Sequence Expressing “IF” in Japanese with MOSHIもし – TARAたら

Hey guys, how are you today? We are going to be learning all about もし and たら in this online Japanese article which will allow you to express the conditional form “IF”. This is a great way to express a condition in your communication for example, “If it rains, I will read a book”. Simply, If that condition happens I will do this. 

Learning all about もし and たら in Japanese

As you can see this is a really useful grammar structure to know as it will open up a world of possibilities for new avenues to explore in your Japanese communication. 

We are going to split today’s lesson up in the following sections. 

1. We will be looking at the meaning of もし and たら in more detail and learn the grammar structure behind it
2. We will then look at some awesome example sentences to help you understand the usage better
3. A useful study method to ensure that you master and retain today’s grammar point.
4. A short summary of today’s lesson to help you digest all of the information.

So, let’s  dive right into today’s lesson and learn something new! 

The meaning and grammar behind Moshi もしand Tara たら　

How to form sentences with Moshi もしand Tara たら　

Here we are at the beginning of today’s journey, By the end of this article we are going to turn you into the conditional pro! 

Moshi and Tara are used when we want to express the concept of “if” or a condition in Japanese. Moshi もし itself is not actually necessary to use within the sentence and can be dropped if necessary. もし is always used at the beginning of the sentence and is used when you really want to emphasise that “IF”.

Now moshi is easy to use as you just need to add it to the beginning of a conditional sentence but たら tara is a little harder to use. First you must take a verb in its past dictionary form for example:

のむ　Nomu meaning to drink woud become  – nonda　のんだ　drank

All you need to do after this is add ら ー　のんだら Nondara –  now you have the meaning of “If you drink” 

Let’s take a look at an example sentence and break it down.

もし 雨 が 降ったら 本 を 読みます
もし あめ がふったら  ほん を よみます
Moshi Ame Ga Futtara Hon Wo Yomimasu
If it rains I will read a book

We start with MOSHI to emphasise the conditional at the beginning of the sentence 

We then explain the condition which is “If it rains” あめがふったら

ふる here has been changed to the past form verb ふった and then ら has been added to the end. We will now look at some more sentences with different verbs to get a good handle on this.

It is also worth noting that are many different ways in Japanese to express the conditional “If” in Japanese including the likes of なら and ば. Fortunately, たら is the most versatile and is definitely the perfect choice to learn and master first. This is just to let you know not to get confused if you come across other ways of expressing the conditional. 

Let’s now move onto the next section of today’s online Japanese article which is all about example sentences to give you a better understanding of the grammar points. 

Examples sentences with Moshi もしand Tara たら　

Giving you a better understanding of today’s grammar 

もし日本に行ったら日本語を勉強します
moshi nihon ni ittara nihongo o benkyou shimasu
If go to Japan, I will learn Japanese

The condition here implies that IF the speaker goes to Japan they will study Japanese 

コートを着たら、寒くありません。
ko-to wo kitara, samukuarimasen
If i wear a coat, I will not be cold. 

This condition here is “wearing a coat”. If that condition is met the speaker will no longer be cold.

Also it doesn’t have to be always used with verbs too, it can be used with nouns and adjectives:

もし私だったら…moshi watashi dattara …If it was me …

After a noun you simply add だったら to the end of the sentence.

With い adjectives like むずかしい you need to first change it to past form むずかしかった and add ら

むずかしかたら – If it is difficult 

試験がむずかしかったら出来ない
Shiken ga muzukashikattara 
If it is difficult, I cannot do it.

Now let’s look at a technique to help us remember this! 

A powerful study technique you can use to ensure mastery 

Level up your study power with this awesome technique 

Today’s study technique revolves around sentence building. Without first getting used to the pattern it’s going to be very hard to master and retain today’s grammar. First you are going to re write out today’s example sentences 4 – 5 times and repeat them over and over until you are confident you can speak them without looking, 

Next, every day for the next 10 days you will need to write out 4 – 5 example sentences. If you follow this you will have mastered the grammar within the time frame. This is such a key grammar point so make sure you really learn it well. 

A small summary of today’s lesson on Moshi もしand Tara たら　

A bite sized summary to help you digest today’s lesson 

1. moshi and tara express a condition
2. Moshiもし doesn’t always have to be used, only to express emphasis 
3. To create tara verbs you must change a dictionary form verb to the past and add たら
4. There are also other forms of conditional grammar to watch out for including れば and なら
5. Remember to follow the study technique for maximum effect 

We hope that you have enjoyed today’s lesson everyone and also most importantly, learnt something that you can take forward and implement in your Japanese communication from here on out. If you have any more questions or suggestions for lessons that you would like to see in the future, please do not hesitate to get in touch with us. Have a great day! またね。

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