conditional N4 essential casualpolitewritten
なければ — if not ~
なければ
Builds on ない形
Meaning
- if ~ not / unless ~ — the negative conditional (the ば-conditional built on the ない-form)
Key sentence
急がなければ、電車に間に合わない。
If we don't hurry, we won't make the train.
Formation
| Attaches to | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Verb (ない-form, drop い) | V-なけれ + ば | 行く → 行かない → 行かなければ |
| i-adjective (drop い) | A-くなければ | 高い → 高くなければ |
| Noun / na-adjective | N/na-adj + でなければ | 静か → 静かでなければ |
Variants
なきゃ — casual contraction of なければ: 急がなきゃ.
Examples
予約しなければ、店に入れません。
Unless you make a reservation, you can't get into the restaurant.
安くなければ買いません。
If it's not cheap, I won't buy it.
本物でなければ、意味がない。
If it isn't the real thing, there's no point.
Easily confused with
Notes
- The 'must' forms are just なければ + a negative tail (ならない / いけない). In casual speech that tail is dropped, so なきゃ on its own already means 'I've gotta ~': もう行かなきゃ ('I have to go now').
See なければ in real sentences
Jengo shows 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.