Lesson 9
Conditionals
- 1 〜ば〜ほど ~ba ~hodo the more ~, the more ~ As one goes up, so does the other — two things moving together.
- 2 〜さえ〜ば ~sae ~ba if only ~ Nothing else is needed, just this — putting the weight on one condition.
- 3 〜ては ~te wa if ~, that's bad Do that and something bad follows — a warning condition.
- 4 〜としたら・とすれば ~to shitara / to sureba supposing that "Suppose that were so…" — thinking through a hypothetical.
- 5 たとえ〜ても tatoe ~te mo even if Whatever happens, the decision stands — the pattern for resolve.
- 6 いくら／どんなに〜ても ikura / donna ni ~te mo no matter how much However much you do it, nothing changes — resignation, or resolve.
Lesson check
All 6 forms of this lesson together — pick the right one from its look-alikes, the way the exam does. 6/8 completes the lesson.
🔒
「日本語は、練習＿、どんどん上手になる。」 — fill the blank.
💡 Hint:As one goes up, so does the other.
Vば＋dictionary form＋ほど = 'the more ~, the more ~'. しては is for bad results, and しても ('even if') doesn't fit getting steadily better.
「お金＿あれば、国に帰れるのに。」 — fill the blank.
💡 Hint:Nothing else is needed — just this.
N＋さえ＋Vば = 'if only I had ~'. None of the other three can sit between a noun and あれば.
「毎日そんなに夜遅くまで起きてい＿、体をこわすよ。」 — fill the blank.
💡 Hint:A warning — a bad result follows.
Vて＋は = 'if you do that, (something bad follows)' — a warning. ても means 'even if', not a warning condition; ほど and さえ can't attach to 起きてい like this.
「もし1億円あった＿、何をしたい？」 — fill the blank.
💡 Hint:A 'suppose…' daydream.
〜としたら = 'supposing ~' (a hypothetical). ては leads to a bad result, and さえ / ほど don't fit here.
「たとえ雨が＿、明日の試合はやります。」 — fill the blank.
💡 Hint:The form that pairs with たとえ.
たとえ〜ても = 'even if ~'. たとえ doesn't pair with ば, ては or としたら.
「いくら＿、お金が貯まらない。」 — fill the blank.
💡 Hint:However much you do it, nothing comes of it.
いくら〜ても = 'no matter how much ~'. いくら with ば doesn't give that meaning, and ては is a warning.
Which is unnatural?
💡 Hint:How does an い-adjective make its ても form?
An い-adjective drops い and adds くても: 高くても. でも is only for な-adjectives and nouns.
「毎日練習し＿すれば、必ず上手になる。」 — fill the blank.
💡 Hint:The weight of 'just doing this is enough'.
Vます＋さえすれば = 'as long as you just ~'. ほど, ては and たとえ can't go between the stem and すれば.
Your score: /8