Structure
Verb[volitional] + ものなら/もんなら + Phrase
Details
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Standard
使用域
一般
Rare Kanji
物
About ものなら②
ものなら is a combination of the noun もの ‘thing’, and the hypothetical form of the auxiliary verb だ, なら ‘if’. Common translations include ‘If you were to (A), (B)’, of ‘if (A) happens, (B)’. In this particular use of ものなら, (A) will be a verb in its volitional form, and (B) will be some sort of negative result that would come about from that. Let’s have a look at a few examples.
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彼女の誕生日を忘れようものなら、一日中機嫌が悪くなる。If you were to forget her birthday, she would be in a bad mood all day.
- このレポートを出し忘れようものなら、今までの努力が水の泡だ。All of our efforts would be worth nothing, if I happen to forget to submit this paper.
- 以前同じようなことで炎上したから、また似たようなことで炎上しようものならこの業界から干されるに違いない。Since we went under fire with something similar before, if we go under fire for something similar again, I am sure we would be sidelined from this industry.
Fun Fact
なら is often translated as ‘if’ in many textbooks and online resources, but knowing that it is just a conjugation of だ ‘is’, the more literal translation is ‘were’. This ‘were’ behaves exactly the same way in English in hypothetical situations, so may potentially be better if you would like to avoid confusion between other ‘if’ grammar patterns like ば, と, and たら. An example of this can be seen in sentences like ‘were it to rain tomorrow, then I would need an umbrella’. Because of this, it is recommended to memorize なら purely as ‘were’, rather than the ‘if’ interpretation that is usually attached to it.Examples
しのぶさんはとても血を恐れている。万が一、一滴でも血を見ようものなら気絶してしまうはずだ。
Shinobu is completely terrified of blood. If she were to see even one drop of it by chance, she would faint for sure.
ブラッド・ピットに出逢おうものなら、死んでしまう。
If I were to run into Brad Pitt, I would die.
Sometimes exaggerations might follow verb volitional-ものなら.
秘密を打ち明けようものなら、彼女はすぐに他の奴らにしゃべってしまうだろう。
If you happen to tell her a secret, she will quickly spill it to others.
万が一このプロジェクトが失敗しようものなら、我々は終わりだ。
If this project were to fail, we'd be finished.
うっかり彼のお菓子を食べようものなら、きっと、ものすごく彼にしかられるはずだ。
If you were to go and eat his sweets, you would be scolded for sure.
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