〜なら = assuming that ~ is already true
some months ago, i posted an explanation of the difference between 〜たら and 〜なら that i (and other people!) weren't quite satisfied with, especially on the なら end of things. so i decided to take another, more thorough stab at it! let's see if i can do a better job explaining it this time!! 早速ですが、頑張って説明させていただきます！！
how is なら usually translated?
usually, people translate なら as "if", no questions asked. however, when i was in school for linguistics, i learned a very different (and really particular) definition of なら, which we called "assertive" なら: "if, as you say..."
what the hell does that mean, i hear you mutter amongst yourselves—and to be clear, that was my exact reaction, too (lol). in my opinion, "if, as you say" is not a clear or helpful definition of なら, nor is "assertive" a very helpful moniker....we whiffed this one, linguists! so, let me try and do better!
for now, let's translate 〜なら as "assuming ~ is already true". this is clunky and probably not where we'll ultimately end up in our translation, but hopefully you agree with me that, even with no other information, it's better than "if, as you say"!
why have i put forward this particular definition? well, let's wait and see ;)
the short answer: anything.
the long answer: check out this cool bullet list i made!
Q: wow! that's easy!
A: i know, right? for once in our lives (lol)
Q: what exactly does ［plain］ mean?
A: it means ANY plain form (nonpast, past, negative, whatever)
Q: speaking of tense, what about tense?
A: なら can attach to any tense! for verbs and い-adjectives, that means 〜たなら, and for nouns and な-adjectives, that means だったなら.
Q: what's with the （の） everywhere?
A: that's optional and it comes up a lot in japanese when you're expressing your opinion, offering advice, or giving explanations (often as ん in speech). if you're not familiar with it, it's not vital to understanding this lesson, so don't worry!
at last, it's time! remember our preliminary definition? let's say 〜なら means "assuming ~ is already true".
under this definition, なら functions as a marker of assumptions: in essence, なら marks a clause that the speaker is taking for granted (i.e., as true). by using なら, we set a stipulation for the following clause.
空港に行くなら、一緒に連れて行ってください。 = assuming you are in fact going [= if you are going] to the airport, please take me with you.
how do you like that translation in orange? clunky, right? but, on the other hand, it makes it very obvious what なら is actually doing in this sentence—namely, setting a stipulation! let's look at a bit more closely, in english:
the stipulation: you are going to the airport
the follow-up: please take me with you
the implication: if you're not actually going, then you can't take me with you
presented like this, it becomes clear that if we were to modify or reject the stipulation, the follow-up would go out the window. in context, for example, what if the listener interrupts and says, "oh, sorry, i scrapped that plan, i'm not actually going to the airport"? then, of course, "please take me with you" would no longer be relevant. if the なら clause stops being true, so does its follow-up clause. whether or not the follow-up comes true is entirely reliant on the なら clause coming true first. i mean, that's just how stipulations work, right!
let's see another example:
カフェインは苦手だけど、お茶なら飲める。 = i don't handle caffeine well, but assuming the drink is tea [= if it's tea], then i can drink it.
here the なら stipulation is highlighted in orange again. let's dig in:
the stipulation: the caffeinated drink is tea
the follow-up: i can drink it
the implication: i won't drink anything caffeinated that's not tea (e.g., coffee)
see how the follow-up relies on the stipulation? this is a pretty easy case to imagine, since lots of people have stipulations about their diets (i drink tea but not coffee, i eat fish but not meat, i like jalapeño but not wasabi...you get the idea lol). in context, the listener might say, "how about coffee?" and the speaker would reply, "nope, no can do", which shows how the follow-up (飲める) can only come true if the stipulation (お茶なら) is already true.
let's see a MISUSAGE of なら, to compare with what we've seen so far:
❌ 私が行くつもりなら、彼も行く。 = assuming i intend [= if i intend] to go, he will also go. ❌
can you already see where this sentence is going wrong? hint: it's in 私!
so, we know なら points to a stipulation, and usually, you don't have to stipulate about something you yourself control. therefore, in a clause like 私が行くつもりだ, where you have complete control over whether or not that clause is true, there is no real world in which なら makes grammatical sense. otherwise, it makes it sound like you don't control your own つもり! (similarly, it's not grammatical to say, 私がVたいなら). basically: if the speaker controls whether the clause comes true, using なら in that clause isn't grammatical.
so, what do you guys think? is this a helpful way of describing なら? let's summarize quickly:
〜なら can be translated as "assuming ~ is already true". (clunky, but effective!)
in a なら sentence, the なら clause must be a stipulation. (if the speaker can control whether or not it comes true, it's not a stipulation!)
in a なら sentence, the follow-up clause can come true if and only if the なら clause has already come true.
phew....we did it! as always, these points are just the way it makes sense to me to explain it, so if you don't get it, just keep noticing when なら appears out in the wild and it'll get clearer and clearer! plus, there are exceptions to every rule :)
so...how is this different from 〜たら and 〜と and 〜ば?
great question, the answer to which could fill a book, actually probably several....i won't offer my explanations in this post because it would become longer than my master's thesis, but if you feel confident in reading native japanese, i highly recommend you look up explanations of all four conditionals written in japanese. here's one i like a lot:
not all explanations are there are as linguistic as this one, there are also pages more geared toward learners, so if you do a quick search you should be able to find something. and, of course, if you REALLY want my two cents, send me an ask!! i'm happy to give my explanation, just elsewhere :)
anyway, thanks for reading as always! お疲れ様でした！！ 🙇🏻♀️
