〜たら

## What it means たら means 'if ~' or 'when ~', and it's the most flexible, everyday way to talk about conditions in Japanese, it covers hypothetical situations and simple sequences alike.

## When to use it To make たら, take the **plain past (た) form** of a verb or adjective and add ら: 食べた → 食べたら. For な-adjectives and nouns, add だったら. It can express a hypothetical 'if' (もし時間があったら、手伝います) or a simple 'once/after' (家に着いたら、電話してください).

## Don't confuse it with たら and と (covered elsewhere) can both mean 'if/when', but と only works for things that happen automatically every time, while たら also works for one-time plans, invitations, and commands, making it the safer default when you're unsure. Just don't forget たら starts from the **plain past** form, even when talking about the future.