ホーム → 文法 → DoJG main menu → 基本 → Basic Page 81
Conjunction
| A conjunction which indicates that the preceding clause expresses a conditional. | If |
| 【Related Expression: たら; (なら, と4)】 |
(ks). この薬を飲めばよくなる・なります。
If you take this medicine, you'll get well.
| (i)Group 1 verbs | Vconditionalば | |
| 話せば | If someone talks | |
| (ii)Group 2 verbs | Vstemれば | |
| 食べれば | If someone eats | |
| (iii)Irregular verbs | 来る→来れば | If someone comes |
| する→すれば | If someone does | |
| (iv)Adjective い | Adjective い stemければ | |
| 高ければ | If something is expensive | |
| (v) Adjective な | Adjective な stem {なら(ば)/であれば} | |
| {静かなら(ば)/ 静かであれば} | If something is quiet | |
| (vi)Noun+copula | Noun {なら(ば)/であれば} | |
| {先生なら(ば)/ 先生であれば} | If someone is a teacher |
(a). これは松本先生に聞けば分かります。
You'll understand it if you ask Professor Matsumoto.
(b). その町は車で行けば三十分で行ける。
You can get to that town in thirty minutes if you go by car.
(c). 安ければ買います。
I'll buy it if it's cheap./I would buy it if were cheap.
(d). 時間があれば京都へも行きたい。
If I have time, I want to go to Kyoto too./If I had time, I would want to go to Kyoto, too.
(e). 見たければ見なさい。
If you want to see it, see it.
(f). 出来ればこれもやってください。
Please do this, too, if you can.
1. "Sentence1ばSentence2" basically expresses a general conditional relationship between the two propositions represented by Sentence1 and Sentence2. Sentence1 represents a condition and Sentence2 a proposition which holds or will hold true under the condition. (ば is, in fact, the origin of the topic marker は.)
2. Sentence2 can be a statement of the speaker's volition or hope, as in Examples (c) and (d).
(⇨ と4)
3. Sentence2 can be a command, a request or a suggestion, as in Examples (e) and (f). In this case, however, Sentence1 cannot be an action. Thus, in (1) and (2) ば is ungrammatical.
4. Sentence1 can express both factual and counterfactual conditions. Thus, Examples (c) and (d) can be either factual or counterfactual statements.
(⇨ ばよかった)
5. Sentence1 can be a state or an event in the past if it is counterfactual or habitual. Examples:
However, Sentence1 cannot be a single factual event in the past even if it represents a condition, as seen in (5).
(⇨ たら)
6."Senetnce1ばSentence2" does not mean more than a conditional relationship; therefore, this construction cannot be used when the speaker wants to suggest something by a conditional sentence. For example, (6) does not suggest that one should not approach the cage. It is acceptable only when it means, as a mere conditional statement, which one is in danger under the condition that one gets close to the cage.
In order to suggest that one should not approach the cage, 近づくと or 近づいたら is used instead of 近づけば.
7. There are some idiomatic expressions which utilize the "Sentence1ばSentence2" construction.