14.5) Which One Should I Use?
So here we are. You read each of the previous posts about the 4 conditional forms, right? Now you have an idea of how each one is used, but you are not exactly sure which one you should use in a certain situation? Well then this post is for you my friend!
ใใชใ Needs Contextใ
If thatโs the case, then you can use ใชใ.
See how that sounds strange!? Itโs because there was little to no context to that sentence. Without any context, you cannot use ใชใ.
But if you have context, and you want to make a statement along the lines ofย โwell in that caseโฆโ orย โif thatโs the case thenโฆโ you can use ใชใ. It is the only Japanese conditional that needs previous context. Here is an example:
Aใใ: ้ง
ใฏใใฉใใงใใใ
Bใใ: ้ง
ใชใใใใใใงใใ
In example 1 it is because Aใใ set the station as the topic that Bใใ can say โ้ง
ใชใโ. The context is already known. If you were to randomly start a conversation with โ้ง
ใชใโ it would sound very strange to native Japanese speakers. In this sense, ใชใ is very unique in terms of the 4 conditional forms.
If you donโt need to worry about context, ใใใ will most likely be the right conditional to use. Here are a few things to remember / know about ใใใ:
ใใใ includes the past tense ending ใ, so it refers to a past event. However, it doesnโt always mean โthe past of the current momentโ. It means โthe pastย in relation to the second clause!โ
โก ๆๆฅ๏ฝ้จใ้ใฃใใ๏ฝ๏ฝ่ฟใใซๆฅใฆใญ๏ฝใ
In example 2, the condition ofย โit rainingโ is in the past of (comes before) the request toย โcome pick me upโ. Both clauses will happen in the future (tomorrow) but you can still use ใใใ.
Another thing to take note of is that if you use ใใใ and your second clause is past tense, it gives the nuance that the second clause was unexpected.
โข ๏ฝ่ตฐใฃใฆใใใ๏ฝ๏ฝใใ ใซไผใฃใ๏ฝใ
= when was running, Tom met
= When I went running, I ran into Tom.
The nuance in example 3 is that seeing Tom was unexpected.
The last thing is, if you use ใใใ and your second clause is not in past tense, it puts emphasis on what will happen if the first clause happens.
โฃ๏ฝ็ดๆ็ ดใฃใใ๏ฝ๏ฝ็ตถๅฅฝใ ใใ๏ฝใญใ
= if promise breaking, relationship breaking, right
= If you break your promise, weโre through, right?
You can imagine that if you only said the first clause of example 4, the other person would be waiting in anticipation of what the second clause would be.ย โIf you break your promiseโฆโ (Uh-huh, uh-huhโฆ then what??) โweโre through, right?โ
ใThe Two ใใใ Alternativesใ
So, ใใใ works whenever you donโt need context. However, if you want to stress the fact that clause 2 happensย every time clause 1 happens, you can use ใจ instead of ใใใ.
๏ฝ่ตฐใใจ๏ฝใ๏ฝใใ ใซไผใฃใ๏ฝใ
= I go running and I see Tom
= Whenever I went running I saw Tom.
On the other hand, if you want to stress the fact that clause 1 is a hypothetical situation (it hasnโt actually happenedโฆ but if it DID happen, clause 2 would happen) then you can use ใใฐ instead of ใใใ.ย
โค๏ฝๅฐ้ขจใๆฅใใฐ๏ฝ๏ฝๅญฆๆ กใฏไผใฟใงใ๏ฝใ
= if typhoon comes, school will rest
= If there is a typhoon, there will be no school
As mentioned before, using ใใใ and a non-past second clause stresses what happens if the second clause happens. If you instead use ใใฐ, you are stressing whether or not the second clause will happen at all.ย
With example 5, it is uncertain whether or not there will be a typhoon. That is why the speaker or writer choose to use ๆฅใใฐ instead of ๆฅใใ. Using ๆฅใใ would be along the lines of sayingย โThe typhoon is coming - and when it comesโฆโ
ใLearning From Mistakesใ
Now this next section is something that I think is very necessary. Here are some mistakes that I hope will help you distinguish the 4 conditional forms from each other. Hopefully seeing what is strange will help you understand what feels natural!
โ โฅ ้ญใ่ฒทใใจใๅฏฟๅธใไฝใฃใใ
โ
้ญใ่ฒทใฃใฆใๅฏฟๅธใไฝใฃใใ
Example 6 is unnatural because conditional ใจ is usually used in sentences talking about other people instead of yourself. Itโs more common to see the ใฆ form used for successive actions that you (yourself) did.
โ โฆ ใ้
้ฃฒใใฐใ้่ปขใใใชใ
โ
ย ใ้
้ฃฒใใ ใใ้่ปขใใใชใ
Similarly, example 7 is unnatural because the subject of both clauses is the same person. If this is the case, itโs more natural to use the ใใใ form instead of the ใใฐ form.
โ โง ใใ้จใ้ใใจโฆ
โ โจ ใใๅคใๆฅใใโฆ
Examples 8 and 9 are unnatural for the same reason. ใใ and ้จใ้ใใจ do not go together because ใใ meansย โifโ but ้จใ้ใใจ meansย โwhen it rainsโ.
Similarly, ใใใ places stress on what happens if the clause happens. That means that the event happening is not in question. However, the whole point of ใใ is that what follows it IS in question. These two examples sound very strange.
โ โฉ ๅคฉๆฐใใใใจใๅ
ฌๅใซ่กใใใใ
โ
ๅคฉๆฐใใใใฃใใใๅ
ฌๅใซ่กใใใใ
Example 10 is strange because whatever comes after the ใจ is thought to be a definite event. However, the question/invitation โ่กใใใโ is an uncertainty because of the ใ. It also depends on whether the listener/reader wantsย to go or not. If the person doesnโt want to go, he/she wonโt go - and then that will contradict theย โcertaintyโ of the ใจ clause.
If your second clause is an invitation or request, your first clause should use ใใใ and not conditional ใจ.
So with that, you should have a slight grasp on the four conditional forms of Japanese! Of course, it is a lot to keep in mind so donโt think that you have to have them mastered by now! I suggest that you (as always) pay attention to what conditional native speakers use. Then you can come back here and see if my explanations make sense with the context. The native speakers are the key! ๐
Good luck with your Japanese, keep learning every day, and I will see you back here for the next post. Thanks for reading my posts!
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