N4 Conditional Forms

~たら: meaning, usage and examples

~たら means: if, when, after, once.

Updated 9 November 2026 · By the My Senpai team · Spotted a mistake? Tell us

Examples

1. 雨あめが止やんだら、出でかけましょう。

   When the rain stops, let's go out.

2. 暑あつかったら、窓まどを開あけてください。

   If it's hot, please open the window.

3. 駅えきに着ついたら、電話でんわしてください。

   Please call me when you get to the station.

4. 暇ひまだったら、一緒いっしょに映画えいがを見みませんか。

   If you are free, would you like to watch a movie together?

When to use it

たら means "if" for something that may or may not happen, and "when" or "once" for something that will happen: 駅えきに着ついたら電話でんわしてください (Call me once you reach the station). The first action is complete before the second. It is the most flexible conditional and the safest choice in everyday conversation.

Nuance

Casual to neutral; very common in speech. Unlike と and ば, the second half can be a request, invitation, plan or wish. With a past main clause, it can show a surprise discovery: 家いえに帰かえったら、荷物にもつが届とどいていた (When I got home, a package had arrived).

Compare

たら vs なら: たら means A happens first, then B (日本にほんに行いったら、すしを食たべたい: after arriving). なら allows B before A (日本にほんに行いくなら、カメラを買かったほうがいい: buy it before you go). たら vs と: と is for automatic results and cannot take requests. たら vs ば: ば stresses the condition; たら stresses the order.

Tip: When you are not sure which conditional to use, たら is usually the safest choice in conversation. Form it from the た-form you already know: 行いった -> 行いったら.

More on this in Japanese conditionals: tara, ba, nara and to.