Page 433 - Basic Japanese

Kodomo mo dekimasu.

Children can do it, too.

Kodomo (de) sae dekimasu.
Even children can do it.

Kono kanji wa Nihon-jin (de) sae wakarimasen.
Even Japanese people do not know this kanji.

Yasumi sae sureba, yoku narimasu.
If you’ll just (if you’ll only) rest, you’ll get better.

Yasuku sae areba dono resutoran de mo ii desu.
If it is cheap, any restaurant is okay.

Notice the patterns VERB-INFINITIVE + sae sureba and ADJECTIVE-
INFINITIVE + sae areba. These are the usual ways to put a

clause with the meaning ‘if something will ONLY do
something or be something,’ the actual verb or adjective

meaning is carried by the infinitive, and sureba and areba
function as a sort of dummy or auxiliary to carry the
provisional ending -(r)eba and the meaning ‘if.’ The

concluding, main clause of the sentence gives the result to

be expected, granted ‘ONLY’ that the provision be so.

8.15. The explicit use of ni