conditional N4 essential casualpolitewritten
たら — the general 'if / when'
たら
Builds on た形
Meaning
- if / when ~ — the most general, conversational conditional: 'once X happens, then Y'
Key sentence
駅に着いたら、電話してください。
When you get to the station, please call me.
Formation
| Attaches to | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Verb / adjective / noun (past base) | た-form + ら | 食べた → 食べたら; 高い → 高かったら; 学生だ → 学生だったら |
Examples
雨が降ったら、試合は中止だ。
If it rains, the match is cancelled.
宝くじが当たったら、家を買いたい。
If I win the lottery, I want to buy a house.
When you can't use it
- たら is the least restricted conditional — the main clause can be a command, request, wish, or plan (着いたら電話して ✓). This freedom is exactly what と lacks.
Easily confused with
〜と たら allows commands and intentions in the main clause; と does not — と is only for automatic results. 〜ば たら leans concrete and sequential ('once this specific thing happens, then…'); ば leans hypothetical or general ('whenever / if it were the case that…'). なら たら puts the condition first in time (X happens, then Y). なら responds to a supposition and can even reverse the order (買うなら先にお金を貸す — lend money before the buying).
Compare と・ば・たら・なら side by side →
Notes
- たら very often means plain 'when' for a single future event, not just 'if': 春になったら花見に行こう.
See たら in real sentences
Jengo shows たら 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 Basic Japanese Grammar, A Dictionary of Intermediate Japanese Grammar.