When it comes to: 〜となると・〜となれば
N / plain form + となると／となれば／となったら
N / plain form + となると (となれば, となったら): when the situation becomes concrete or moves up a level, the judgement changes (difficulty, hesitation, necessity). Neutral register.
In short
〜となると presents a situation that becomes real or moves up a level, and announces that, in that case, the judgement changes: “when it actually comes to, if it comes to, once it's a matter of”. The typical pattern: in theory it's simple, but once it gets concrete, it's another story (いざ結婚となると、迷ってしまう). となれば and となったら are variants. Neutral register, in speech as in writing.
- いざ結婚となると、やはり迷ってしまう。いざけっこんとなると、やはりまよってしまう。When it actually comes to getting married, you end up hesitating after all.
- 社長が来るとなれば、準備をしっかりしなければならない。しゃちょうがくるとなれば、じゅんびをしっかりしなければならない。If it's the president who's coming, we need to prepare properly.
- 日本語は話せるが、敬語となると自信がない。にほんごははなせるが、けいごとなるとじしんがない。I can speak Japanese, but when it comes to keigo, I'm not confident.
- 家を買うとなったら、まず貯金をしないと。いえをかうとなったら、まずちょきんをしないと。If we're going to buy a house, we'll have to start saving first.
The basics
となる is “to become (a situation)”. So となると is “when it becomes X”: the speaker moves from a general or theoretical idea to a concrete case, and notices that the outlook changes. You feel less sure of yourself, or you need to take steps.
It's often used with いざ (“when the moment comes”) or to contrast two levels: speaking Japanese, yes; keigo is another matter.
I can speak Japanese, but when it comes to keigo, I'm not confident.
- verb
- noun
- grammatical form
- adjective
- 旅行は楽しいが、計画を立てるとなると面倒だ。りょこうはたのしいが、けいかくをたてるとなるとめんどうだ。Travelling is fun, but when it comes to planning everything, it's a pain.
- 名古屋から東京まで歩くとなると、何日かかるだろう。なごやからとうきょうまであるくとなると、なんにちかかるだろう。If it came to walking from Nagoya to Tokyo, how many days would it take?
How to form it
With a noun, attach it directly (敬語となると). With a verb, use the plain form (来る, 来た). The second part expresses a judgement, a difficulty or a necessity: 大変だ, 自信がない, 〜なければならない, 〜だろう.
| Form | Example | Nuance |
|---|---|---|
| N + となると | 敬語となると | when it comes to X |
| plain form + となると | 社長が来るとなると | if X becomes real |
| 〜となれば | 引っ越すとなれば | same meaning, slightly more resolute tone |
| 〜となったら | 家を買うとなったら | more spoken |
- 留学するとなれば、お金がかなり必要だ。りゅうがくするとなれば、おかねがかなりひつようだ。If it's a matter of studying abroad, you need quite a lot of money.
- 本当に会社をやめるとなったら、家族に相談しないと。ほんとうにかいしゃをやめるとなったら、かぞくにそうだんしないと。If I really do quit the company, I'll have to talk it over with my family.
となると, と, なら, となる
と (N4) is an automatic, repeated condition: 春になると花が咲く. なら (N4) picks up what the other person says to give advice: 名古屋に行くなら、みそかつを食べて. となると stresses the change of situation: now that it's concrete, or if it becomes so, the picture changes. ともなると, even stronger, will come at N1.
Don't confuse it with the plain verb となる (“to become”) either: 来年、部長となる means “he'll become department head next year”.
| Expression | Idea | Example |
|---|---|---|
| と | automatic condition | 春になると花が咲く |
| なら | picking up the topic, advice | 行くなら早めに |
| となると | when the situation becomes concrete | いざ本番となると緊張する |
| となる | become (plain verb) | 来年、部長となる |
- 春になると、名古屋城の桜が咲く。はるになると、なごやじょうのさくらがさく。In spring, the cherry trees at Nagoya Castle bloom.
- 練習では上手に話せるのに、本番となると緊張してしまう。れんしゅうではじょうずにはなせるのに、ほんばんとなるときんちょうしてしまう。In practice I speak well, but on the day itself, I tense up.
Common mistakes
- Using it for a simple automatic repetition: “春となると花が咲く” is clumsy; you say 春になると.
- Confusing it with the verb となる: 部長となる = “become department head”; 部長となると = “when it comes to the department head”.
- Expecting a neutral follow-up: となると nearly always announces a difficulty, a hesitation or a step to be taken.
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 N2 point is on the Meikō Line (The economy and trade) of the Nagoya lines.