Inanis_Vault/20-Knowledge/Classes/Japanese Grammar Miru and Nara.md

type, title, date

type	title	date
Classes	09/08/2025 - Japanese Class	2025-09-08

次回: 79674766584:0173

RANDOM WORDS

ひれ酒 -> Sake that they stick fins in. Yikes

使いやすい -> easy to use

もみじ・こうよう・紅葉 -> Autumn Leaves

Try To -> みる

When saying your trying to do something, you conjugate the verb your trying to do into て form, and then add みる at the end.

Note, this is NOT 見る, this is its own thing, just みる by itself.

新しいレストランに行ってみよう -> Let's go to a new restaurant

Notice the volitional form. Not required, but adds some flare

刺身を食べてみます -> I'll try the sashimi

彼女は服を着ってみます

この服は着って見ってもいいですか ->

この靴はサイズが合いますか？履いてみてもいいですか？ -> Are these shoes the right size? Can I try them on?

この辞書は使いやすいですか？見てみてもいいですか？-> These shoes fit my size?

ピアノは音がいいですか？引いてみてもいいですか？ -> Does the piano sound good? Can I play it?

If / なら

The Japanese grammar point なら (nara) is a versatile conditional particle that expresses hypothetical situations, contrasts, or provides information based on a premise. It's often translated as "if," "if it's about," or "in that case."

Here's a breakdown of its main uses:

1. Conditional Statements (If...)

なら can be used to create conditional sentences, similar to ば (ba) or たら (tara), but it often implies a more specific or hypothetical condition.

• Structure:

  • Noun/な-adjective + なら

  • い-adjective + なら (less common, usually the stem + なら)

  • Verb (plain form) + なら

• Meaning: "If [condition] is true/happens, then..."

  • So like, its an if/then statement type logic particle.

• Examples:

  • 時間があるなら、手伝ってください。(Jikan ga aru nara, tetsudatte kudasai.)

    • "If you have time, please help me."

  • 雨なら、家で映画を見ます。(Ame nara, ie de eiga o mimasu.)

    • "If it's rain(ing), I'll watch a movie at home."

  • 疲れているなら、休みましょう。(Tsukarete iru nara, yasumimashou.)

    • "If you are tired, let's rest."

  • 日本へ行くなら、お土産を買ってきてください。(Nihon e iku nara, omiyage o katte kite kudasai.)

    • "If you go to Japan, please bring back souvenirs."

Comparison with ば (ba) and たら (tara):

• ば (ba): Tends to express more general, natural consequences or conditions.

• たら (tara): Often used for specific past events or completed actions as a condition.

• なら (nara): Frequently used when the condition is about a specific topic or person, or when introducing a hypothetical scenario.

2. Referring to a Specific Topic/Thing (If it's about...)

This is a very common use of なら. It's used to focus on a particular subject and then provide information related to it.

• Structure:

  • Topic/Noun + なら

• Meaning: "If it's about [topic]," "Regarding [topic]," "When it comes to [topic]."

• Examples:

  • 寿司なら、 この店が一番おいしいです。(Sushi nara, kono mise ga ichiban oishii desu.)

    • "If it's about sushi / When it comes to sushi, this restaurant is the most delicious."

  • 田中さんのことなら、 何でも知っていますよ。(Tanaka-san no koto nara, nandemo shitte imasu yo.)

    • "If it's about Mr./Ms. Tanaka, I know everything."

  • この仕事なら、 私に任せてください。(Kono shigoto nara, watashi ni makasete kudasai.)

    • "If it's this job / Regarding this job, leave it to me."

3. Contrast or Alternative (Instead of...)

なら can sometimes imply a contrast or suggest an alternative.

• Structure:

  • Option A + なら + Option B (or different action)

• Meaning: "If it's [Option A], then (but if not/alternatively) [Option B]."

• Example:

  • 映画を見るなら、もっと静かな場所がいいです。(Eiga o miru nara, motto shizuka na basho ga ii desu.)

    • "If you're going to watch a movie, a quieter place would be better." (Implies: but for other activities, a loud place might be okay.)

4. Introducing Information or a Decision based on a Premise

なら can introduce a logical consequence or a decision made based on the preceding statement.

• Structure:

  • Previous statement/premise + なら (followed by a new statement/decision)

• Meaning: "In that case," "Then," "So."

• Examples:

  • A: 「明日、仕事が休みです。」(Ashita, shigoto ga yasumi desu. - "Tomorrow, work is off.") B: 「そうなら、一緒に買い物に行きましょう。」(Sou nara, issho ni kaimono ni ikimashou. - "In that case/Then, let's go shopping together.")

  • A: 「この本は面白くないです。」(Kono hon wa omoshirokunai desu. - "This book isn't interesting.") B: 「なら、他の本を借りましょう。」(Nara, hoka no hon o karimashou. - "Then, let's borrow another book.")

Key Points to Remember:

• Politeness: なら itself is neutral. The politeness of the sentence depends on the verb or copula used at the end (e.g., です/ます for polite speech, plain form for casual speech).

• Not for general truths: While it can be conditional, なら is often less about natural laws (like "If you heat water, it boils") and more about specific hypothetical situations, topics, or decisions. For general truths, と (to) is more common.

• Usage with pronouns: なら can be used with pronouns like そう (sou - like that) and それ (sore - that) to refer back to a previous statement, as seen in "Sou nara" (In that case).

らめんが美味しいところがありますか？　らめんならいちらんが美味しいですよ

Another common use of なら is answer a question by setting a limit on possible results. Kind of only means "only" here.

英語ができますか？ -> 少しならできます ​Can you speak english? -> Only a little bit.

日本語が読みますか？ -> ひらがななら読みます。 ​Can you read Japanese? -> I can only read hiragana.

紅葉がいいところがありますか？紅葉なら京都が綺麗ところですよ

英語の先生なら大学にいますよ -> If english teachers, they are at University

山に登ろなら北海道がいいですよう ->

日本に行くなら刺身が食べたいです -> If I go to Japan, I want to eat sashimi.

北海道に行くならスキーがしたいです -> If I go to Hokkaido, I want to go skiing

いい人がいるなら結婚したいんです -> If I find a good person, I want to get married.

Discussing Intervals

週二回 -> Twice a week (LIT: week, two times)

週二回英語を見ました -> Two times in a week I saw a movie

日三回ご飯を食べます -> Eat three times a day

日に二時間テレビを見ます -> Two hours

日に四時間本を読みます -> I read four hours a day

月何回運動しますか？

週に何時間勉強しますか？ -> How many hours a week do you study?

年に何回旅行しますか？ -> How many times a year do you travel?

次回: 79674766584:0173