Supposing that: 〜としたら・〜とすれば
plain form + としたら / とすれば / とすると
plain form (Noun / な-adj + だ) + としたら / とすれば: “supposing that”, an uncertain or imaginary hypothesis. For a real or certain condition, it's たら.
In short
〜としたら sets up a hypothesis in order to draw a consequence from it: “supposing that, if by any chance, if (really)”. The hypothesis is often unlikely, imaginary, or a piece of information not yet checked. とすれば and とすると mean almost the same, a little more logical and written.
- もし百万円あったとしたら、何に使いますか。もしひゃくまんえんあったとしたら、なににつかいますか。If you had a million yen, what would you spend it on?
- その話が本当だとしたら、大変なことだ。そのはなしがほんとうだとしたら、たいへんなことだ。If that story is true, it's serious.
- 今から出るとすれば、京都には三時ごろ着く。いまからでるとすれば、きょうとにはさんじごろつく。If we leave now, we'll get to Kyoto around 3 p.m.
The basics
と (quotation) + したら (“if one does”): “if one posits that…”. You put a situation in quotation marks, suppose it's true, and look at what would follow. It's the tool of imagination (“if I were rich”) and of reasoning (“if that's true, then…”) — English “supposing”, “if”, “were it the case that”.
The hypothesis is almost always uncertain: you don't know whether it'll happen, or it's downright impossible.
If you had a million yen, what would you spend it on?
- other
- noun
- verb
- grammatical form
- もし一日だけ透明人間になれるとしたら、何をする？もしいちにちだけとうめいにんげんになれるとしたら、なにをする？If you could be invisible for just one day, what would you do?
How to form it
You quote a sentence in the plain form (present or past): verbs and い-adjectives as they are, nouns and な-adjectives with だ. Add としたら, とすれば or とすると. もし at the start strengthens the hypothesis.
| Type | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| verb | plain form + としたら | 行けるとしたら |
| い-adjective | plain form + としたら | 高いとしたら |
| な-adjective | 〜だ + としたら | 暇だとしたら |
| noun | 〜だ + としたら | 本当だとしたら |
| variants | とすれば / とすると | 行くとすれば |
- 旅行に行くとすれば、春がいい。りょこうにいくとすれば、はるがいい。If we were to go on a trip, spring would be ideal.
- だれかが窓を開けたとすると、中から開けたことになる。だれかがまどをあけたとすると、なかからあけたことになる。If someone opened the window, then it must have been from the inside.
としたら, たら, なら: which to choose?
〜たら (N4) is used for a real condition, even for something certain (駅に着いたら電話して: “call me when you get there”). 〜なら picks up what the other person has just said (京都に行くなら, “if you're going to Kyoto (as you say)”). 〜としたら stresses that the thing is supposed, imagined, even unreal.
In other words: if the thing is bound to happen, としたら is impossible.
| Sentence | What it assumes |
|---|---|
| 駅に着いたら電話して | you'll arrive, that's certain |
| 京都に行くなら、春がいい | you told me you're going |
| もし京都に住めるとしたら | it's a dream, unlikely |
- 京都に行くなら、春がいいですよ。きょうとにいくなら、はるがいいですよ。If you're going to Kyoto, spring is a good time.
- もし京都に住めるとしたら、毎日お寺を回りたい。もしきょうとにすめるとしたら、まいにちおてらをまわりたい。If I could live in Kyoto, I'd visit temples every day.
Common mistakes
- Using it for a certain condition (“when you arrive”): that's 〜たら.
- Forgetting だ after a noun or a な-adjective: 本当だとしたら, not “本当としたら”.
- Mixing up としたら (supposing that) and としても (even supposing that): the first draws a consequence, the second concedes.
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 N3 point is on the Kintetsu Kyōto Line (Competition and danger) of the Kyoto lines.