Lesson 25 focuses on expressing conditions and hypothetical situations in Japanese. The main grammar points include: 〜たら / 〜だら to indicate “if / when,” 〜ても / 〜でも for “even if / although,” the use of もし and いくら to talk about hypothetical situations or emphasis, and how to describe conditions with the particle が. These structures are essential for talking about possibilities, exceptions, and hypothetical scenarios naturally in Japanese.
1) 〜たら / 〜だら — “if / when”
The pattern verb / adjective / noun + たら is used to express a condition that triggers a result. It can describe real or hypothetical situations and is often used in everyday conversations.
Examples (hiragana):
「あめが ふったら、でかけません。」 — If it rains, I will not go out.
「しゅくだいを おわったら、テレビを みます。」 — When I finish my homework, I will watch TV.
「ひまなら、いっしょに ごはんを たべませんか。」 — If you are free, shall we eat together?
Notes:
たら can be used for verbs, adjectives, and nouns.
It expresses a condition that leads to a specific result.
だら is less common but works similarly with nouns and adjectives.
2) 〜ても / 〜でも — “even if / although”
Use ても / でも to express that an action or result occurs despite a condition. This shows contrast or concession.
Examples (hiragana):
「あめが ふっても、いきます。」 — I will go even if it rains.
「ねむくても、べんきょうします。」 — I will study even if I am sleepy.
「いくら たかくても、かいません。」 — I will not buy it even if it is expensive.
Notes:
ても / でも can follow verbs, adjectives, or nouns.
It expresses resilience or contrast in actions and situations.
3) もし / いくら — hypothetical emphasis
もし is used at the beginning of a sentence to indicate a hypothetical or imagined situation.
いくら is used to emphasize how much or to what extent something applies, often combined with ても / でも.
Examples (hiragana):
「もし あめが ふったら、でかけません。」 — If it rains (hypothetically), I will not go out.
「もし じかんが あったら、えいがを みます。」 — If I had time, I would watch a movie.
「いくら べんきょうしても、わかりません。」 — No matter how much I study, I don’t understand.
「いくら たかくても、かいません。」 — Even if it is expensive, I will not buy it.
Notes:
もし sets the context as hypothetical.
いくら emphasizes intensity or degree and is often used in conditional sentences.
4) Condition + が — describing unexpected outcomes
Using subject + が in conditional sentences allows learners to highlight the subject while showing a condition or contrast. This is especially useful in expressing unexpected results, contrasts, or emphasis.
Examples (hiragana):
「あめが ふっていますが、でかけます。」 — It is raining, but I will go out.
「ねむいですが、べんきょうします。」 — I am sleepy, but I will study.
「たかいですが、かいます。」 — It is expensive, but I will buy it.
Notes:
が here functions to contrast the condition with the action.
This structure is polite and common in both spoken and written Japanese.
Summary
Lesson 25 teaches learners how to:
Use 〜たら / 〜だら to express conditional situations (“if / when”)
Use 〜ても / 〜でも to express contrast or concession (“even if / although”)
Use もし and いくら to emphasize hypothetical or extreme situations
Use subject + が to contrast conditions and actions politely
Mastering these patterns allows learners to express possibilities, exceptions, and hypothetical scenarios naturally. After this lesson, students can confidently talk about conditions, make plans under certain circumstances, and describe contrasts or unexpected outcomes in Japanese.