Meaning & Usage
✨ Basic Meaning
‘If’, ‘as for’, or ‘in that case’. It is used to express a condition based on a statement or situation provided by the listener or the context.
🎯 Primary Function
To provide suggestions, advice, or reactions based on a specific premise or information shared by others.
📋 Grammar Structure
Verb (plain form) + なら
い-adjective (plain form) + なら
な-adjective (stem) + なら
Plain negative form + なら
🎭 Usage Contexts
Formal Situations
Used in polite advice or when discussing conditions in business contexts.
Informal Situations
Extremely common in daily conversation when reacting to what a friend just said.
Written Language
Used in advice columns, instruction manuals, or conditional logic in writing.
Spoken Language
Very common; often used to pivot a conversation based on what was just mentioned.
💡 Common Applications
Contextual Advice
Giving a recommendation based on someone’s stated intention.
Example: 京都に行くなら、新幹線が便利ですよ。 (If you go to Kyoto, the Shinkansen is convenient.)
Topic Picking (Selection)
Singling out one item from a group to provide a specific opinion.
Example: お茶なら、あのお店が一番です。 (As for tea, that shop is the best.)
Supposition based on info
Drawing a conclusion based on information just received.
Example: 明日が雨なら、試合は中止です。 (If it’s rain tomorrow [as predicted], the match is cancelled.)
Frequency
High
Difficulty
JLPT N4
Tag:
Example Sentences
Example #1
明日、雨なら、家で休みます。
Furigana: あした、あめなら、いえでやすみます。
Romaji: Ashita, ame nara, ie de yasumimasu.
English: If it rains tomorrow, I’ll rest at home.
Example #2
パソコンを買うなら、秋葉原がいいですよ。
Furigana: パソコンをかうなら、あきはばらがいいですよ。
Romaji: Pasokon o kau nara, Akihabara ga ii desu yo.
English: If you’re going to buy a computer, Akihabara is good.
Example #3
日本へ行くなら、春が一番いいです。
Furigana: にほんへいくなら、はるがいちばんいいです。
Romaji: Nihon e iku nara, haru ga ichiban ii desu.
English: If you are going to Japan, spring is the best time.
Example #4
暇なら、映画を見に行きませんか。
Furigana: ひまなら、えいがをみにいきませんか。
Romaji: Hima nara, eiga o mi ni ikimasen ka.
English: If you’re free, why don’t we go see a movie?
Example #5
難しいなら、先生に聞いてください。
Furigana: むずかしいなら、せんせいにきいてください。
Romaji: Muzukashii nara, sensei ni kiite kudasai.
English: If it is difficult, please ask the teacher.
Example #6
魚が嫌いなら、肉を食べましょう。
Furigana: さかながきらいなら、にくをたべましょう。
Romaji: Sakana ga kirai nara, niku o tabemashou.
English: If you dislike fish, let’s eat meat instead.
Example #7
薬を飲むなら、水で飲んでください。
Furigana: くすりをのむなら、みずでのんでください。
Romaji: Kusuri o nomu nara, mizu de nonde kudasai.
English: If you take medicine, please take it with water.
Example #8
彼に会うなら、よろしく伝えてください。
Furigana: かれにあうなら、よろしくつたえてください。
Romaji: Kare ni au nara, yoroshiku tsutaete kudasai.
English: If you see him, please give him my regards.
Example #9
行かないなら、チケットはいりません。
Furigana: いかないなら、チケットはいりません。
Romaji: Ikanai nara, chiketto wa irimasen.
English: If you aren’t going, I don’t need a ticket.
Example #10
分からないなら、辞書を引いてください。
Furigana: わからないなら、じしょをひいてください。
Romaji: Wakaranai nara, jisho o hiite kudasai.
English: If you don’t understand, please look it up in a dictionary.
Notes & Nuances
📌 Important Points
Reverse Chronology
The ‘result’ (buying tickets) happens BEFORE the ‘condition’ (watching the movie). This is a unique feature of なら compared to ～たら.
Example: 映画を見るなら、チケットを買いましょう。 (If [you are planning to] watch a movie, let’s buy tickets.)
Contextual Condition
The condition is usually something the speaker has just learned or is considering.
Example: 安いなら買います。 (If it’s cheap, I’ll buy it.)
⚠️ Common Mistakes
❌ 日本に着くなら、電話してください。
✅ 日本に着いたら、電話してください。
Nara is used for things that haven’t happened yet or conditions based on context. To say ‘After you arrive’, use ~tara.
🏛️ Cultural Context
Politeness Level: Neutral to polite. Adding ‘desu’ after ‘nara’ (nara desu) is rare; usually, the sentence ends with a polite verb form.
Social Situations: Commonly used when someone asks for an opinion or shares a plan. It shows you are listening and responding to their specific context.
Regional Variations: In Kansai dialect, ‘nara’ is sometimes shortened to ‘na’.
🔍 Subtle Differences
なら vs ～たら (tara)
～たら implies a chronological order (A happens, then B). なら focuses on the premise (If A is true/your plan, then B).
When to use: Use なら for advice based on the listener’s plans. Use ～たら for ‘When/After’ sequences.
なら vs ～と (to)
～と describes natural consequences or habits. なら describes a specific contextual condition.
When to use: Use ～と for ‘If you push this button, the light turns on’. Use なら for ‘If you want to turn on the light, push this’.
📝 Conjugation Notes
For Nouns and Na-adjectives, do NOT add ‘da’ before ‘nara’. It is simply Noun + なら or Na-adj stem + なら.
🔊 Pronunciation Tips
Keep the ‘nara’ short and light. Don’t stress the ‘ra’ too much.
🧠 Memory Tips
Think of ‘nara’ as ‘If that’s the case…’. It often picks up a topic someone else just dropped.
Other Grammar
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