form N4 essential casualpolitewritten
The ば conditional — if / whenever
ば形
Meaning
- the provisional if ~ form — a general or hypothetical condition and its natural result
Key sentence
安ければ、買います。
If it's cheap, I'll buy it.
Formation
| Attaches to | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Godan | う-row → え-row + ば | 行く → 行けば |
| Ichidan | drop る + れば | 食べる → 食べれば |
| Irregular | する → すれば、来る → 来れば | する → すれば |
| i-adjective | 〜い → 〜ければ | 高い → 高ければ |
| Negative ない | 〜ない → 〜なければ | 行かない → 行かなければ |
When: General/hypothetical conditions and natural consequences; common in advice, proverbs, and 〜ば〜ほど.
Examples
毎日練習すれば、上手になる。
If you practice every day, you'll get good.
このボタンを押せば、ドアが開く。
If you press this button, the door opens.
natural consequence
時間がなければ、行かなくてもいい。
If you don't have time, you don't have to go.
negative condition
値段が高ければ買わない。
If the price is high, I won't buy it.
i-adjective
考えれば考えるほど、分からなくなる。
The more I think about it, the less I understand.
〜ば〜ほど pattern
When you can't use it
- When the result clause is a command, request, or invitation, ば is often unnatural — use たら instead (×食べれば電話してください → 食べたら電話してください).
Easily confused with
Notes
- The 〜ば〜ほど construction ('the more ~, the more ~') is built directly on this form.
See ば形 in real sentences
Jengo shows ば形 the way you actually meet it: inside real Japanese sentences, so it sticks instead of staying an abstract rule.
Study it in Jengo