Provisional Conditional eba Form
The eba provisional conditional form is characterized by the final -u becoming -eba for all verbs (with the semi-exception of -tsu verbs becoming -teba).
| Type | Conditional | Examples | Conditional |
|---|---|---|---|
| Irregular verbs | |||
| する suru | すれば sureba | 勘弁する kanben suru | 勘弁すれば kanben sureba |
| 来る kuru | くれば kureba | ||
| だ da (copula) | であれば de areba | ||
| Regular consonant stem (v5) verbs | |||
| -う -u | -えば -eba | 使う tsukau (use) | 使えば tsukaeba |
| -く -ku | -けば -keba | 焼く yaku (grill) | 焼けば yakeba |
| -ぐ -gu | -げば -geba | 泳ぐ oyogu (swim) | 泳げば oyogeba |
| -す -su | -せば -seba | 示す shimesu (show) | 示せば shimeseba |
| -つ -tsu | -てば -teba | 待つ matsu (wait) | 待てば mateba |
| -ぬ -nu | -ねば -neba | 死ぬ shinu (die) | 死ねば shineba |
| -ぶ -bu | -べば -beba | 呼ぶ yobu (call) | 呼べば yobeba |
| -む -mu | -めば -meba | 読む yomu (read) | 読めば yomeba |
| -る -ru | -れば -reba | 走る hashiru (run) | 走れば hashireba |
| Regular vowel stem (v1) verbs | |||
| -る -ru | -れば -reba | 見る miru 食べる taberu |
見れば mireba 食べれば tabereba |
| Adjectives | |||
| -い -i | -ければ -kereba | 寒い samui | 寒ければ samukereba |
| -な -na | -であれば -de areba | 簡単 kantan | 簡単であれば kantan de areba |
| Negative | |||
| ない nai (negative) | -なければ -nakereba | 行かない ikanai | 行かなければ ikanakereba |
- na adjectives and nouns are usually used with the なら nara conditional, instead of with であれば de areba.
- The なければ nakereba form used for the negative form can be colloquially contracted to なきゃ nakya or なくちゃ nakucha. Thus 行かなければ ikanakereba can become 行かなきゃ ikanakya.
Usage
The -eba provisional conditional form is used in conditionals where the emphasis rests more on the condition than the result. For example:
- 何すればいいか nani sureba ii ka: "What should I do?" (lit. "It would be good if I did what?")
- 分かればいい wakareba ii: "As long as you understand" (lit. "If you understand, it is good.")
- 時間があれば買い物をしよう jikan ga areba, kaimono wo shiyō: "If there's time, let's go shopping."
The nakereba negative conditional form means "if not X" or also "unless X". It is obtained by replacing the final -i of the plain negative form with -kereba. (tabenakereba: "if I don't eat" or "unless I eat")
The conditional is also called the "provisional form" in some grammars, because the implied condition is "provided that X happens" (mireba shiru: "provided that you see, you'll know" = "if you see, you'll know").
Read more about this topic: Japanese Verb Conjugation
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