"IF you can read this" in Japanese?????

[rpgherogaz]

Ok i want to say

"If you can read this..."

To read is "yomu".

if condition is "kereba".

Potential form of "yomu" is "yomeru".

Base 2 form + conditional....

Yomekereba????

So if i say....

これを読めければ、良くできました！
If you can read this, well done!


Is that right guys?

[Javizy]

The ~ば-form of verbs is formed by changing the last syllable to the corresponding え-row; ければ is only used for い-adjectives.

読む　＞　読めば
読める　＞　読めれば
知る　＞　知れば
遅れる　＞　遅れれば
書く　＞　書けば

これを読めればよくできました。

I think that sentence is okay, but I can't say for sure. I think 「よくできた」and the more informal 「でかした」 are used when you're in a superior position (teacher, parent, etc), so they can sound a little condescending or rude if used out of place.

[rpgherogaz]

aa thank you for that.

I did read about the i adjective rule, but the following from TimeWerx wbsite confused me.

* Ojii-san ga sugu kaeranakereba watashi wa makudonarudo ni ikimasu. (If Grandpa doesn't return soon I'm going to McDonald's.)
* Miki ga heya o tsukawanakereba Junko wa tsukaitai desu. (If Miki isn't going to use the room Junko wants to use it.)
* Naoko wa kasa o karinakereba (kanojo wa) koukai suru deshou. 1 (If Naoko doesn't borrow an umbrella she'll probably regret it.)

Is it used because of the "nai" acting like a I adjective then?

Same with "tai"?

* Terebi o mitakereba, yuushoku o hayaku tabenasai. (If you want to watch TV, hurry and eat your dinner.)
* Shichiji no densha ni noritakereba, ashita hayaku okimashou. (If you want to make the 7:00 train, let's get up early tomorrow.)

[Javizy]

Yeah, たい and ない share the same conjugation rules as い-adjectives. If you're not sure, for な-adjectives you can add either one of the following without a change in meaning:

好きならば
好きであれば

美人であれば電話する。
If she's hot, I'll call her.
先生ならば教えてもらおう。
If he's a teacher, let's get him to teach us.
バカであればアイツの意見を聞かない方がいいよ。
If he's an idiot, you shouldn't listen to his opinion.

であれば is just the ば form of the literary copula form である, which is used with な-adjectives/nouns for a number of other structures you'll come across.

[rpgherogaz]

My kanji knowlegde is dismal compared to yours meaning I cant fully understand your examples, however, i do get what you are teaching!

nai = "naraba" OR "de areba".

de aru i think can mean "to exist as" so that makes good sence.


i adjectives = kereba
na adjectives = naraba / deareba
conjugations = e-form -ba (yomu -> yomeru -> yomereba)

invaluable stuff, thank you

[Javizy]

Sorry, two of those are nouns, I thought I'd mentioned that, but I didn't. Nouns are treated the same as な-adjectives.

美人(びじん)であれば電話(でんわ)する。
If she's hot (lit: if she's a hottie), I'll call her.
先生(せんせい)ならば教(おし)えてもらおう。
If he's a teacher, let's get him to teach us.

i adjectives = remove i and add kereba (yoi > yokereba)
na adjectives = naraba / deareba (suki naraba / deareba)
nouns = naraba / deareba (sensei naraba / deareba
verbs (all types) = e-form + ba (yomu -> yomeru -> yomereba)

Conjugation is the easy part, the tricky part is knowing when to use ば over と、たら、なら. I'd recommend A Dictionary of Basic Japanese Grammar for the answer to that one. For each entry it has easy-to-follow conjugation rules, a good number of example sentences, the most in-depth usage notes I've seen, and comparisons between similar expressions.

[rpgherogaz]

Yes you have mentioned before to get that book, im just waiting for it to come in the post

Thank you again, your time is always welcomed!

Just one thing, if I may, the sensei sentence," sensei naraba, oshiete mo ra aru"

oshiete = oshieru = in inform, teach
mo = also
ra aru = ?

[Javizy]

That was もらおう moraou, the volitional form of もらう. てもらう means something like 'get/have someone (to) do something for you', and the volitional just expresses the person's will to do something. Giving and receiving verbs are covered in the book, if you're still a bit iffy on them. You'll find that even reading the stuff you've already learnt will be beneficial, since there's a lot of detail in there.