条件と選択Conditions and Choices
Chapter Objectives
By the end of this chapter, you will be able to:
- Describe conditions and their results using 「たら」.
- Use 「なら」 to respond to a situation someone else has raised.
- Recognize a limited, natural-result use of 「と」 in short conditional patterns.
- Ask and answer whether something is the case, using 「かどうか」.
- Talk about plans, weather, money, time, and availability using this chapter's vocabulary.
- Recognize and produce kanji for condition, choice, decision, possibility, and impossibility.
- Discuss two or more options and explain a decision, giving reasons and conditions.
Communication Scenario
Following the neighborhood association meeting in Chapter 17, Emma, Yuki, and a few volunteers are planning a small community clean-up event. But nothing about the event is fixed yet: the date depends on the weather, the location depends on the budget, and some volunteers are not sure whether they are free that day. As Emma and Yuki work through these open questions together, they need language for describing conditions, responding to situations, and stating whether something is decided or not — the practical decision-making language this chapter develops, and an important step toward Unit IV's final integrated project.
- Someone describes a condition and its result using たら.
- Someone responds to a situation using なら.
- Someone asks whether something is decided, using かどうか.
Core Vocabulary
The following vocabulary supports talking about plans, weather, money, time, availability, rules, alternatives, and choices. All items are productive at this stage.
| Japanese | Reading | English meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 天気 | てんき | weather | often paired with いい／悪い |
| 予算 | よさん | budget | often marked with が or を |
| 都合 | つごう | convenience; circumstances | often used as 都合がいい／悪い |
| 空く | あく | to become free; to be available | Group 1 verb; intransitive, used for time or seats |
| 選ぶ | えらぶ | to choose | Group 1 verb; object marked with を |
| 決める | きめる | to decide | Group 2 verb; transitive |
| 決まる | きまる | to be decided | Group 1 verb; intransitive partner of 決める |
| 変更する | へんこうする | to change (a plan) | する verb; object marked with を |
| 可能 | かのう | possible | な-adjective and noun |
| 無理 | むり | impossible; unreasonable | な-adjective and noun |
| それとも | それとも | or (between two options) | connects two alternative questions |
| 場合によっては | ばあいによっては | depending on the situation | formulaic phrase; builds on 場合 (Ch. 7) and receptive によって (Ch. 17) |
These twelve items form this chapter's productive core. Vocabulary from earlier chapters, such as 予定、時間、天気予報、and 場合, continues to be available and is expected to appear alongside this chapter's new words.
れんしゅう — Practice: Choose six words from the table above and write one true sentence about a plan you are currently making for each one.
Script and Kanji Focus
This chapter introduces new kanji for condition, choice, decision, possibility, and impossibility. Because these characters are new, they appear with furigana throughout this chapter, following this volume's furigana policy. Kanji from Chapter 17, such as 地域、環境、and 施設, receive furigana only at their first appearance in this chapter, since they are still being consolidated. Earlier kanji such as 理由、意見、and 場合 continue to appear with reduced or no furigana.
The character 決 appears in both 決める (きめる, to decide something) and 決まる (きまる, for something to be decided). The okurigana marks which verb is intended and which particle pattern to expect: 決める normally takes an object with を, while 決まる is intransitive and normally takes が. Learn the pair together, as this volume's transitivity-pair policy requires, rather than treating them as one interchangeable word.
れんしゅう — Practice: Write each of the six kanji above once from memory, and use each one in a short phrase, such as 「天気の条件」 or 「予算内で選択する」.
Pronunciation Focus
Several words in this chapter combine a long vowel with moraic ん or with a geminate consonant. Practice the following words carefully:
- 条件 (じょうけん): long vowel in じょう followed by moraic ん in けん; do not shorten じょう to じ.
- 決定 (けってい): geminate っ followed by a long vowel in てい; hold the small っ for a full mora before releasing て.
- 可能 (かのう): long vowel in のう; keep の and う distinct in timing from a short のvowel.
When stating a condition and its result in one sentence, keep phrase-level rhythm even across the clause boundary before たら or なら, rather than pausing awkwardly in the middle of the conditional form.
Grammar and Sentence Patterns
This chapter develops practical language for describing conditions and making decisions. It introduces 「たら」 for conditions and their results, 「なら」 for responding to a situation, a limited recognition-and-production use of 「と」 for natural or automatic results, and 「かどうか」 for asking or stating whether something is the case.
1. たら — a condition and its result
Purpose: to describe what will happen, should happen, or is planned if a condition is met.
- 天気がよかったら、公園で会いましょう。If the weather is good, let's meet at the park.verb/adjective たら-form + result clause
- 予算が足りなかったら、場所を変更するかもしれません。If the budget isn't enough, we might change the location.
- その日、都合が悪かったら、教えてください。If that day is inconvenient for you, please let me know.
たら attaches to the past-tense plain form of a verb or adjective, but the meaning is not necessarily past; たら describes a condition, and the result clause can be a plan, a request, a suggestion, or a possibility.
2. なら — responding to a situation
Purpose: to give advice, a suggestion, or a plan that responds directly to a situation someone else has just raised.
- A：土曜日は都合が悪いんです。
B：土曜日なら、日曜日はどうですか。A: Saturday doesn't work for me. B: If it's Saturday (that's the problem), how about Sunday? - 予算が心配なら、公園で無料のイベントにしましょう。If it's the budget you're worried about, let's make it a free event at the park.
なら responds to something already mentioned or assumed in the conversation; unlike たら, it does not describe a general future condition so much as react to the specific situation just raised. Compare the two: 「雨が降ったら」 describes a general condition about rain, while 「雨なら」 responds to someone having just said that it might rain.
3. と — a limited, natural or automatic result
Purpose: to describe a result that follows naturally, automatically, or predictably from a condition, within a small set of practiced patterns.
- この道をまっすぐ行くと、公園があります。If you go straight along this road, there's a park.
- 予算を増やすと、選択肢が増えます。If you increase the budget, the options increase.
Productive use of と in this chapter is limited to natural or automatic results, such as directions or predictable cause-and-effect relationships. と is not used for plans, requests, or one-time personal decisions; those situations use たら or なら instead. Model new と sentences closely on the patterns above.
4. かどうか — asking or stating whether something is the case
Purpose: to ask about, or report, whether something is true, decided, or possible, without specifying which of two outcomes it is.
- その日、都合がいいかどうか、教えてください。Please let me know whether that day works for you or not.
- まだ、場所が決まったかどうか、わかりません。I don't yet know whether the location has been decided or not.
- 予算内で可能かどうか、確認します。I'll check whether it's possible within the budget or not.
かどうか attaches to the plain form of a verb or adjective and functions as an embedded question inside a larger sentence; it does not require an explicit question word, since the uncertainty is between "yes" and "no."
Grammar Practice
- Write one sentence describing a condition and a result, using たら.
- Write one short exchange in which one person raises a situation and the other responds, using なら.
- Write one sentence describing a natural or automatic result, using と (you may model it closely on the examples above).
- Write one sentence stating something you do not yet know, using かどうか.
- Combine your sentences from items 1 through 4 into one short connected discussion of an undecided plan.
Model Dialogue
Setting: Emma and Yuki are planning the community clean-up event with a volunteer, サトウさん.
ないようりかい — Comprehension questions:
- Why does Sato say Saturday does not work, and what day do they agree on instead?
- What does Emma suggest if the budget is a concern?
- What has not yet been decided, and what will Emma check?
Guided Practice
タスク１ — State a condition and a result. Write two sentences about a plan of your own, using たら.
タスク２ — Respond to a situation. Write a short two-line exchange in which a partner raises a concern and you respond, using なら.
タスク３ — Describe a natural result. Read the two と examples in the Grammar section again, then write one similar sentence using と, modeled closely on those patterns.
タスク４ — State what is not yet known. Write two sentences about something undecided in your own life or plans, using かどうか.
Listening Practice
Ask your instructor, a partner, or a text-to-speech tool to read the following passage aloud at a clear, moderate pace.
きくタスク — A volunteer's message
来週のイベントについてですが、天気がよかったら、予定どおり公園でやりましょう。もし雨だったら、近くの施設に変更します。予算はまだ足りるかどうかわかりませんので、今週中に確認します。場所が決まったら、みんなに連絡しますね。
聞くタスク — Listening task: Identify what will happen if the weather is good, what will happen if it rains, and what is still not decided.
This script combines two たら conditions with a かどうか statement in one connected passage, as expected on this chapter's Practical Performance Task.
Speaking Practice
コントロールされた練習 — Controlled practice: Quick answers
- 週末、天気がよかったら、何をしますか。
- お金がたくさんあったら、何をしたいですか。
- 来週の予定は、もう決まりましたか。それとも、まだ決まっていませんか。
コミュニケーションタスク — Planning something together
With a partner, plan a small event or outing together (real or imagined). Raise at least one concern (weather, budget, or time), respond to your partner's concern, and state at least one thing that is still not decided. Use at least one instance each of たら、なら、and かどうか.
ひとりでもできる練習 — Solo practice: A recorded plan update
Record yourself giving an update on an undecided plan of your own, following the Building Block pattern from the Grammar section: a condition and result, a response to a concern, a natural result, and something still unknown. Listen back and check your use of long vowels, moraic ん, and phrase rhythm, along with the accuracy of this chapter's grammar systems.
Reading Practice
Read the following short planning message, then answer the questions below.
イベントについてのメール — A message about the event
みなさん、来週の地域イベントについてです。天気がよかったら、公園で行います。もし天気が悪かったら、近くの施設に変更しますので、当日の朝、もう一度連絡します。予算が足りるかどうか、まだはっきりしていませんが、無理な選択はしないつもりです。参加できるかどうか、都合が悪い人は今週中に教えてください。場所が完全に決定したら、また連絡します。
Notice that 記事 and 担当, from earlier chapters, do not appear in this reading, while this chapter's new kanji, such as 条件、選択、決定、可能、and 予算, keep furigana at first appearance only, following the Chapter 18 support level.
ないようりかい — Comprehension questions:
- What will happen if the weather is good, and what will happen if it is bad?
- What is not yet clear about the budget, and what does the writer say they will not do?
- What does the message ask people to do if they cannot attend?
Writing Workshop
In this workshop you will write a short discussion of an undecided plan that states a condition and result, responds to a concern, and reports what is still unknown, following the Building Block pattern from the Grammar section.
- State a condition and its result, using たら.
- Respond to a concern someone has raised, using なら.
- Note a natural or automatic result, using a と pattern modeled on this chapter's examples.
- State what is still not decided, using かどうか.
- Connect your sentences smoothly, reusing narrative and discourse connectors from earlier chapters where useful.
- Revise and check using the checklist below before finalizing your text.
チェックリスト — Editing checklist:
- My text describes a condition and a result using たら.
- My text responds to a raised concern using なら.
- My text includes a と pattern describing a natural result.
- My text states something not yet decided using かどうか.
- I kept furigana on this chapter's new kanji at first appearance and followed the reduction schedule for earlier kanji.
- I ended each sentence with 。 and used consistent script and punctuation.
Culture and Communication
Outdoor community events in Japan, such as festivals, clean-ups, and sports days, are commonly planned with a stated rain contingency, often called 雨天中止 (canceled in case of rain) or 雨天決行 (held rain or shine). Announcing the weather condition clearly in advance, as in this chapter's dialogue and reading, is a normal and expected part of practical event planning rather than a sign of indecision.
Whether a public park or facility can be booked for a community event, and how far in advance, depends on the municipality and the specific facility. Some areas allow informal use of public parks, while others require a reservation or a permit. Checking local rules directly, rather than assuming that a park is automatically available, is common practical advice.
Notice that Yuki responds to Sato's concern with 土曜日なら、日曜日はどうですか rather than simply repeating or ignoring the problem. Directly echoing the situation someone has raised, using なら, signals that their concern has been heard and is a comfortable, collaborative pattern in ordinary polite です／ます planning conversations.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Error: *天気がいいと、公園に行きます。 using と to describe a one-time plan for a specific day, rather than a general or natural result.
Correction: 天気がよかったら、公園に行きます。 — と is limited in this chapter to natural or automatic results, such as directions or predictable outcomes; a specific plan or personal decision about a particular day should use たら instead.
Error: *来年、日本に行くなら、京都に行きたいです。 as an opening statement with no prior situation to respond to.
Correction: This sentence is acceptable once someone has already raised the idea of going to Japan; if you are introducing the idea for the first time rather than responding to it, use たら instead, as in 来年、日本に行ったら、京都に行きたいです。 なら works best as a direct response to something already mentioned.
Error: *予算が何かどうか、わかりません。 combining かどうか with a question word such as 何.
Correction: 予算が足りるかどうか、わかりません。 — かどうか is used only for yes-or-no uncertainty; when the uncertainty concerns a specific piece of information, such as what, when, or who, use a plain question word with か instead, such as 何が必要か.
Chapter Review
Section A — ごい (Vocabulary)
1. Use 天気, 予算, 都合, and 決める each in one sentence about a plan of your own.
Section B — もじ (Script)
1. Write 条件, 選択, 決定, 可能, 無理, and 予算 from memory, and use each one in a short phrase.
Section C — ぶんぽう (Grammar)
1. Write one sentence describing a condition and a result, using たら.
2. Write a short exchange in which someone raises a concern and another person responds, using なら.
3. Write one sentence modeled on this chapter's と examples.
4. Write one sentence stating something not yet decided, using かどうか.
5. Explain, in your own words, the difference between たら and なら.
Section D — どっかいりかい (Reading comprehension)
1. Look again at the planning email in the Reading Practice section. Write two sentences summarizing it in your own words.
Section E — かくこと (Writing)
1. Complete your own written discussion of an undecided plan, following the Writing Workshop steps.
Section F — はなすこと (Speaking)
1. With a partner or instructor, plan an event together, including a condition, a response to a concern, and something still undecided.
Practical Performance Task
パフォーマンスタスク
条件と選択 — Planning an undecided event
Choose a real or imagined event you are helping to plan: a get-together, a trip, or a community activity. Complete all four components below.
- Written plan: Write a connected discussion of at least eight sentences that describes a condition and its result (たら), responds to a concern (なら), notes a natural result (と, modeled on this chapter's examples), and states something still undecided (かどうか), following the Building Block pattern from the Grammar section.
- Spoken plan: With a partner, instructor, or recording, present the same plan aloud, as though updating other volunteers or friends.
- Listening check: Listen to a partner's or instructor's plan update and correctly identify the condition, the response, and the undecided point.
- Reading check: Read a short planning message provided by your instructor or partner and summarize its condition, response, and undecided point in your own words.
Assessment focus: accurate and natural use of たら、なら、and limited と; correct recognition and production of かどうか; correct recognition and production of this chapter's kanji with appropriate furigana; and comprehensible pronunciation with attention to long vowels, moraic ん, and phrase rhythm across a longer connected discussion.
Answer Key
Grammar Practice
1. Model: お金があったら、旅行に行きたいです。 2. Model: A：日曜日は都合が悪いんです。B：日曜日なら、月曜日はどうですか。 3. Model: まっすぐ行くと、駅があります。 4. Model: 予算が足りるかどうか、まだわかりません。 5. Open-ended; check that models combine the four sentences into one connected discussion.
Model Dialogue — Comprehension
- Sato says Saturday is inconvenient, so they agree on Sunday instead.
- Emma suggests making the event a free activity if the budget is a concern.
- The location has not been decided yet; Emma will check whether the park is possible by the end of the week.
Listening task — Model summary
If the weather is good, the event will go ahead at the park as planned. If it rains, it will be moved to a nearby facility, and everyone will be contacted again on the morning of the event. It is not yet clear whether the budget will be enough.
Reading — Comprehension
- If the weather is good, the event will be held at the park; if it is bad, it will be moved to a nearby facility.
- It is not yet clear whether the budget will be enough; the writer says they do not intend to make an unreasonable choice.
- The message asks people who cannot attend to let the organizers know by the end of the week.
Chapter Review — Section A and B
Open-ended; check against the Core Vocabulary and Script and Kanji Focus sections above.
Chapter Review — Section C
Open-ended; models follow the patterns shown in the Grammar section above. For item 5, a correct explanation notes that たら describes a general condition and its result, while なら responds directly to a situation the other person has just raised.
Chapter Review — Section D
Model answer: 天気がよければ公園で、悪ければ近くの施設でイベントが行われる。予算が足りるかどうかはまだ決まっていない。 (Other accurate answers accepted.)
Chapter Review — Section E and F, and Practical Performance Task
These are open-ended production tasks. Evaluate written work against the Writing Workshop checklist above, and evaluate the spoken plan, listening check, and reading check against the assessment focus listed under the Practical Performance Task.
Looking Ahead
いまできること — What you can do now
You can describe a condition and its result using たら, respond to a situation someone has raised using なら, recognize and produce a limited natural-result use of と, and ask or state whether something is decided using かどうか. You can read and listen to planning messages that combine a condition, a response, and an undecided point.