[Serie: All About Japanese Particles]
* 1. After a potential verb or –ō/-yō form of a verb, indicates a condition and result, with an added sense of censure or threat: “if … then.”
あなたにできるものなら、やってみてください。
Anata ni dekiru mono nara, yatte mite kudasai.
If it’s something you can do, go ahead and do it. / If you think you can do it, go ahead and try.
政治家がそんなばかなことをしようものなら、国民は黙っていませんよ。
Seiji-ka ga sonna baka na koto o shiyō mono nara, kokumin wa damatte imasen yo.
If the politicians do something stupid like that, the people aren’t going to keep quiet about it.
*2. Indicates a condition and bad result: “if … then.”
課長がそんなやり方をしようものなら、部下は課長を全然信頼しなくなるでしょうね。
Kachō ga sonna yarikata o shiyō mono nara, buka wa kachō o zenzen shinrai shinaku naru deshō ne.
If the section chief goes about it in that way, his subordinates will lose all faith in him.
これ以上仕事を続けようものなら、あなたは死んでしまいますよ。
Kore ijō shigoto o tsuzukeyō mono nara, anata wa shinde shimai-masu yo.
If you work anymore [any harder] than this, you’re going to die, you know. / If you continue working the way you are now, you will end up killing yourself.
*3. Indicates a condition and bad result: “if … then.”
空を飛べるものなら飛んでみたい。
Sora o toberu mono nara tonde mitai.
If it were possible to fly [in the sky], I would like to try it.
会社へ行かなくていいものなら行きたくない。
Kaisha e ikanakute ii mono nara ikitaku nai.
If it were all right not to go to work, I wouldn’t [want to] go. / I wouldn’t go to work if I didn’t have to.
– Source: All about particles – A handbook of Japanese function words –
