Grammar Info

N3 Lesson 9: 15/23

できればIf possible

Structure

できれば + Phrase
できたら + Phrase

Details

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About できれば・できたら

Remembering that する has no potential form, the replacement る - Verb できる 'to amount to' will often be used in conjunction with particles, to indicate whether the possibility of amounting to something exists. The conjunction particles ば or たら will most frequently be used. できれば and できたら are usually translated simply as 'if possible'.

Both できれば and できたら will come at the start of a sentence, before the following statement will express some (desired) outcome.

Caution

As ば and たら are the only 'hypothetical' indicators that can express the process toward potential outcomes, using なら or と would be be illogical. This can be visualized as follows:

(A) できると - Will express the result after achieving (A), not what is required to get there.

(A) できるなら - As なら is just the hypothetical form of だ, It is used to make guesses about what could happen if the situation of (A) exists, not how that situation can be used to produce some other result.

Examples

--:--

    できたら運転(うんてん)して欲(ほ)しいです。

    If possible, I want you to drive.

    できればお弁当(べんとう)を作(つく)って欲(ほ)しいな。

    If possible, I would like you to make me a bento.

    できれば本人(ほんにん)と会(あ)って話(はなし)がしたい。

    If possible, I would like to talk with him directly.

    それができたら嬉(うれ)しいんですけど。

    If it's possible for you to do that, I would appreciate it.

    できればあの会社(かいしゃ)で働(はたら)きたい。

    If possible, I want to work at that company.

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      できれば・できたら – Grammar Discussion

      Most Recent Replies (6 in total)

      • mrnoone

        mrnoone

      • qc

        qc

        Remembering that する has no potential form

        Isn’t したい the potential form?

      • nekoyama

        nekoyama

        Only with a very positive upbringing, where your parents constantly told you that you can do (potential form → できる) everything you want to do (したい).

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