conditional N3 common casualpolitewritten
〜でなければ — if it is not ~ / unless it is ~
〜でなければ ・ でなければ
Builds on である
Meaning
- unless it is ~ / if it is not ~ — the negative copula on a ば conditional (neutral)
Key sentence
会員でなければ、中に入れません。
If you're not a member, you can't go inside.
Formation
| Attaches to | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun / na-adjective | N / na-adj + でなければ | 無料 → 無料でなければ |
Examples
新鮮でなければ、刺身にはできない。
Unless it's fresh, you can't use it for sashimi.
彼でなければ、この問題は解けないだろう。
If it's not him, this problem probably can't be solved.
簡単でなければ、子どもには難しい。
Unless it's simple, it's hard for children.
Easily confused with
Notes
- Casual speech contracts でなければ to でなきゃ (会員でなきゃ入れない), parallel to なければ → なきゃ.
See 〜でなければ in real sentences
Jengo shows 〜でなければ the way you actually meet it: inside real Japanese sentences, so it sticks instead of staying an abstract rule.
Study it in JengoSources Compiled with reference to A Dictionary of Advanced Japanese Grammar.