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Use of なら

thesuker

先輩
20 May 2014
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I've started studying なら and I don't quite understand it's use. The examples given are:

* ブラジルに行ったことがありますか。
- メキシコなら行ったことがありますが、ブラジルは行ったことがありません。

* 日本語がわかりますか。
- ひらがなならわかります。

In the first example, what would the difference be with an answer without なら?
In the second example, the textbook translates the sentence as: If it's in hiragana, yes. Is なら a way of forming conditional sentences?
 
Yes, なら is a conditional. What textbook are you using?
 
In the first example, what would the difference be with an answer without なら?
In those two examples, なら works as a contrastive marker. It's similar to は, but is used in response to what was said.

なら
[副助]《断定の助動詞「なり」の未然形から》体言に付く。話題となるものを取り上げて示す。…について言えば。「母―間もなく帰ると思います」
なら[副助並助]の意味 - 国語辞書 - goo辞書
 
So the idea behind it is a bit like that of だけ?

Also, this is from an exercise in the book. Would the answers be a correct use of なら?

外国語ができますか。 ええ、英語とスペイン語ならできます。
日本の料理が作れますか。 ええ、寿司なら作れます。
有名人にあったことがありますか。 いいえ、平常な人ならあったことがあります (not sure if 平常人 is correct, used 平常 from a dictionary)
楽器ができますか。 ええ、ギタ-ならできます。
お金が貸せますか。 ええ、1000円なら貸せます。
 
Last edited:
Not really. Unlike だけ, なら doesn't limit the target. For instance, ギタ-ならできます doesn't mean they can only play guitar. It just emphasizes it. (Actually, there is an expression だけなら.)
 
Now I'm really confused. The book says the idea behind なら is limitation and contrast. Wouldn't ギターならできます be: I can play the guitar, in contrast to other instruments, which I can't?
 
Now I'm really confused. The book says the idea behind なら is limitation and contrast. Wouldn't ギターならできます be: I can play the guitar, in contrast to other instruments, which I can't?

In contrast to what was already specifically mentioned by the other person.
 
It's one of the examples given in the Genki II textbook. It is explained as that a smaller part, hiragana, is brought up and contrasted with a larger part, the language as a whole.
 
This particular use of なら expresses a distinction we would typically do with stress in English. Compare the difference:

Q. Can you play an instrument?
A. I can play guitar.

Q. Can you play an instrument?
A. I can play guitar.
 
オ-ケ-。分かりました。ありがとうございます、とりとりべさん、マイクさん。
 
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