なら
Meaning
If (it is the case that) A… / If you're talking about A… / As for A… — used to give advice, an opinion, a suggestion or a decision based on a topic or situation that the listener or context has just raised.
Conjugation
(A)V (plain form: Vる / Vない / Vた / Vなかった) + なら: (A)い-Adj (plain form: い / くない / かった / くなかった) + なら
Examples
Show translation
成田空港まで行くなら、京成線が安くて便利ですよ。
アメリカに留学するつもりなら、英語をしっかり勉強し直したほうがいいよ。
もう食べたなら、無理に食べなくていいよ。
明日雨なら、ピクニックは来週にしましょう。
君が洗濯するなら、私はアイロンをかけるよ。
京都なら、秋がいちばんきれいですよ。
grammarDetailPage.commonMistakes.title
grammarDetailPage.commonMistakes.wrong: 明日雨だなら、行きません。
grammarDetailPage.commonMistakes.correct: 明日雨なら、行きません。
grammarDetailPage.commonMistakes.why: Nouns and na-adjectives connect directly to なら. Do not insert だ.
grammarDetailPage.commonMistakes.wrong: 駅に着くなら、電話してください。(meaning: when you arrive, call me)
grammarDetailPage.commonMistakes.correct: 駅に着いたら、電話してください。
grammarDetailPage.commonMistakes.why: なら takes a premise already given or assumed. For 'when/after something happens, do B' in sequence, use たら.
grammarDetailPage.commonMistakes.wrong: 静かだなら、ここに住みたいです。
grammarDetailPage.commonMistakes.correct: 静かなら、ここに住みたいです。
grammarDetailPage.commonMistakes.why: A na-adjective uses its stem plus なら, with no だ.
Key points
Use it when responding to something the other person said or to a situation already known: 'if that's the case / if it's X you're talking about, then…'. The main clause is usually advice, a suggestion, a request or a decision. Nouns and na-adjectives take なら directly (雨なら, not 雨だなら), and the more formal ならば is common in writing.
Unlike たら, which can express a condition followed by a subsequent event, なら presents A as an assumed or contextually given premise. Therefore, the action in the main clause can take place before A happens (e.g. 行くなら、予約したほうがいい). The conditional ば also expresses conditions, but unlike なら, it does not specifically emphasize responding to a previously raised topic or situation.
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