GRAMMAR DETAIL

ば

if; when

Follows the conditional form of a verb or adjective to connect a general or hypothetical condition with its result.

Examples

この薬を食後に飲めば熱が下がる。

If you take this medicine after meals, your fever will go down.

時間があれば、図書館で勉強する。

If I have time, I study at the library.

この道をまっすぐ進めば駅に着きます。

If you continue straight along this road, you will reach the station.

Structure: Inflect a verb or i-adjective into a ば conditional to connect a condition with its result.
Basic usage: 時間があれば、図書館で勉強する。 makes having time the condition for studying.

Forming the conditional
- Inflect as in 飲む → 飲めば, 食べる → 食べれば, and 安い → 安ければ. The negative gives 行かない → 行かなければ, while nouns and na-adjectives use forms such as 雨なら and 静かなら.
A condition and whether it holds
- 時間があれば行く states the action for the case where time is available. The conditional alone does not establish whether time is available now or whether the person actually went.