〜ば

ば forms the hypothetical conditional — "if X were the case, then Y." 行けば、わかる — "If you go, you'll understand." It's also used for general truths and proverbs: 早起きすれば、健康になる — "If you wake up early, you'll be healthy."

Conjugation: replace the verb's final う-row vowel with え, then add ば. 行く → 行けば, 食べる → 食べれば, ある → あれば, する → すれば, 来る → 来れば. For i-adjectives, replace い with ければ (寒い → 寒ければ). For nouns and na-adjectives, use なら instead (covered separately).

The Y clause with ば typically expresses a consequence or recommendation tied to the if-condition. Unlike と, the consequence doesn't have to be automatic — it can be a recommendation, a result, or a state. But ば still has restrictions: when the X clause has an action verb and the Y clause expresses intention/command/request, you typically need たら instead.

The rule of thumb: ば pairs naturally with stative or general consequences ("if X, then Y is true / Y becomes the case"). For intended actions triggered by a specific event, prefer たら.