～なら

How to form it

• Verb / い-adjective (plain form) + なら
• な-adjective (stem) / Noun + なら
• Also written ～ならば (formal)

Register: Neutral

Explanation

Takes a situation as given (from the listener or the context) and gives advice or comments on it.

It often responds to what someone has just said: 日本へ行くなら、京都がいいですよ. The main clause is often advice or a suggestion.

Examples

1. 日本へ行くなら、京都がおすすめです。

   にほんへいくなら、きょうとがおすすめです。

   If you're going to Japan, I recommend Kyoto.

2. 安いなら、私も買いたい。

   やすいなら、わたしもかいたい。

   If it's cheap, I want to buy it too.

3. 寿司なら、駅の前の店がおいしい。

   すしなら、えきのまえのみせがおいしい。

   If it's sushi you're after, the shop in front of the station is good.

4. 暇なら、手伝ってくれませんか。

   ひまなら、てつだってくれませんか。

   If you're free, could you help me?

Compare with

• ～ば: ～ば is a general condition.
• ～たら: ～たら is a condition or completed event.

Common mistakes

• Adding だ before なら (安いだなら).
• Using ～なら for an event that is the cause of a result (use ～ば or ～と).