と, ば, たら, and なら all make conditions, but they frame the condition differently. と often links a trigger to a predictable result or a discovery. ば presents a hypothetical condition; たら works broadly for “if” or “when,” including requests. なら takes a proposition or plan as a premise, so the main action may occur before the proposed event.
whenever · if · when / if · if that's the case
Sentences
6 sentences, word by word
と — the same result every time
polite
、。
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春
はる ［1］
spring
noun · 春になる is how a season arrives
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に
に
into
particle · marks what something turns into
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なる
なる ［1］
to become
godan verb · the change happens on its own
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と
と
whenever; when
conditional と · the result follows automatically, every single time
〜とN4whenever
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桜
さくら ［0］
cherry blossom
noun · the tree and the flower both
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が
が
marks the subject
particle · what the sentence is about — with 好き, 分かる and potentials, the object
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咲きます
さきます
bloom
polite of 咲く · only flowers 咲く
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When spring comes, the cherry trees bloom.
と — how directions are given
polite
、。
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右
みぎ ［0］
right (direction)
noun · the opposite is 左
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に
に
to (a direction)
particle · marks the way you turn
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曲がる
まがる ［0］
to turn
godan verb · intransitive; 曲げる is the transitive twin
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と
と
and then
conditional と · the standard grammar of giving directions
〜とN4and then
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駅
えき ［1］
station
noun · 駅前 is “in front of the station”
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が
が
marks the subject
particle · what the sentence is about — with 好き, 分かる and potentials, the object
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あります
あります
there is
polite of ある · for things that don't move by themselves
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Turn right and the station is there.
ば — a general condition
polite
。
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安ければ
やすければ
if it's cheap
ば-form of 安い · the final い becomes ければ
〜ばN4if
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買います
かいます
will buy
polite of 買う · 買 contains 貝, an old shell coin
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I'll buy it if it's cheap.
たら — a request follows
polite
、。
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駅
えき ［1］
station
noun · the same word as the sentence above
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に
に
at (arrival point)
particle · 着く always takes に, never を
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着いたら
ついたら
once you arrive
plain past 着いた ＋ ら · the everyday when/if
〜たらN4when; if
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電話して
でんわして
call; phone
て-form of 電話する
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ください
ください
please (do)
polite request · from くださる
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Call me when you get to the station.
なら — answering what was just said
polite
、。
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京都
きょうと ［1］
Kyoto
place name · 京 capital + 都 capital, twice over
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に
に
to; at; into
particle · a point something reaches — a place, a time, a person, or a state
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行く
いく ［0］
to go
godan verb · irregular て-form 行って
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なら
なら
if that's the case
conditional なら · picks up what the other person just told you
〜ならN4if that's the case
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清水寺
きよみずでら
Kiyomizu-dera
place name · a temple in eastern Kyoto
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が
が
marks the subject
particle · what the sentence is about — with 好き, 分かる and potentials, the object
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おすすめ
おすすめ
a recommendation
noun · from 勧める, usually left in kana
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です
です
is
polite copula · closes a sentence that ends in a noun
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If you're going to Kyoto, I'd recommend Kiyomizu-dera.
たら — a one-off in the past
plain
、。
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窓
まど ［1］
window
noun · 窓を開ける is the standard pair
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を
を
marks the direct object
particle · pronounced お
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開けたら
あけたら
when I opened
plain past 開けた ＋ ら · the everyday conditional for a single past event
〜たらN4when (past)
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猫
ねこ ［1］
cat
noun · counted with 匹
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が
が
marks the surprise
particle · brand-new information takes が, not は
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入ってきた
はいってきた
came in
て-form of 入る ＋ きた · movement towards the speaker
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When I opened the window, a cat came in.
Structure
How do you form と, ば, たら and なら?
Verb［dictionary］＋と
春になると桜が咲く. The same cause, the same result, every time. No requests or commands after it.
Verb［え-row］＋ば
行く→行けば, 安い→安ければ. Change the final う-sound to え and add ば. General, usually hypothetical.
Verb［た］＋ら
着いた→着いたら. Take the plain past and add ら. The most flexible, and fine before a request.
Plain form／Noun＋なら
京都に行くなら. Treats the clause as a supposition — very often one just raised in conversation, but 明日雨なら中止です raises its own. No だ in between.
Meaning
What's the difference between と, ば, たら and なら?
と is the automatic one.春になると、桜が咲きます — spring arrives, blossom follows, and it has never once failed to. This is why directions in Japanese often use と: 右に曲がると、駅があります. The catch is that nothing you ask of someone is automatic, so と can't be followed by a request, a command, or an invitation.
ば is the hypothetical one.安ければ買います — if it's cheap, I'll buy it. It deals in general conditions rather than particular events, which is why it turns up in proverbs and in advice. It's also the least comfortable with a single thing that happened once.
たら is the everyday one. It covers “when” and “if”, past and future, and unlike と it is happy before a request: 駅に着いたら、電話してください. It can also report a one-off surprise in the past — 窓を開けたら、猫が入ってきた — where ば cannot follow. と manages this one in a narrative register: 窓を開けると、猫が入ってきた.
なら supposes. It takes the clause in front of it as a premise — supposing this is so — without claiming it will happen or pinning it to a point on a timeline. That is what makes it so good at picking things up: 京都に行くなら、清水寺がおすすめです answers a plan you have just been told. But it raises brand-new conditions just as freely — 明日雨なら、試合は中止です responds to nothing at all, and もし時間があるなら takes もし like any other conditional. What is genuinely unique to it is the timing: なら readily allows its main clause to happen before the condition.
Watch out
Where does this go wrong?
A request after と
駅に着くと電話してください is wrong. と says the result follows automatically, and a request isn't automatic. Anything you're asking someone to do wants たら.
ば for a one-off past event
窓を開ければ猫が入ってきた doesn't work. ば deals in general conditions. A single thing that happened once, in the past, needs たら — or と in a narrative register.
たら and なら in the wrong order
日本に行ったらビザを取る has you arriving first and sorting the visa afterwards. 日本に行くならビザを取る has it the right way round — なら is the one conditional that lets the main clause happen first.
Also asked
Questions people ask about と, ば, たら and なら
Which conditional is safest if I'm not sure?
たら. It covers when, if, past and future, and it's the only one that's comfortable before a request. Its one weakness is stating a general truth, where と is cleaner.
Is と ever “if”?
In the sense of an unavoidable outcome, yes: 押さないと開きません, “it won't open unless you push.” But と never introduces a request, a command, an invitation or a wish.
How do I make the ば-form?
Verbs: change the final う-sound to え and add ば — 行く→行けば, 食べる→食べれば. い-adjectives: swap い for ければ. Nouns and な-adjectives use なら instead.
Can なら follow a noun directly?
Yes, and it's the most common use: 日本語なら任せて, “if it's Japanese you need, leave it to me.” No だ in between.
What is 〜たらどう?
A suggestion. 休んだらどう？ is “why not take a break?” It's たら with the rest of the sentence left hanging, which is exactly what makes it soft.
Do all four work for hypotheticals?
もし raises the flag, and たら, ば and なら all take it: もし宝くじが当たったら, もし時間があるなら. と is the awkward one — it handles a hypothetical consequence perfectly well (早く行かないと遅れるよ), but it sits badly with もし and refuses any main clause that asks something of the listener.
Does なら always respond to something already said?
No. That is its most common use, not a requirement, and treating it as one is a widespread misreading. 明日雨なら、試合は中止です introduces its condition from nothing; 私なら、そうはしない supposes a position rather than answering a remark. What なら always does is treat the clause as a supposition rather than a scheduled event — which is both why it suits picking things up, and why its main clause can come first in time.
