Overview
This cluster gathers six conditional patterns that go beyond the basic と／ば／たら／なら, and they split by what the speaker is doing with the “if.” もしも〜たら and とすれば set up a supposition — “let’s suppose X.” さえ～ば isolates a single sufficient condition — “just this one thing is enough.” ばいい gives advice — “you should just ~.” ば～のに expresses counterfactual regret — “if only X had happened, but it didn’t.” といい／たらいい voices a wish or hope — “I hope ~.” The shorthand for students: もしも/とすれば suppose, さえ～ば suffices, ばいい advises, ば～のに regrets, といい wishes. Since all six ride on conditional endings, learning each as a frame with its typical follow-up is the key. The entries below lead with a simple example, then a funny one, and draw the boundaries.
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