Unit 55Phase P · Conditionals

〜ば

じょうけんけい — the general “if”

3しゅるいone at a time

Verbs, then い-adjectives, then な-adjectives & nouns. Same idea each time.

どうし → けいようし

＋と −both polarities

Every type has a positive and a negative, and the negative always ends なければ.

かけば／かかなければ

なければyou know this

〜なければなりません from Unit 15 was the negative conditional all along.

いかなければ

このかばん、かいますか。

やすければ、かいます。

Step 1

つくりかた

one word type at a time

〜ば is the one conditional with a form of its own — the じょうけんけい. Three word types build it, and each one has a positive and a negative, so take them in order. You'll see the same move repeat: the ending shifts, and every negative lands on なければ. 🔊 Tap any line to hear it.

Group 1 uses the same え-row kana as かのうけい → Unit 48 →

どうしVerbs

＋グループ 1うだん → えだん＋ば

＋グループ 2る → れば

＋グループ 3する → すれば／くる → くれば

−ひていない → なければ

You have been saying this since Unit 15 — 〜なければなりません (“must ~”) is literally “if you don't ~, it won't do”.

いけいようしい-adjectives

＋こうていい → ければ

−ひていくない → くなければ

Same move as the verbs: the ない at the end becomes なければ.

なけいようし・めいしな-adjectives & nouns

＋こうてい＋なら

Here's where なら comes from — it's simply the conditional of な-adjectives and nouns. Unit 56 picks it up properly.

−ひていじゃない → じゃなければ

And once again the ない turns into なければ. Every word type does the same thing in the end.

Step 2

つかいかた

when to reach for it

〜ば is the “if” of general conditions — advice, hypotheticals, “if this is true then that follows”. If what you mean is “after A happens, do B”, that's 〜たら instead. 🔊 Tap to hear.

じょうけんけいconditional form

、〜what follows

。

〜ば is the “if” of general conditions — if this is true, then that follows. It's the one you reach for when giving advice or talking about a hypothetical rather than about a specific moment. A useful habit: keep 〜ば for the condition itself, not for a sequence of events. If you mean “after A happens, do B”, that's 〜たら.

Step 3

クイズ

build the じょうけんけい

Eight questions — one from every row of the table, positive and negative, plus one sentence to say a second way.

Question 1 / 8 · 0 correct

fill the blankせんせいじゃない → ◯◯noun, negative

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