connective N3 common casualpolitewritten
〜も〜ば〜も — both ~ and ~
〜も〜ば〜も ・ も〜ば〜も
Builds on ば形
Meaning
- both ~ and ~ / what's more, ~ as well — lists two parallel items as joint evidence for one overall judgment
Key sentence
彼は頭もよければ、性格もいい。
He's both smart and good-natured.
Formation
| Attaches to | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun も + verb/adjective (ば-conditional) + Noun も + predicate | A も〜ば、B も〜 | 歌も歌えば、踊りもする |
When: The two listed items point in the same direction, building up to a single conclusion (all-good, or all-bad).
Examples
あの店は値段も安ければ、味もいい。
That shop is both cheap and tasty.
彼女は英語も話せば、中国語も話せる。
She speaks both English and Chinese.
When you can't use it
- The middle predicate must be in ば-form (よければ, 話せば); it's a fixed frame, not free conjugation. Both halves carry も to mark the parallel items.
Easily confused with
〜も〜も も〜も simply pairs two items 'both A and B' (コーヒーも紅茶も好き); も〜ば〜も adds the ば-clause structure to *build a case* — 'A is the case, and what's more, B too', listing them as cumulative grounds. 〜し し stacks reasons 'and what's more' across separate clauses (安いし、おいしい); も〜ば〜も is a tighter parallel frame highlighting two matched items of the same kind.
See 〜も〜ば〜も in real sentences
Jengo shows 〜も〜ば〜も 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.