Page 424 - Basic Japanese

The difference between the conditional and the

provisional is often one of explicit doubt. If you use the
conditional -tara form, you show some doubt as to whether

something will happen or not: ‘if it should happen (but I
doubt it will).’ But if you use the provisional form, you are

making a hypothesis without saying anything about the
likelihood of its being true: ‘if it happens.’

Here are some sentences showing the differences
between the conditional and the provisional with the

meaning ‘if’ under a present or future hypothesis. There are
also sentences illustrating the particle to with the meaning
of a repeated or habitual ‘if = whenever.’

Sono koto o Nihongo de ittara, sugu wakaru deshō.

If you were to say that in Japanese, they’d
understand right off.

Sono koto o Nihongo de ieba, sugu wakaru deshō.
If you say that in Japanese, they’ll understand

right off.

Sono koto o Nihongo de iu to, sugu wakaru deshō.
If (whenever) you say that in Japanese, they
understand you right off.

Tenki ga yokattara, sanpo ni ikimasu.
If the weather is nice, I’ll go for a walk.

Tenki ga yokereba, sanpo ni ikimasu.