All would be lost: 〜ばそれまでだ
動詞ば形 + それまでだ
Verb in ば + それまでだ: “if that happens, all is lost, it's over”. Not to be confused with 〜までだ, “I'll just have to”.
In short
〜ばそれまでだ means “if X happens, that's the end of it; everything you've done is wasted”. どんなに準備しても、雨が降ればそれまでだ: you can prepare everything, and rain alone is enough to ruin it all. It's a slightly disillusioned observation, in speech as in writing, often to warn or to put things in perspective.
- どんなに準備しても、当日雨が降ればそれまでだ。どんなにじゅんびしても、とうじつあめがふればそれまでだ。However well you prepare, if it rains on the day, it all comes to nothing.
- お金をいくら貯めても、死んでしまえばそれまでだ。おかねをいくらためても、しんでしまえばそれまでだ。You can save as much money as you like, but once you're dead, that's the end of it.
- 高い機械を買っても、使い方が分からなければそれまでだ。たかいきかいをかっても、つかいかたがわからなければそれまでだ。Buying an expensive machine is pointless if you don't know how to use it.
The basics
それまで means “up to that point”. 〜ばそれまでだ: “if X happens, everything stops there”. All the effort, money or preparation invested beforehand loses its value in one go — English “and that's that”, “it's all for nothing”.
The sentence often opens with どんなに〜ても or いくら〜ても, showing everything that's been done, before ばそれまでだ sweeps it away.
However well you prepare, if it rains, it all comes to nothing.
- verb
- noun
- grammatical form
- いくら才能があっても、努力しなければそれまでだ。いくらさいのうがあっても、どりょくしなければそれまでだ。Talent is worthless if you don't put in the work.
- いくら作業を進めても、保存する前に停電になればそれまでだ。いくらさぎょうをすすめても、ほぞんするまえにていでんになればそれまでだ。You can get as far as you like with the job, but if there's a power cut before you save, it's all lost.
How to form it
Verb in the ば-form (or the たら-form) + それまでだ. You also come across それまでのことだ, slightly more resigned. In the past: それまでだった.
| Form | Example | Nuance |
|---|---|---|
| 〜ばそれまでだ | 雨が降ればそれまでだ | standard form |
| 〜たらそれまでだ | 断られたらそれまでだ | more spoken |
| 〜ばそれまでのことだ | 失敗すればそれまでのことだ | “too bad”, resignation |
- 断られたらそれまでだが、とにかく頼んでみよう。ことわられたらそれまでだが、とにかくたのんでみよう。If he says no, too bad, but let's ask him anyway.
ばそれまでだ or までだ?
The two look alike but say almost the opposite. 〜ばそれまでだ: “if it happens, it's all over” (a dead end). Verb + までだ (N1, covered later): “I'll just have to, I'll settle for” (a simple solution when everything else fails).
〜たら最後 announces something that never stops (寝たら最後、起きない); ばそれまで announces that everything stops.
| Form | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 〜ばそれまでだ | if it happens, all is lost | 雨が降ればそれまでだ |
| 〜までだ | I'll just have to… | バスがないなら歩くまでだ |
| 〜たら最後 | once done, there's no going back | 寝たら最後、起きない |
- 誰も手伝ってくれないなら、一人でやるまでだ。だれもてつだってくれないなら、ひとりでやるまでだ。If nobody will help me, I'll just do it myself, that's all.
- 彼女は一度眠ったら最後、朝まで起きない。かのじょはいちどねむったらさいご、あさまでおきない。Once she's asleep, she doesn't wake up until morning.
Common mistakes
- Confusing it with 〜までだ: 歩いて帰るまでだ (“I'll walk home, that's all”) is nothing like a disaster.
- Forgetting the conditional form: “×雨が降るそれまでだ” is wrong; you need 降れば or 降ったら.
- Reading it as “until that moment”: here それまで means “it's over, nothing more”.
7 exercises on this point
Particles to choose, sentences to put back in order, translations: marked straight away, then reviewed at the right time. This JLPT N1 point is on the Yamagata Line (Science and medicine) of the Shinkansen.