ば (ba) Meaning Japanese Grammar - If

The suffix ば (ba) is used in Japanese to form the conditional and the hypothetical sentence, which in many languages is introduced by the conjunction if.

ば varies its form depending on whether it is used with a verb, noun or adjective.

In this post we learn more about the meaning of ば, how it is formed, when ば is used and how it is modified according to the grammatical element to which it is joined.

How and when ば is used

The hypothetical sentence in Japanese is translated in various ways.

Let's see in this post:

• ば and れば suffixes added to verbs;
• ければ with い adjectives;
• and なら or ならば following nouns and な adjectives.

The structure follows the order:

• the hypothetical sentence A introduced by the conjunction if and
• the sentence B, a direct consequence of A

If A happens , B occurs.

How ば is formed

ば and れば as we anticipated, are suffixes joined to the verb base.

Example with the Ichidan Verb: 決める decide

Example with the Godan Verb: 押(お)す push, whose Base in え or B4 is 押(お)せ

We have translated the sentence literally to emphasise the hypothetical if but it can be translated:

⇨ Press this button and hot water will come out.

Irregular verbs:

• する do becomes すれば
• 来(く)る come becomes 来(く)れば

暑(あつ)い is an い Adjective and means hot, warm

暑(あつ)い means hot referring to the weather conditions and opposite to 寒(さむ)い cold; 熱い with the same pronunciation means instead hot to the touch whose antonym is 冷(つめ)たい cold, freezing

無(む)理(り)な is a な Adjective meaning impossible, unreasonable

ソフトドリンク refers to all the non-alcoholic drinks

Literally the sentence means: If it is non-alcoholic I will drink it, but if it is beer I cannot drink it.

The verb 飲(の)む in the first part is in the polite form in ます I drink; the second one is a potential form in the negative I cannot drink.

Negative forms

The hypothetical structure in the negative form:

• with the verbs the suffix なければ is attached to the negative verb base or B1.

The negative base or B1 for Ichidan verbs is obtained by removing the syllable る and for Godan verbs by replacing the last syllabe with the kana ending in あ.

要(い)る: need, want

• the い Adjectives use the adverbial form ending in く + なければ

We find in the main sentence the use of てみる, the て form of the verb + みる which translates trying to do something.

• Nouns and な Adjectives are followed by でなければ; let's remember to remove the kana な from the adjective

迷(めい)惑(わく)な refers to something that causes annoyance, disturb or trouble

Examples of ば

⇨ Where should I go to buy that cloth?

⇨ If you go to Shibuya, you can buy it.