N4 · Unit 10
Lesson 37Give advice based on a condition
Respond to the other person's situation with a judgment, recommendation, or representative option.
What you learn
Respond to the other person's situation with a judgment, recommendation, or representative option.
Learning points
- Conditional forms
- Advice from known context
- Examples and options
Why this lesson comes now
This lesson connects what you can already say to a new way of expressing it. Hear the key sentences, understand the structure, then use it in a real situation.
Your next step
Listen to the key sentences, understand the pattern, finish the examples and vocabulary, then continue to the next lesson.
Open the interactive lessonCore pattern
動詞ば形 / い形容詞ければ ・ 普通形 + なら ・ N + でも ・ N / 小句 + とか + N / 小句 + とかBeginner explanation
〜ば makes the first clause a condition for the second. When the condition is an action or change, the result normally does not contain a command, request, or personal intention. 〜なら picks up something just mentioned and gives advice, a judgment, or a proposal. Nでも offers a representative option, like 'how about N?', while とか〜とか lists examples of the same kind.
Understand these sentences first
- この ボタンを 押せば、画面が 明るく なります。kono botan o oseba, gamen ga akaruku narimasu
If you press this button, the screen becomes brighter.
- 京都へ 行くなら、秋が いいですよ。Kyōto e iku nara, aki ga ii desu yo
If you are going to Kyoto, autumn is a good time.
- 週末、映画でも 見ませんか。shūmatsu, eiga demo mimasen ka
How about seeing a movie this weekend?
- 旅行では、京都とか 奈良とかへ 行きました。ryokō de wa, Kyōto toka Nara toka e ikimashita
On the trip, I went to places such as Kyoto and Nara.
Core vocabulary
- 優勝しますゆうしょうしますwin a championship
- 出場しますしゅつじょうしますtake part
- 押しますおしますpress; push
- 画面がめんscreen
- 新鮮しんせんfresh
- 用事ようじerrand; business
- 選びますえらびますchoose
- 例えばたとえばfor example
Grammar, one point at a time
Verb ば-forms change a group-1 ending to the e-row + ば and group-2 る to れば
V-e + ば／Vる→VればGroup-1 endings shift to けば, げば, せば, てば, ねば, べば, めば, れば, or えば. 来る becomes 来れば and する becomes すれば.
Examples
- 聞けば、分かります。If you ask, you will know.
- 毎日 復習すれば、上手に なります。If you review every day, you will improve.
An i-adjective replaces い with ければ; negative ない becomes なければ
Aい→Aければ／ない→なければThe ば-form of いい is よければ. In this lesson, nouns and na-adjectives use なら rather than taking ば directly.
Examples
- 安ければ、買います。I will buy it if it is inexpensive.
- 安くなければ、買いません。I will not buy it unless it is inexpensive.
- 天気が よければ、出かけます。I will go out if the weather is good.
A ば-clause often states a logical or necessary condition for the result
Aば、BWhen the first clause is an intentional action or change by the speaker, immediate volition, requests, or commands in the result are restricted. They can appear more naturally when the condition is a state or the two clauses have different subjects.
Examples
- 優勝すれば、大会に 出場できます。If you win, you can enter the event.
- 雨が 降らなければ、ハイキングに 行きましょう。If it does not rain, let's go hiking.
- 部屋が もう少し 広ければ いいのですが。I wish the room were a little larger.
なら takes up a plan, wish, or contextual premise and gives advice or judgment
普通形（だ→なら）Verbs and i-adjectives add なら to the plain form; nouns and na-adjectives replace だ with なら. Advice introduced by なら may happen before the action in the premise.
Examples
- 新鮮な 魚を 買うなら、朝の 市場が いいです。If you want to buy fresh fish, the morning market is good.
- 忙しいなら、行かなくても いいです。If you are busy, you do not have to go.
- 今朝の 会議の 資料なら、机の 上です。If you mean this morning's meeting papers, they are on the desk.
Noun + でも can casually suggest one representative option among several
N + でも + Vませんか／VたらThis でも means something like, making it easy to accept or suggest another option. It differs from Lesson 35's extreme example, even a child.
Examples
- 映画でも 見に 行きませんか。Shall we go and see a film or something?
- 運動でも したら どうですか。How about doing some exercise or something?
とか～とか conversationally lists nouns or clauses and implies more examples
NとかNとか／小句とか小句とかとか can connect nouns or clauses and is conversational. や～など mainly connects nouns and works in speech and writing.
Examples
- コートとか 靴とか、いろいろ 買いました。I bought coats, shoes, and various other things.
- 旅行に 行きたいとか、車が 欲しいとか 言っています。They talk about wanting to travel, wanting a car, and so on.
Expressions and situations
と, たら, ば, and なら can all translate as if, but differ in condition type and result-clause freedom
と suits regular or automatic results, たら is broad and can mark a later discovery, ば often stresses a logical condition, and なら often takes up a contextual premise to give advice.
- スイッチを 押すと、電気が つきます。Pressing the switch turns on the light.
- 魚を 買うなら、朝が いいです。If you are buying fish, morning is best.
ちゃった and じゃった are casual contractions of てしまった and でしまった
Context still determines regret, surprise, or completion. Use the full form in formal contexts.
- 財布を 忘れちゃった。I forgot my wallet.
- 全部 読んじゃった。I finished reading it all.
Quantity + ちょっと means a little more than that amount
It is a conversational approximation and is unsuitable where exact legal, medical, payment, or dosage figures are required.
- 2時間ちょっと かかりました。It took a little over two hours.
- 25万円ちょっとです。It is a little over 250,000 yen.
さすが says reality lives up to prior high evaluation or expectation
It can be sincere praise, teasing, or irony. When used about people, avoid stereotyping from family, school, or status.
- さすが 世界遺産です。It truly lives up to its World Heritage status.
- さすが 専門家ですね。As expected of an expert.
里 is a historical unit whose length varied; the modern Chinese metric li is commonly 500 metres
The name Ten-Thousand-Li Great Wall is conventional and should not be treated as a modern surveyed total. State the period and definition when converting units.
- 1里を 0.5キロメートルとして 換算します。Convert using one li as 0.5 kilometres.
The Great Wall is not one continuous wall; total length depends on the authoritative scope
UNESCO describes a multi-period system of walls, passes, fortresses, and beacon towers totaling more than 20,000 km. Beijing's cultural heritage authority cites the national survey figure of 21,196.18 km for wall and trench remains. The more-than-5,000-km figure found in older material is not the current comprehensive scope.
- 長城の 全長は、計り方によって 説明が 必要です。The Great Wall's total length needs a stated counting method.
Badaling transport, tickets, opening, and capacity rules require current operator and transport notices
The one-hour road trip, two-hour rail trip, and direct Beijing North service described in older material are no longer reliable current itinerary guidance. Official Beijing tourism information lists buses, the S2 line, Beijing-Zhangjiakou high-speed rail, driving, and shuttles, and advises real-name booking and checking current railway and attraction notices.
- 行く前に、予約と 交通の 最新情報を 確認します。Before going, I will check current booking and transport information.
Japan's World Heritage List continues to change
As of 28 August 2026, UNESCO and the Japanese Agency for Cultural Affairs list 27 properties: 22 cultural and 5 natural. Shirakami-Sanchi, Yakushima, Horyu-ji, Himeji-jo, Ancient Kyoto, Shirakawa-go, the Genbaku Dome, Itsukushima, Ancient Nara, Nikko, Ryukyu Gusuku sites, and the Kii pilgrimage routes remain listed.
- 現在の 登録数は UNESCOの ページで 確認します。I will check the current inscription count on UNESCO's page.
What you should be able to do
- Convert 15 verbs to affirmative and negative ば-forms.
- Form ば with i-adjectives and いい and compare with noun or na-adjective なら.
- Judge whether commands, requests, or volition after ば are natural and rewrite with たら when needed.
- Use と, たら, ば, and なら for one scene and explain the focus difference.
- Distinguish three uses of でも and rewrite conversational とか lists with neutral や～など.
- Complete an original Badaling plan checking current booking and transport, explaining the Great Wall counting scope, and following heritage rules.
Culture and real use
Great Wall and World Heritage: check the counting scope and current travel information
UNESCO defines the Great Wall as a multi-period defence system built from the 3rd century BC to the 17th century AD, including walls, horse tracks, watchtowers, fortresses, and passes, totaling more than 20,000 km. Beijing's cultural heritage authority cites the national survey total of 21,196.18 km for wall and trench remains. This differs from the more-than-5,000-km figure in older material because the included periods and types of remains differ. Badaling is only one visitor section, and transport, real-name booking, open areas, and crowd controls require current attraction, railway, and bus notices rather than old stations and fixed journey times in earlier material. World Heritage totals also change: as of 28 August 2026, UNESCO and the Japanese Agency for Cultural Affairs list 27 Japanese properties, 22 cultural and 5 natural, rather than the 12 listed in older material. Names such as Shirakami-Sanchi, Yakushima, and Himeji-jo remain useful vocabulary and historical clues, while current counts and status should be checked with UNESCO and the Agency.
- 長城の 全長は、計り方によって 数値の 説明が 必要です。The Great Wall's total length requires a stated counting method.
- 行くなら、最新の 予約情報を 確認します。If I go, I will check the latest booking information.
- 現在の 世界遺産数は UNESCOで 確認します。I will verify the current World Heritage count with UNESCO.