precedes the speaker's leaving. [3b] is similar to the second case of [3a] (i.e., the case in which Ben's coming is uncertain). However, [3b] focuses more on the condition. That is, [3b] implies something like 'the condition under which I go home is Ben's coming here'. In [3b] also, Ben's coming precedes the speaker's leaving. Sentence1 in [3c] also indicates the condition under which the speaker returns home. In this case, however, Ben's coming does not necessarily precede the speaker's leaving because the condition under which the speaker goes home is that Ben's coming !s true, not that Ben comes (to a certain place).
IV. As stated in Note 5, Sentence1たらSentence2 can be used in counterfactual situations, and so can Sentence1ばSentence2 and Sentence1ならSentence2. However, Sentence1とSentence2 cannot be used in such situations except for the idiomatic expression Sentenceといい/よかった 'It would be good/It would have been good if Sentence'. Example:
[4]