conditional N4 essential casualpolitewritten
〜と — natural / inevitable result
〜と ・ と
Meaning
- whenever / when / if X, (then) Y — Y follows X automatically, as a natural or repeating consequence
Key sentence
春になると、桜が咲く。
When spring comes, the cherry trees bloom.
Formation
| Attaches to | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Verb / adjective (plain non-past) | dictionary form + と (always non-past before と) | 押す → 押すと |
Examples
このボタンを押すと、ドアが開く。
If you press this button, the door opens.
automatic mechanism
まっすぐ行くと、右に駅がある。
If you go straight, the station is on your right.
directions / inevitable result
When you can't use it
- The main clause cannot be a command, request, invitation, or wish — と is only for automatic or inevitable outcomes. For 'when you arrive, call me' you must use たら/ば, not ×着くと電話してください.
Easily confused with
たら と demands an automatic/repeating result and bans commands in the main clause; たら is the flexible everyday 'if/when' that freely allows requests and intentions. 〜ば Both express general cause-effect, but と stresses an inevitable, every-time result (押すと開く); ば frames a more hypothetical condition (安ければ買う). なら と reports an objective automatic result; なら responds to something just raised ('if that's the case…') and never expresses an automatic outcome.
Compare と・ば・たら・なら side by side →
Notes
- Because と reads as 'every time', it's the natural choice for directions, machine operation, and habitual cause-effect.
See 〜と in real sentences
Jengo shows 〜と 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.