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The –ba －ば form
The ば form of a verb or adjective expresses the idea of “if.”
Verbs:
The –ba form is created from the stem of the dictionary form of the verb:
話す changes to 話せば
行くchanges to 行けば
作る changes to 作れば
食べる changes to 食べれば
出すchanges to 出せば
泳ぐchanges to 泳げば
Examples:
沢山食べれば太りますよ。
Takusan tabereba futorimasu yo.
If you eat a lot you’ll get fat, you know.
明日来れば時間を取れます。
Ashita kureba jikan o toremasu.
If you come tomorrow I can take time (to see you).
長く泳げば疲れます。
Nagaku oyogeba tsukaremasu.
If I swim for a long time I will get tired.
Adjectives
For so called -i adjectives, add kereba to the adjective stem:
高い changes to 高ければ
安いchanges to 安ければ
高ければ買いません。
Takakereba kaimasen.
If it is expensive, I won’t buy it.
For -na adjectives, add naraba or de areba to the adjective:
簡単changes to 簡単ならば・簡単であれば
そんなに簡単ならば、やってみましょう。
Sonna ni kantan naraba, yatte mimashoo.
If it’s that simple, let’s give it a try.