Practice JLPTHow to tell them apart
The core split is about control and timing. と describes an automatic, unavoidable result, so it cannot be used for commands, requests, or volitional main clauses. ば states a general conditional and is also weak for commands. たら is the most flexible: it works for one-time events, discovery, and commands. なら takes an already-raised or supposed situation as its topic and comments on it, so it feels like 'given that X, then Y' rather than a temporal sequence.
- たら Use たら for one-time if/when events, including commands, requests, and discoveries.
- ば Use ば for general conditional statements, especially recurring or hypothetical if-then patterns.
- と Use と when the result happens automatically or naturally, with no speaker control over the outcome.
- なら Use なら when you accept someone's stated plan or situation as a given and then give advice or a conclusion.
| Grammar point | Meaning | JLPT level |
|---|---|---|
| たら tara | If/When | N4 |
| ば ba | If (conditional) | N4 |
| と to | When/If (natural result) | N4 |
| なら nara | If (condition) | N4 |
たら tara
If/When
If; when; after | A subordinate conjunction which indicates that the action/state expressed by the main clause in a sentence takes place after the action/state expressed by the subordinate clause.
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先生に聞いたら直ぐ分かった。
When I asked my teacher, I understood right away.
-
嫌いだったら残して下さい。
If you don't like it, please leave it.
ば ba
If (conditional)
If | A conjunction which indicates that the preceding clause expresses a conditional.
-
この薬を飲めばよくなる・なります。
If you take this medicine, you'll get well.
-
これは松本先生に聞けば分かります。
You'll understand it if you ask Professor Matsumoto.
と to
When/If (natural result)
A subordinate conjunction which marks a condition that brings about an uncontrollable event or state.
-
それは先生に聞くとすぐ分かった。
I understood it immediately when I asked my teacher.
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タイヤは古いと危ないですよ。
Tires are dangerous if they are old.
なら nara
If (condition)
If it is true that; if it is the case that; if; would; could | A conjunction which indicates that the preceding sentence is the speaker’s supposition about the truth of a present or past fact or the actualisation of something in the future.
-
そんなに高いのなら買えません。
If it is that expensive, I can't buy it.
-
シカゴへ行くのならバスで行きなさい。
If you go to Chicago, go by bus.
たら and ば and と and なら are both JLPT N4 grammar points that Japanese learners often mix up. This page compares all 4 side by side — meanings, usage and example sentences — so you can tell them apart.