conditional N3 common casualpolitewritten
〜さえ〜ば — if only ~
〜さえ〜ば ・ さえば
Builds on ば形
Meaning
- if only ~ / as long as ~ — names the single sufficient condition that is all the result requires
Key sentence
お金さえあれば、何でも買える。
If only you have money, you can buy anything.
Formation
| Attaches to | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun + さえ + verb(ば); verb-stem + さえすれば; i-adj-く + さえあれば | N さえ V(ば) / V(stem) さえ すれば | 練習さえすれば / 元気でさえあれば |
Examples
天気さえよければ、明日は登山に行ける。
As long as the weather's good, we can go hiking tomorrow.
ボタンを押しさえすれば、自動で始まる。
You only have to press the button and it starts automatically.
Easily confused with
See 〜さえ〜ば in real sentences
Jengo shows 〜さえ〜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 from published Japanese grammar references.