conditional N2 uncommon casualpolitewritten

たりしたら — if

たりしたら

Builds on た形

Meaning

if (for example) ~ were to happen — raises one representative hypothetical case, often an undesirable one, as an example of the kind of thing that might occur

Key sentence

道みちに迷まよったりしたら、すぐに電話でんわしてください。

If you happen to get lost or anything, call me right away.

Formation

Attaches to	Form	Example
Verb た-form + り	V-た + り + したら（= 〜たりする + たら）	忘わすれたりしたら / 失敗しっぱいしたりしたら

When: The たり softens the condition to 'something like ~', presenting it as one example among possible cases; common when raising a worry or precaution.

Examples

熱ねつが出でたりしたら、無理むりせず休やすんでください。

If you happen to run a fever or the like, don't push yourself — rest.

もし壊こわれたりしたら、すぐ知しらせてね。

If it breaks or anything, let me know right away.

Easily confused with

〜たら plain たら poses a straightforward 'if/when ~'; たりしたら adds たり to soften it to 'if something like ~', presenting the case as just one example and often hedging a worry.

Notes

The たり here is the same 'representative example' たり as in 〜たり〜たりする, frozen before したら. It also appears as 〜たりすると.

See たりしたら in real sentences

Jengo shows たりしたら the way you actually meet it: inside real Japanese sentences, so it sticks instead of staying an abstract rule.

Study it in Jengo

Sources Compiled with reference to A Dictionary of Advanced Japanese Grammar.

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