Conditional ば

Learn the conditional ば and how it expresses hypothetical conditions, especially in judgments and general statements.

Form the ば conditional for verbs and adjectives.Understand how ば differs in tone from たら, なら, and と.Use ば naturally for hypothetical conditions, advice, and general results.

Guided study

Core idea

The ば conditional means 'if' and often sounds more formal or general than たら. It is common in advice, logical statements, and written explanation.

時間があれば、手伝います。

If I have time, I will help.

ば sounds general and hypothetical here.

安ければ、買います。

If it is cheap, I will buy it.

い-adjective + ければ is the standard conditional form.

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