「たら」- Expressing Hypothetical Conditions

Explanation

〜たら is used to express hypothetical conditions, describing the result that will occur if a certain condition is met.

Grammar Pattern

Grammar Point	Connection	Explanation
〜たら	Verb in た-form + ら	Used to indicate that after the preceding action or state is completed, the following action or state will occur.
〜たら	い-Adjective stem + かったら	Used to indicate that after the preceding state is completed, the following action or state will occur.
〜たら	な-Adjective stem + だったら	Used to indicate that after the preceding state is completed, the following action or state will occur.
〜たら	Noun + だったら	Used to indicate that after the preceding state is completed, the following action or state will occur.

Deep Dive

〜たら is not only used for future hypothetical conditions but can also describe past hypotheticals and general assumptions. Its usage is highly flexible and adaptable to various contexts.

Future Hypothetical

• 明日あした雨あめが降ふったら、試合しあいは中止ちゅうしになります。
• Ashita ame ga futtara, shiai wa chuushi ni narimasu.
• If it rains tomorrow, the match will be canceled.
  

Past Hypothetical

• もしもあの時とき、彼かれに会あったら、今いまの私わたしは違ちがう人生じんせいを歩あゆんでいたかもしれません。
• Moshimo ano toki, kare ni attara, ima no watashi wa chigau jinsei o ayundeita kamoshiremasen.
• If I had met him back then, I might be living a different life now.
  

General Hypothetical

• もし私わたしが社長しゃちょうだったら、会社かいしゃの方針ほうしんを変かえます。
• Moshi watashi ga shachou dattara, kaisha no houshin o kaemasu.
• If I were the president, I would change the company's policy.
  

Real-Life Scenarios

Here are some examples of real-life conversations:

• 彼かれが来きたら、パーティーぱーてぃーを始はじめましょう。
• Kare ga kitara, paatii o hajimemashou.
• Let's start the party once he arrives.
  

• 昼ご飯ひるごはんを食たべたら、図書館としょかんに行いきます。
• Hirugohan o tabetara, toshokan ni ikimasu.
• After eating lunch, I'll go to the library.
  

Summary

〜たら is a highly flexible way to express hypothetical conditions. It can be used for future, past, and general assumptions, and it is important to distinguish it from similar grammar points.

 

 

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〜たら - Expressing Unexpected Results

Explanation

〜たら is used to express that if a certain action or state occurs, the result is unexpected or different from what was anticipated. It often carries a tone of surprise or unexpectedness.

Grammar Pattern

Grammar Point	Connection	Explanation
〜たら	Past tense of verbs (た形) / Past tense of い-adjectives (かった形) / Past tense of nouns (だった形) + ら	Expresses a hypothetical condition, emphasizing an unexpected result.

Deep Dive

〜たら is not only used in everyday conversations but also in complex sentence structures. It is often used to express a hypothetical situation where the result is unexpected. This expression is very common in Japanese, especially when describing unexpected discoveries or sudden situations.

Examples

• ドアどあを開あけたら、猫ねこがいた。
• Doa o aketara, neko ga ita.
• When I opened the door, there was a cat.
  

• 天気てんきがいいと思おもったら、突然とつぜん雨あめが降ふってきた。
• Tenki ga ii to omottara, totsuzen ame ga futte kita.
• I thought the weather was nice, but suddenly it started raining.
  

• 彼かれに電話でんわしたら、もう出でかけていた。
• Kare ni denwa shitara, mou dekakete ita.
• When I called him, he had already left.
  

Comparison and Differences

• Difference between “〜たら” and “〜ば”:

  • 〜たら is used to express unexpected results, while 〜ば is more neutral, emphasizing the cause-and-effect relationship between the condition and the result.
  • Examples:
    • 彼かれに会あったら、話はなしましょう。
    • Kare ni attara, hanashimashou.
    • If I see him, let's talk. (Unexpected discovery)
      
    • 彼かれに会あえば、話はなしましょう。
    • Kare ni aeba, hanashimashou.
    • If I see him, let's talk. (Conditional relationship)
      

• Difference between “〜たら” and “〜なら”:

  • 〜なら is used to express hypothetical possibilities, while 〜たら emphasizes a specific hypothesis and its unexpected result.
  • Examples:
    • 時間じかんがあったら、映画えいがを見みましょう。
    • Jikan ga attara, eiga o mimashou.
    • If we have time, let's watch a movie. (Specific hypothesis)
      
    • 時間じかんがあるなら、映画えいがを見みましょう。
    • Jikan ga aru nara, eiga o mimashou.
    • If we have time, let's watch a movie. (Possibility)
      

Real-Life Scenarios

Here are some real-life conversation scenarios using 〜たら to express unexpected results:

Conversation 1:

• A: 昨日きのう、どこへ行いったの？
• A: Kinou, doko e itta no?
• Where did you go yesterday?
  

• B: 公園こうえんに行いったら、友達ともだちに会あったよ。
• B: Kouen ni ittara, tomodachi ni atta yo.
• I went to the park and unexpectedly met a friend.
  

Conversation 2:

• A: 新あたらしいレストランれすとらんに行いった？
• A: Atarashii resutoran ni itta?
• Did you go to the new restaurant?
  

• B: うん、行いったらすごく混こんんでいた。
• B: Un, ittara sugoku konde ita.
• Yes, when I went, it was really crowded.
  

Summary

〜たら is used to express hypothetical conditions with unexpected results, helping to describe surprising situations and enriching everyday conversations.