Maggie :「ゆかり、掃除が終わったらマッサージしてね。」
= Yukari, Souji ga owattara massaaji shitene.
= Hey, Yukari, when you finish cleaning, give me a massage, OK?
Yukari :「気が向いたらね。」
= Ki ga muitara ne.
= If I feel like it…
Hi, everyone!
Today’s lesson is for a loyal visitor of this site, Harin who left the following question in a comment last December…
Q : いつ「when…」という意味で「～たら」を使うか分かりません。
= Itsu “when..” toiu imi de “~ tara” wo tsukau ka wakarimasen.
= I don’t know when I can use “たら=tara” which means “when”
Also, my lovely Twitter follower, Aki asked me recently how to use 〜たら ( = ~tara) as well.
As you know there are a lot of ways to make conditional sentences, such as
なら ( = nara) ならば ( = naraba), と ( = to), れば ( = reba), etc.
I will just focus on たら=tara today. （You’ll understand why when you see how long it takes to explain just one of these!
Note: For other conditional lessons,
Check my
~と /ないと ( = to/naito) lesson
~なら ( = nara) lesson
First, we see…
⭐️How to form “if-clause” with “たら“=tara
⏩もし〜たら = moshi ~ tara
“If” in Japanese is もし ( = moshi).
⭐️ You can omit もし ( = moshi) if you think the condition is more certain or likely to happen.
★もし ( = moshi) + pronoun/noun + だったら (= dattara)
•私 = watashi = I
→もし+ 私だったら…
= moshi + watashi dattara…
•明日 = ashita = tomorrow
→もし+明日だったら…
= moshi + ashita dattara …
•マギー = Maggie
→もし + マギーだったら…
= moshi + Maggie dattara…
•これ = kore = this
→もし + これだったら…
=moshi + kore dattara…
•日本人 = nihonjin = Japanese people
→もし + 日本人だったら...
= (moshi) nihonjin dattara…
•私の家 = watashi no ie = my house
→もし +私の家だったら…
= moshi watashi no ie dattara….
•カレーライス = karei raisu = curry and rice
→もし + カレーライスだったら…
= moshi karei raisu dattara….
🌸 negative sentences :
★もし ( = moshi) + pronoun/noun + で(は）なかったら = de(wa) nakattara
•私 = watashi
→もし + 私で(は）なかったら…
= moshi watashi de(wa) nakattara
(casual form ) + じゃなかったら= ja nakattara
• 私 = watashi
→もし + 私じゃなかったら…
= moshi watashi ja nakattara
★もし = moshi + verb (past tense ) + ら ( = ra)
Note: We make the conditional form by using past tense but it can refer to the “simple present” or the “future“.
•ある = aru = there is
→ (past tense) あった ( = atta) ＋ ら ( = ra)
→もし + あったら
= moshi + attara
•読む= yomu = to read
→ (past tense) 読んだ ( = yonda) ＋ ら ( = ra)
→もし+ 読んだら
= moshi + yondara
📝 Note : after the letter ん(=n), たら ( = tara) will be だら ( = dara)
•食べる = taberu = to eat
→ (past tense) 食べた ( = tabeta)＋ら ( = ra)
→もし+ 食べたら
= moshi + tabetara
•読んでいる = yonde iru = to be reading, to have read
→ (past tense) 読んでいた ( = yonde ita) ＋ ら ( = ra)
→もし+ 読んでいたら
= moshi + yonde itara
•食べている = tabete iru = to be eating, to have eaten
→(past tense) 食べていた ( = tabete ita) ＋ら ( = ra)
→もし + 食べていたら
= moshi + tabete itara
🌸 How to make negative sentences :
★もし( = moshi) + verb (past tense negative) + ら ( = ra)
•出来る ( = dekiru ) = to be finished, to be done, to be made
→(negative) 出来ない ( = dekinai)
→(past tense) 出来なかった = dekinakatta
→もし+ 出来なかったら
= moshi + dekinakattara
•変わる ( = kawaru) = to change
→negative 変わらない ( = kawaranai)
→(past tense) 変わらなかった = kawaranakatta
→もし+ 変わらなかったら
= moshi + kawaranakattara
★もし ( = moshi) + adjective past tense + ら(=ra)
•i-adjective
•美味しい = oishii = delicious
→(past tense) 美味しかった = oishikatta
→もし+ 美味しかったら
= moshi + oishikattara
•かわいい = kawaii = cute
→(past tense) かわいかった = kawaikatta
→もし + かわいかったら
= moshi + kawaikattara
＊ negative sentences :
★もし ( = moshi) + past negative + ら ( = ra)
• 美味しくない
→(past tense) 美味しくなかった ( = oishiku nakatta)
→もし+ 美味しくなかったら
= moshi + oishiku nakattara
•na-adjective
• 綺麗 = kirei = beautiful, pretty
→(past tense) 綺麗だった = kireidatta
→もし+ 綺麗だったら
= moshi +kirei dattara
• 元気 = genki = energetic, healthy
→(past tense) 元気だった = genkidatta
→もし+ 元気だったら
= moshi +genki dattara
🌸 negative sentences :
★もし ( = moshi) + past negative + ら( = ra)
•元気で（は）ない
= genki de (wa)nai
→(past tense) 元気で（は）なかった
= genki de (wa) nakatta
→もし + 元気で（は）なかったら
= moshi + genki de (wa) nakattara
(more casual)
もし + 元気じゃなかったら
= Moshi genki ja nakattara
************************
★ Conditional Sentences:
もし ( = moshi) + condition + たら ( = tara) + possible consequences, what you are going to do
Theoretically possible to fulfill a condition that is given in the if-clause.
(You can omit もし = moshi: Check the notes below)
Ex. もし明日晴れたら、ゴルフに行きます。
= Moshi ashita haretara gorufu ni ikimasu.
= If the weather is good tomorrow, I will go play golf.
Ex. もし雨が降ったら中止です。
= Moshi Ame ga futtara chuushi desu.
= If it rains, it will be canceled.
Ex. もし試験に落ちたら他の学校を受ける。
= Moshi Shiken ni ochitara hoka no gakkou wo ukeru.
= If I fail the exam, I will take an exam for other schools.
Ex. もしわからないことがあったらいつでも聞いて下さい。
= Moshi Wakaranai koto ga attara itsudemo kiite kudasai.
= If there is anything that you don’t understand, please ask me anytime.
Ex. もしもっと勉強したら日本語が上手になるよ！
= (Moshi) Motto benkyou shitara nihongo ga jouzu ni naruyo!
= If you study more, your Japanese will improve.
Ex. もしマギーに会ったら宜しく伝えてね。
= (Moshi) Maggie ni attara yoroshiku tsutaete ne.
= If you see Maggie, please tell her “hello” for me.
Ex. それ美味しかったら私も食べたい。
= Sore oishikattara watashi mo tabetai.
= If it’s good, I want to eat it, too.
Ex. もし忙しかったら明日でもいいです。
= Moshi isogashikattara ashita demo iidesu.
= If you are busy, tomorrow is fine.
Ex. もしマギーの電話番号知っていたら教えて。
= Moshi Maggie no denwa bangou shitte itara oshiete.
= If you know Maggie’s phone number, please give it to me.
📝 Note : When do we omit もし = moshi.
As I mentioned above, when the speaker feels the condition is more likely to happen or certain, we tend to omit もし= moshi
a) もしよかったらどうぞ
= Moshi yokattara douzo.
= Please help yourself
(Literal meaning: If you want, please help yourself.)
⏩ よかったらどうぞ
= Yokattara douzo
In this case using もし ( = moshi) is more subtle and it could be more polite and without もし=moshi is more direct.
Ex. もし日本に来たら連絡してね。
= Moshi nihon ni kitara renraku shitene.
= If you come to Japan, let me know.
(The speaker thinks the possibility is higher)
日本に来たら連絡してね。
= Nihon ni kitara renraku shitene.
= When you come to Japan, let me know.
Ex. もし嫌だったらやらなくていいよ。
= Moshi iyadattara yaranakute iiyo.
= If you don’t want to do it, don’t do it.
嫌だったらやらなくていいよ。(sounds stronger)
= Iyadattara yaranakute iiyo.
When you give directions, you don’t need もし=moshi
Ex. この道をまっすぐいったらすぐわかります。
= Kono michi wo massugu ittara sugu wakarimasu.
= Go straight down this road and you can’t miss it.
Ex. 食べ終わったら自分で片付けてね。
= Tabeowattara jibun de katazukete ne.
= When you finish eating, clean up after yourself.
2) When you bring up a hypothetical condition that is impossible or difficult to be fulfilled (or something emotionally hard to imagine) :
Ex. もし宝くじに当たったらこの車を買えるのに。
= Moshi takara kuji ni atattara kono kuruma wo kaeru noni.
= If I won the lottery, I could buy this car…
Ex. もし私がマギーだったらあんなことは言わない(のに)。
= Moshi watashi ga Maggie dattara anna koto wa iwanai (noni).
= If I were Maggie, I wouldn’t have said such a thing.
Ex. (もし)お天気だったら洗濯が出来た(のに)。
= (Moshi) Otenki dattara sentaku ga dekita (noni).
= If the weather had been nice, I could have done the laundry.
Ex. もしあなたが死んでしまったら生きていけない。
= Moshi anataga shinde shimattara ikite ikenai.
= If you die, I wouldn’t be able to survive.
Ex. 父が生きていたら喜んでくれたのに。
= Chichi ga ikite itara yorokonde kuretanoni.
= If my father were alive, he would be very happy for me.
Note: のに (= noni) stresses the meaning and you can express your feelings of accusation or regrets.
★ When you express your desire :
(* You don’t need もし = moshi)
Ex. JLPTの１級に受かったらいいのに。
= JLPT no ikyuu ni ukattara iinoni.
= I wish I could pass JLPT Level 1.
Ex. マギーも来たらよかったのに。
= Maggie mo kitara yokatta noni.
= You (Maggie) should have come, too.
Ex. 明日、お天気だったらいいね。
= Ashita otenki dattara iine.
= I hope the weather is nice tomorrow.
Now besides “if”, たら ( =tara) has a meaning of “when“
⬇️
★When you bring up a possible condition and consequence and then ask for a favor or give a direction:
Ex. 給料が出たらおごってあげるよ！
= Kyuuryou ga detara ogotte ageruyo.
= When I get paid, I will treat you.
Ex. ご飯できたら呼んで！
= Gohan dekitara yonde!
= Call me when dinner is ready.
Ex. その本、読み終わったら貸してくれる？
= Sono hon yomiowattara kashite kureru?
= When you finish reading the book, can you lend it to me?
Ex. 落ち着いたら電話をかけ直します。
= Ochitsuitara denwa wo kakenaoshimasu.
= I will call you back when things settle down.
Ex. 春が来たら旅行に行こう。
= Haru ga kitara ryokou ni ikou.
= When spring comes, let’s go traveling!
Ex. それ終わったら教えて！
= Sore owattara oshiete!
= Tell me when you are done/you finish it.
Ex. 駅に着いたら電話を頂戴。
= Eki ni tsuitara denwa wo choudai.
= When you get to the station, give me a call.
Ex. あと１０分経ったらケーキが焼き上がります。
= Ato juppun tattara keiki ga yakiagarimasu.
= The cake will be finished baking in 10 more minutes.
★When you make a suggestion, you can also use たら= tara
Ex. 歯が痛いんだったら歯医者さんに行ったら？
= Haga itain dattara haisha san ni ittara?
= If you have a toothache why don’t you go to the dentist?
Ex. マギー先生に優しくしたら？
= Maggie Sensei ni yasahiku shitara?
= Why don’t you be nice to Maggie Sensei
Ex. もう寝たらいいのに！
= Mou netara iinoni!
= You should go to bed already!
⭐️From the picture above :
「ゆかり、掃除が終わったらマッサージしてね。」
= Yukari, Souji ga owattara massaaji shitene.
= Hey, Yukari, when you finish cleaning, give me a massage, OK?
「気が向いたらね。」
= Ki ga muitara ne.
= If I feel like it…
* 気が向く = ki ga muku = to feel like doing something
マギー先生より= Maggie Sensei yori = From Maggie Sensei
マッサージが終わったらご飯作ってね。
= Massaaji ga owattara gohan tsukutte ne.
= When you finish the massage, fix my meal, OK?
Do you want to practice ”~たら~tara” with me? Then follow me on Twiter
もしよかったらフォローしてね。
= Moshi yokattara follow shitene.
***
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I appreciate your support! サポートありがとう！
128 Comments
Hello Maggie Sensei! What is the origin/etymology of the -ら in -たら?
I think たら came from a classic auxiliary verb たり
ら is a part of the conjugation.
hello maggie senei! i love your posts a lot!
could you please tell me what kind of meaning 〜たら has in this sentence? i feel like it means ‘so’ or something but that can’t be right 🥲
「私がそれを正しいと*思ったら*ね」
「ええ、それでいい」
Hello Alexa,
This たら means “if”. (conditional)
I assume they were talking about something and this person is saying he/she would do that if he/she thinks that is right.
こんにちは、マギー先生！This time I come with another question. How would you interpret たら in the following sentence?
何かを引き換えにしてもそばで笑えたらそれだけでよかったはずなのに。
こんにちは Julia!
そばで笑えたら = If (someone) can laugh
I don’t understand the てたら and たら part. What’s the different between 食べてたらand食べたら?
The original verb form is different.
食べていたら is from a verb 食べている (to be eating)
Ex. ご飯を食べていたら電話があった。
= When I was having a meal, someone called me.
Present progressive form
食べたら is from a verb 食べる (= to eat)
Ex. 食べたらお皿を洗って
= Wash the dishes after you finish eating.
Ex. これを食べたらマギーに怒られる
= If I eat this, Maggie will be angry.
So
食べていたら: when I was eating
食べたら: if/when/after I eat
Are these correct Sensei?
One more
食べていたら can be
if someone is eating
It all depends on the context
Hello Maggie sensei
In another lesson for a different topic you used this sentence as example
安いのがなかったら高いのを買った。
My question is why you used なかったら and then the verb 買った in past. I can not comprenhend the connection since is not an if or a.when or an after
Hi May,
Oh that was a typo. It should be 安いのがなかったから高いのを買った。 I fixed it.
Sorry for the confusion.
If you are talking about future, you say
安いのがなかったら高いのを買う。
Aye! I got it Sensei! Thank you so much!(✯ᴗ✯)
You’re very welcome, ファラ :)
Thank you so much Maggie Sensei, I couldn’t reply your answer so I’m saying thanks in this new comment!
No problem. Actually many people seem to have a problem of using とき.
I will make a lesson sometime. :)
Hello Maggie Sensei, I hope you ok! I have a question 🙏 Can be たら used when something will happen 100% sure in the future?
For example:
“I wanna be your teacher when we meet again” (I’m 100% sure we will meet again)… that sentence in japanese can be また会ったら(あなたの)先生になりたい?
To me また会うとき(あなたの)先生になりたい sounds better if you wanna express something 100% sure, because I feel like また会ったら(あなたの)先生になりたい sounds like it’s not completely sure that we will meet again, and I’m saying just in case that we meet again I wanna be your teacher (please tell if I’m right or wrong with that interpretation)
My intention is “I’m 100% sure we will meet again and I will be your teacher if you want”, so please tell me if in this case it’s better また会うとき(あなたの)先生になりたい
Hello David,
たら can’t be 100 %. 時 has more possibility but you example sentence is not natural because you can’t be a teacher right away when you see someone.
For example, when I see you again, I will teach you English.
（今度）また会ったら日本語を教えます。
（今度）また会った時に日本語を教えます。
Both of them are not 100 pct sure but 時 has more possibility to see that person.
Thank you Maggie Sensei, I understand but in the second example you wrote 「また会った時に」shouldn’t be “また会う時に” because the situation will be in the future?
You use the past tense even when you are talking about future.
V past tense + とき: action is completed (So you are talking about something that happens after you see someone)
In this case, 会ったときに is more natural because 1) You see someone (action is completed) and then teach that person Japanese.
V present tense + とき: action is not complete. When I go see you,
Ex. また会う時に、本を持っていくね。
= I will take a book when I see you.
(You take a book with you before you see someone.)
But if you want to give that book to that person, the action should be completed so you say
また会ったときに本を渡すね。
= I will give you the book when I see you again.
Thank you sooo much Maggie Sensei!!!
Maggie Sensei, I was thinking, if I wanna express something 100% sure or close to 100% (it’s almost sure we will meet again), maybe is better if I say と? For example in the previous situation… また会うとダビッドの先生になりたい? Can be that sentence correct?
Sorry. また会うとダビッドの先生になりたい doesn’t make sense.
As I said the following sentence, 先生になりたい (I want to become a teacher) doesn’t work with “when” とき、たら、と
（と = check the lesson)
When A happens, B happens automatically.
彼に会うと自然に笑顔になる。 When I see him, I naturally smile.
Hello Maggie Sensei,
hmm…i’ve always wondered why plain past tense i.e ta-form is always used to form the meaning “if” or “when” for this grammar tara. I’m not quite sure on the tenses….for example:
“もしぶかつに遅れたら….”
Directly translating would be like “if I had been late to club activity”, which suggest the future?? Also can you please tell me how you know when tara means “when” or “if” in a particular sentence? Thankyou :3
Hi again,
もしぶかつに遅れたら….”
You use past tense with たら but it could mean both “If I had been late /I were late” or “If I am late” depending on the context.
遅れたらみんなに迷惑をかけるだろう。I may/might trouble everyone. (talking about the possibility in future)
遅れたら迷惑をかけたかもしれない。I would have troubled everyone. (talking about hypothetical situation that didn’t happen in past.)
Basically, if you are talking about something likely to happen, the better translation will be “when” and if you are talking about hypothetical situation, “if” is better.
Hi.
In the next sentence, is たら form affecting the previous verbs?
涙見ないふりして笑ってうなずいたら
Thanks.
Hi Bere
Right. But in this case the way how this person うなずく is important.
（A: 涙見ないふりして笑って） + B: うなずいたら
(A:涙見ないふりして笑って) describes how this person うなずく
So, in this case, うなずいたら could be the same as うなずくとき??
Thank you very much.
There is nuance difference between たら and とき
たら = if (conditional) more hypothetical
とき = when (When you do it, Ex. something automatically happens.)
I prefer to view たら as meaning something like “it is the case that…” a certain action happened/took place instead of inherently meaning “if” because in some cases “if” doesn’t make sense. I think “it is the case that…” better encapsulates both cases when たらmeans “if” and when it means “after, when” and so confusion with this conjugation goes away.
Good point! :)
Hello Maggie sensei,
Could you please correct me for my sentences?
窓の外をみたら、大勢の人が殺された。
Is it grammatically correct?
And if I write as below, is it correct ?
窓の外を見たら、彼は大勢の人を殺した。
Thanks Maggie sensei !!!
Hello,
I am sorry but both sentences are not natural.
The verb tense in the following sentences can’t be simple past tense in this case.
ていた is better because it describes the state after the action or what has been happening.
窓の外を見たら、大勢の人が殺されていた。
窓の外を見たら、彼が大勢の人を殺していた。
When I looked out the windows, I saw* ~~
(There isn’t a verb to see (見る) in Japanese sentence but you describe what you saw by ていた)
If you use the simple past tense
窓の外を見たら、大勢の人が殺された。
窓の外を見たら、彼は大勢の人を殺した。
It sounds like the action of looking out the window 窓の外を見た caused people’s death or him killing people.
はい、わかりました！
どうもありがとうございました！
🐶💖💖
Hello Maggie sensei,
I have 1 more question about たら。
How is the verb “ いる”？
If I say,
when I closed my eyes, I saw you were here.
目を閉じたら、ここにあなたがいていた！
Is it OK or I need to change to いた。
Hello
You can’t say いていた. It’s いた
But I think it would be more natural to say
When I opened my eyes, you were there.
目を開けたら、そこにあなたがいた。
I’ve heard a kind of phrase in Japanese when they repeat the same verb twice.
For example, I’m not sure the grammar makes sense but something like:
辞めるのを辞めたらいいじゃんい
I’d be really grateful if you could help me out with this!
Hi George,
辞める(a)のをやめたら(b) いいじゃない。
First
~たらいいじゃない？ means “Why don’t you do ~?”
That means “You should do ~”
やめるのを(A) やめたら(B) いいじゃない =the literal meaning is Why don’t you stop (B) quitting/resigning (A) = You should stop (B) quitting/resigning (A)
That means “You should continue whatever you have been doing./ or keep your job)
Super clear, thanks!
Great! ☺️
Hi Maggie sensei, I have read that past tense だったら is actually the short form of だったとしたら. Is that true? In that case, what is the difference between past tense だったとしたら and present tense だとしたら?
だったら・だとしたら both talk about the hypothetical situation but you can’t use としたら for the case 2)
１） hypothetical
それが本当だったら大変だ。
それが本当だとしたら大変だ。
としたら sounds slightly more formal and adds more hypothetical nuance.
（だ）としたら If it were the case / (The speaker doesn’t that is the case but for the argument sake) Let’s say if it were (You are talking about counterfactual thing)
2) You can use Xだったら・たら+ Y pattern when you simply talk about what is going to happen if X happens.
明日晴れだったら海に行きます。 / 明日晴れたら海に行きます。
明日晴れだとしたら海に行きます。/ 明日晴れたとしたら海に行きます。(not natural)
***
~たら The speaker think it may happen
そうだったら
If so, If it is true/ If that’s the case (talking about the current situation)
としたら: The speaker think it is not going to happen
そうだとしたら
(Let’s say) If it were true (talking about the current situation)
そうだったとしたら
(Let’s say)If it had been true (talking about the past event)
Maggie sensei, thank you for your explanation. If だったら and だとしたら are different,then だったら is not a contracted form of だとしたら? I read that this was the case from not just one, two websites so I thought it was correct..
OK I added the number in my previous sentence.
As I said some of the sentences in the usage 1) can be translated the same so some might interpret だったら is a contracted form.
But the original form is different.
〜だ→ + たら → だったら
〜だ+ と＋する → だとする→ だとしたら
とする means “to make something ~ ”
So the nuance changes.
Can you explain the conditional: BA
I can’t sleep anymore because of this grammar!!! Thank you!!!
Sorry to hear that you can’t sleep anymore. :)
Actually I have been working on the lesson since last year. It is going to be a long lesson so please wait patiently.
Hello Sensei!
I have read many many thread or post on Japanese conditional;
but indeed it seems to me that the most used conditional is something else.
In Japanese to make a conditional clause you have to modify the sentence which express the condition:
お金があればいいね
If I had money, it would be good, huh?
the conditional clause here is ” いいね” but to make it conditional we have to modify “お金がある” in “お金があれば”.
So what if we do not want to express explicitly the condition?
Conditional also stand on his own.
for example what about this conversation:
A: “Hey do you like sushi??”
B: “Yes! I would eat it every day!”
Here there is a stand alone conditional “I would eat sushi every day” (maybe some condition is implicit);
anyway how do we express this in Japanese ??
:-D
Hi Daniele,
There are several conditional forms, たら、ば、なら,と, etc.
たら is the most common one among all.
If I had money, it would be good, huh?
お金があればいいね。/more conversational お金があればなあ。works but you can also say お金があったらいいね。（more conversational お金があったらなあ）
For your example sentences, I would use でも〜+potential form
A: “Hey do you like sushi??”
B: “Yes! I would eat it every day!”
毎日でも食べられる。
“I would eat sushi every day”
毎日でもお寿司を食べられる。
or You can also use たら
You can stress “Sushi” by using だったら
お寿司だったら毎日でも食べます。/ 食べられる。
こんばんは！Maggie、先生。
I’m just wondering, what does the “死んでしまったら” means？
In the sentence もしあなたが死んでしまったら生きていけない。I get the part of 死ぬ
which means to die。I’ve searched it in the Index main lesson 2 page, but with no luck of finding it XD.
ありがとうございます。:D
〜て(で）しまう
I explained the usage in my ちゃう lesson.
死んでしまう have died (action is completed), expressing speaker’s emotion, in this case, fear, anxiety)
Hello Maggie Sensai, thank you for all the examples in this lesson. I think I have grasped the ideas of when or how to use たら. However, I have a question about the following sentence:
もしそうだったらわたし
Is it different in meanings from this:
もしわたしがそうだったら
I read somewhere that the second sentence means “If I were like that…”
お願い致します❣
@Presto
こんにちは、Presto!
Right,
もしそうだったら= If that is the case, If so,
もしわたしがそうだったら = If I were like that
Thank you Maggie Sensai ❣こんにちは。
So can I say that the following sentence also means “if I were like that…”?
もしそうだったらわたし
ありがとうございます❣
@Presto
That will be
もし私がそうだったら not もしそうだったらわたし …
“もしそうだったらわたし” sounds more like “If so, then I…” or “If that’s the case, then I…”
ヨロシクポ(=^〇^=)
Thank you 天人 and Maggie Sensai. That was why I asked in the first place, 😅because the entire sentence is
もしそうだったらわたし、つごうわるいな。
My original attempt to translate the above is:
If that’s the case, to me it’s inconvenient, hmmmm.
What do you think?
＠Presto
Ah, OK, the whole sentence makes more sense.
You sometimes switch the word order or drop a particle in conversation.
The whole sentence is
もしそうだったら、わたしは都合が悪いな。
If that’s the case, it is not good for me ( I am not available)
Wonderful! ありがとうございます、マギー先生❣
@Presto
どういたしまして！
＠天人
Thank you for helping Presto! ❤️
Hello Maggie sensei, i fully understand TARA, but i don’t Quite understand NARA. They both mean “IF” but can you give me some brief explanation and few sentence examples of how to use NARA? thank you
＠Johathan
Hi Jonathan.
Did you check this lesson? How to use なら
Hi Sensei,
I have the following “tara” and I am not sure which category does it belong to?
i.e.
“たたかって くれたら”
主婦(しゅふ)でもありキャリアウーマンでもある人の超人(ちょうじん)ぶりをみるたびに、
その力で企業(きぎょう)と 男にたたかってくれたら と思います.
“男に たたかって くれたら” – means –> “IF” challenged by men ?
Thanks.
Regards
Ken
@Ken
Hello Ken,
That たら is to express your desire.
Since the writer is talking about housewives, I hope they (housewives) fight with companies and men.
Thank you very much Maggie sensei. boucingheart!
Regards
Ken
@Ken
You’re very welcome, Ken. :)
Konnichiha Maggie_Sensei
It’s me again, arigatou gozaimasu for responsing my prev question back there, but sensei i still have some issues about those, heard them from anime and couldn’t recognize them:
“Bunkatte Hoshii”
“kou nara koto nozonde ita ka o shiranai n da”
“anata o tairu” “watashitachi o taiou tte hoshii”
“this last sentence it’s sounded like about “dependence” …
_Onegai Shimasu !gejigeji! !gejigeji!
o’ i forget one more:
“mina no chikara ga oboeta osare(ba)..zettai ni makenai
@Ōsama
Hi,Ōsama,
First I am sorry but I don’t do the translation here. (If I do, I have to translate for everybody…)
I can explain the structure but can you post them in Japanese?
Maybe they are typos..but some of the phrases don’t make any sense.
I Am Sorry Sensei, I know it’s kind of nonsense, because i tried so hard to get these words from their voices but unfortunately the words aren’t clear (expectable from jp anime).
_About thie sentence:
“mina no chikara ga oboeta osare(ba)” Sensei is it true that in some cases when two verbs are linked in one sentence, the first verb congigated to “past form” ?
That’s all Sensei
sensei, could you teach me all about uses of passive verb. thank you very much. you’re site is very useful in my study.
@yumie
Hello yumie,
I have a causative lesson but I guess I don’t have a lesson on just passive form, huh?
OK, will add it on the request list. :)
Ex. ご飯できたら呼んで！ = Gohen dekitara yonde! = Call me when dinner is ready. {Umm…it should be gohan right?} I think it might be a typo, though my Kanji isn’t very good, so I might be wrong. Anyway, thanks for the lesson Maggie-sensei! It’s much better and more detailed than any other {tara} lesson i’ve read! :grin:
@the river puppy
Ooops! That was a typo. Thank you! I fixed it!
Konnichiwa, Maggie-sensei
it’s me again ^^
sensei I found some word that got me confused (T_T)
in this sentence こんなところで美少女の胸を揉みしだいたりなんかしたら、悪漢に絡まれない方が珍しいのだ。
what is this しだいたりなんかしたら means?
@just a novel lover’s
What are you reading????
胸をもみしだく= to knead breasts
~たりなんかしたら = If you do something
it’s a web novel sensei
the title is 異世界の迷宮都市で治癒魔法使いやってます
so it become “if I do something like groping a girl breast”?
it’s not a pervert novel sensei, it’s just a romantic comedy kind of novel with some rpg element ^^
no pervert scene as far as I read it right now, just a touching scene (“touching” in something that can make us teary mean not the other meaning ^^) when… it’s a spoiler so I suggest you read it yourself sensei because it’s really a nice novel ^^
@just a novel lover’s
OK, OK I am relieved to hear that.
Maggie sensei, please help me m(_ _)m
even though I have read the example above I still cannot understand this sentence really well T_T
どんなシャンプーやリンスを使ったら、ここまで見事な髪になるんだろうな…。
what I get from that sentence is, “Even if I use any kind of shampoo and conditioner, I won’t be able to turn my hair into this magnificent hair.”
＠just a novel lover’s
It may be easier for you to think the answer for this question first.
このハーブのシャンプーを使ったらここまで見事な髪になります。
= If you use this herb shampoo, your hair will be this beautiful.
So as you can see this たら make this sentence conditional.
Ex. 私もハーブのシャンプーを使ったらここまで見事な髪になりますか？
= If I use herb shampoo, do you think my hair will be this beautiful?
Again, this is a conditional sentence.
So
どんなシャンプーやリンスを使ったら、ここまで見事な髪になるんだろうな…。
means
I wonder what kind of shampoo or conditioners I should use to make my hair this beautiful.
(I wonder what kind of shampoo or conditioner would make my hair this beautiful. )
waiii….
sankyu maggie-sensei (^o^)
so the “ん” in になるんだろうな…。
do not make that sentence into a negative sentence?
@just a novel lover’s
になるんだろうな means the same as ~になるのかな (= I wonder)
So it doesn’t have any negative meaning.
Ex. どうしてあんなにマギー先生はきれいなんだろう。
= Doushite annani Maggie Sensei wa kireinandarou.
= I wonder why Maggie Sensei is that beautiful.
= どうしてあんなにマギー先生はきれいなのかな（あ）
= Doushite annnani Maggie Sensei wa kirei nano kana(a)
*****
= どうして日本語はこんなに難しいんだろう
= Doushite nihongo wa konnani muzukashiin darou
= I wonder why Japanese is this difficult.
= どうして日本語はこんなに難しいのかな（あ）
= Doushite nihongo wa konnani muzukashii nokana(a)
I see…
マギー先生はきれいじゃない, かわいいよ
@just a novel lover’s
ヘヘヘ….Uo・ｪ-oU/^☆
Is it common for the は in ではない to be omitted? For example could you say 彼でない instead of 彼ではない? If yes, do they mean the same thing?
Also, in the comments, you said that 行ったらいいのに can only be used when talking about other people. Then how would you say “I wish I had went”?
@Marianne
Q : Is it common for the は in ではない to be omitted?
Yes.
Q : If yes, do they mean the same thing?
Yes, but with は emphasizes the meaning more.
Q : How do you say “I wish I had gone”
→行ったらよかった
I hope I answered your questions.
You did, except I asked to wrong question XD I actually wanted to ask, since you can’t use 行ったらいいのに to talk about yourself, is there another way to say “I should go/It would be good if I went” using the たら form? If not, Is there another way I can say it?
Finally, is there a difference between 行けばいい and 行ったらいい?
@Marianne
I should go is 行かなくてはいけない・行った方がいい （more colloquial 行かなきゃ（いけない））
When you express your regret that you should have gone but you couldn’t
行けばよかった・行ったらよかった
どうもありがとう！相変わらずマギー先生は一番の先生！^^
拝啓先生
I am having some serious trouble understanding the difference between ~とき and ~たら to mean “When…”. Please do give thought to do a lesson on it sometime in the future.
敬具
@gakusei89
Hello!! Thank you for visiting this site!
I hope you understand how and when to use たら in this lesson. As you have seen たら is usually used in a conditional sentence.
時 is used as “when” and “if”. I think the later one confuses you more. Will put that on the request list.
Hi Maggie-Ssensei!
First, I want to say THANK YOU for doing a great job here!
Now my question:
There is:
a) ittara ii noni (Verb in conditional form/tara ii no ni) and
b) iketara ii no ni (Verb in potential form/tara ii no ni)
Whats the difference in usage and meaning of these two? I was told that a) is used only for 3. persons (I wish HE could go…) but I found lots of examples where both a) and b) are used in the same way. Could you please help? Thank you in advance!
Ele
@Elefumi
Thank you for visiting this site!
OK, the difference bettween 1) 行ったらいいのに( = ittara ii noni) and 2) 行けたらいいのに ( = Iketara ii noni)?
1) 行ったらいいのに( = ittara ii noni) is a suggestion for other people.
Why don’t you go?
You should go!
(You only use it for the 3rd person. Not yourself)
2) 行けたらいいのに ( = Iketara ii noni)
We say this when there is no (or less) possibility to go.
I wish I could go / I wish (someone) could go
(You can use both yourself or other people.)
Hope this helps…
マギー先生、質問を聞き続けてすみません。日本語にはまだ分からないことがたくさんあります。
「～たらいいのに」他人に提案をする表現だと言っていましたが、どうしてこの文章は自分の望みを表現しますか。
JLPTの１級に受かったらいいのに。
= I wish I could pass JLPT Level 1.
このレッスンで説明したように「たら」にはいろいろな使い方があります。
他の人に何か提案するときは You should / Why don’t you ~ という意味で使います。
またPalidorの文章のように自分の望みを言う時にも使います。
たら＋のに
は叶（かな）わない現実を望むとき（wish I could / were…)に使います。
一度、「のに」のレッスンも見てくださいね。リンクはこちら！
マギー先生、返事をありがとうございます。私は「のに」のレッソンを2，3回読んでいましたが、この部分はまだ分かりません。「のに」のレッソンから：
誕生パーティーに行ったらいいのに。
I wish someone would go to the birthday party / You should go to the party.
動詞の形：行くー＞行ったら
自分の望み表現する時、行けるー＞「行けたら」可能形を使いました：誕生パーティーに行けたらいいのに
この文書：
JLPTの１級に受かったらいいのに。
動詞の形：受かるー＞受かったら
どうしてこの文章には可能形を使わないんですか。
“受かる”にはもう可能の意味が入っています。
試験を受ける = to take an exam.
試験に受かる = to pass the exam.
他にも動詞には可能形がないものがいくつかあります。
見える には (to be able to see) の意味が
解けるには (to be able to solve) の意味が動詞に入っています。
ああ、なるほど！やっと分かりました。マギー先生、ありがとうございます！
よかった〜！！ :)
Hi. sensei. How do you translate this?
If i played basketball(for example when i was a child) I would be very good now!.
using past conditions? which conditional should i use?
@Ron
Hi Ron!
There are a couple of ways to say this but one pattern is : ~っていたら 〜(の)に
子供（こども）の頃（ころ）、バスケットボールをやっていたら今頃(いまごろ）、とてもうまくなっていただろうに。or いたのに
Hi, Maggie-sensei! I know this is an old answer, but could you perhaps share the other patterns you mentioned?
I always see the structure “If you were A, B would’ve happened” with なっていた.
For example: “君が生きていたらどうなっていただろうか”
Why can’t I say: “君が生きていたらどうなっただろうか”?
Also, would I say “君が生き残っていたらどうなっていただろうか”? Or would I say “君が生き残ったらどうなっていただろうか”?
And in Ron’s sentence’s case, is it possible to say “バスケットボールをやったら”? Isn’t the verbs’ dictionary form used to express habits? So, if he had made a habit of playing basketball during his child he would be goot at it now. Or could I say “とてもうまくなっただろうに”? Why are both “ていた”?
Which of these sentences is correct, if any?
傘を買ったら雨に降られなかったのに
傘を買っていたら雨に降られなかったのに
傘を買ったら雨に降られていなかったのに
傘を買っていたら雨に降られていなかったのに
I gave a lot of examples, but my doubts about all of them are the same one. Thank you very much for your attention in advance. I hope I could express myself well.
I just realized I used the wrong verb. Let me ask again:
Which of these sentences is correct, if any?
傘を買ったら雨に濡れなかったのに
傘を買っていたら雨に濡れなかったのに
傘を買ったら雨に濡れていなかったのに
傘を買っていたら雨に濡れていなかったのに
Good, 雨に降られない doesn’t make sense.
So the following sentence is talking about the past so
傘を買っていたら雨に濡れなかったのに (I wouldn’t have got wet)
傘を買っていたら雨に濡れていなかったのに (describes the state for certain period of time) “I wouldn’t have been getting wet”
work.
Hi エルフ
１) 君が生きていたらどうなっていただろうか
2) 君が生きていたらどうなっただろうか
なっていた describes the state of certain period of time :what would have been happening/ what you would have been
なった describes just one time thing :what would have happened
3) 君が生き残っていたらどうなっていただろうか”
4) 君が生き残ったらどうなっていただろうか”
3) OK
4) A bit unnatural. Maybe it’s because the tense of the following sentence.
For example, 君が生き残ったらどうなるのだろうか (Talking about future) works
バスケットボールをやったら could be just one time
バスケットボールをやっていたら It describes the certain period of time
Thanks for your reply, Maggie-sensei! I now understand why to use なっていた and not なった.
But I’m still confused… Why is it “傘を買っていたら” and not “傘を買ったら”? And why doesn’t “君が生き残ったら” work for the past?
Aren’t the translations of “傘を買っていたら” and “君が生き残っていたら” “If I had been buying an umbrella” and “If you had been surviving” respectively? Isn’t buying an umbrella a one-time thing, unlike playing basketball?
Does it have anything to do with how ている can express a resultative state of an action?
How would you translate “君が生き残ったらどうなるのだろうか”? In my understanding, it can only be “if you survive, what will happen?” or “if you survived, what would happen?”.
In other words, there is still a chance that “you” may survive. If there weren’t, because “you” is already dead, I would put it in the past tense like in English, like “if you had survived, what would’ve happened”, right?
That’s why I wonder, if I know for sure that the person didn’t survive or didn’t buy an umbrella, for example, and that things would’ve been different if they had done that, then should I always use “～ていたら”?
I’d be very grateful if you could help me again! Thank you for attention.
I won’t go too deep in this comment section but
1) 買う/買った is one time action.
買っていたら focusing on the state of having an umbrella after buying an umbrella but maybe you should just learn by what tense to use.
There are lots of exceptions but generally speaking
You tend to use Vていたら〜 form for an unreal past condition and its probable result in the past.
日本に行ったらマギーに会いたい。 When I go to Japan, I would like to see Maggie. (talking about the future/ A possible condition and its probable result.)
日本に行っていたらマギーに会えたのに。/ 会ったのに。 If I had gone to Japan, I would have been able to see Maggie/I would have seen Maggie. (an unreal past condition and its probable result in the past.)
2) 君が生き残ったらどうなるのだろうか 君 is still alive. You won’t probably survive but what if you do…
What would happen if you survived or survive.
君が生き残っていれば/いたら “if you had survived, what would’ve happened” (The person is not alive)
Aaahh, that’s exactly what I wanted to know! Thank you very much, Maggie-sensei! ^^
You said you wouldn’t go into many details and that there are a lot of exceptions. Do you know where I could read more about it? Or what I should search on Google? I tried some things before but couldn’t find exactly what I was looking for. It’s fine even if it’s in Japanese. Thank you very much for explanation, anyway!
One of the exceptions is for example Vてくれたら
If you have told me earlier we could have seen each other.
I guess you could say 早く言ってくれていたら but もっと早く言ってくれたら会えたのに。 is much more common.
Also when you express the regrets with よかった, you use Vたら
行ったらよかった
I should have gone.
食べたらよかった
I should have eaten.
Since I don’t use other sites, I don’t know what sites cover the theme but try using google typing 日本語条件文
Good luck! :)
マギー先生の日本語のレッソンを読んだら、よく分かります！★
ありがとうマギー先生(笑)
ルナより。
@Luna
こちらこそこのサイトに来てくれてありがとう！ルナ！
また来てね！ !happyface!
sensei, I was at this lesson again 質問があるよ＾＾
「生」の漢字が説明してくれる？
I’ve seen it as すむーー＞生む
and as いーー＞父が生きていたら喜んでくれたのに。
so I am wondering what are all of its uses/pronounciations? :)
教えって下さい！m(_ _)m
@Aki
Sure!
生
★kun reading
1) 生=nama= raw/fresh 生魚= namazakana = raw fish / 生クリーム= fresh cream / 生野菜= namayasai = fresh vegetable/ 生ビール= draft beer
2) 生む(or 産む）= umu = to give birth, produce Ex.かわいい子供を生む(or 産む）= kawaii kodomo wo umu = to give birth to a cute baby
3) 生まれる(or 産まれる）= umareru = to be born Ex. マギーは９月に生まれた。Maggie wa kugatsu ni umareta = Maggie was born in September.
4) 生きる= ikiru = to live, to alive Ex. 生きる喜び= ikiru yorokobi = a pleasure to live
5)生える= haeru = to grow Ex. 木が生える= kiga haeru = the tree grows Ex. 歯が生える= haga haeru = the tooth (teeth) grow(s)
★on reading
6) 生= sei = life Ex. 生活= せいかつ= seikatsu = life Ex. 学生= gakusei = student Ex. 生徒= seito= student, 先生= sensei= teacher
7) 生 = jou Ex. 誕生日= tanjoubi = birthday
8) 生= ki = pure, fresh Ex. 生じょうゆ= kijouyu = pure soy sauce
There are more but I think it should be enough for now.
わぁ～！本当にありがとう！！！
でわ、あきも９月に生まれた。＾＾
@Aki
そうなの？Akiも私と同じ９月生まれなのね〜！一緒（いっしょ）だね。なんか、嬉（うれ）しい！
Wow! Super useful! Great job! Thank you very much!
どうもありがとうございます。
@Deja
Hi Deja! (Your name sounds familiar. Are you the one who follows me on Twitter?) Anyway I am happy to hear it is useful!
あっ、私は最近忙しすぎてリクエストに返事してくれたのは見ませんでした！（それにメールが”spam”として受信したんです^^;)
本当にありがとうございました！はっきり説明してとっても勉強になりましたよ！
@Harin
Harinさんの為に作ったからレッスンをやっと見てもらえてよかった〜！！
是非、練習してみて下さいね。
hi maggie, im so happy i came across your website…very helpful.. i have a new japanese friend and he is learning my local dialect..i want to learn japanese too, so its easy for him to understand…can you please post some helpful phrases for friends who gives special attention to each other? thanks maggie…
@Jing
Hi, Jing!! Thank you for visiting this site.
OK, I want you to be more specific about “special attentio”, though. Are there any particular phrases that you want to learn?
And do you know any Japanese?
sou? atashi wa hontouni “lovely”? arigatou sensei :)
@Aki
も*ち*ろ*ん！！(*´∇｀*)
役に立つレッスンです。分かりやすい説明してくれてありがとうございます。じゃ、「～たら」の文を作ってみますーよいしょ！規則的にマギー先生のレッスンから勉強したら、日本語がじょうずになります。ところで、アンディニさんと同意します。
122.27.111.145
2011/02/18 at 12:09 am | In reply to デイヴィッド.
@デイヴィッド
わあ、ありがとう！！ さっそく”~たら”の文章作りましたね。またちょくちょくこのサイトに来てくれたらうれしいです。
I really like the way you use colorful fonts, cute 絵文字, and highlights. Thank you for such a great explanation about -tara. Now I know how to explain about the verb conjugation in case anyone asks.I mean I can use -tara but I’ forgot the theory. ;)
@Andini
Hi Andini!! Thank you for checking the lesson. You are sooo quick! I am happy to hear you like my “colorful” lessons! !happyface!