JLPT N3 Grammar – Difference between “もし～たら” and “もし～としても”

Table of Contents

1. Difference between “もし～たら” and “もし～としても”
2. もしAたらB
3. もしAとしてもB
4. Let’s Compare
5. Summary
6. Quiz
7. Similar Articles
8. Comment

Q: Is there a difference between “もし～たら” and “もし～としても”?

A: Both are used as conditional forms, but they differ in the situations assumed and their resulting outcomes.

もしAたらB (JLPT N3)

[Meaning]
A represents an unreal situation or state, and B represents an imagined outcome or possibility.

[Rules]
[V] もし＋Verb た form＋ら
[A] もし＋い adjective た form＋ら
[Na] もし＋な djective た form＋ら
[N] もし＋Noun た form＋ら

[Examples]
もし100万まん円えんあったら日本にほんに留学りゅうがくしたいです。
If I had a million yen, I would like to study in Japan.

もし背せが高たかかったらモデルになりたかったです。
If I were taller, I would have wanted to be a model.

もしこの町まちが便利べんりだったらもっと観光かんこう客きゃくが来きたかもしれません。
If this town were more convenient, more tourists might have come.

もし天才てんさいだったら世の中よ　なかの役やくに立たつものを発明はつめいしたいです。
If I were a genius, I would want to invent something useful for the world.

B states a naturally expected result in response to the hypothetical situation in A.

[Examples]
もし雨あめだったら出でかけません。
If it rains, I won’t go out.

もし雨あめじゃなかったら出でかけます。
If it doesn’t rain, I’ll go out.
⇒ Both are generally expected outcomes.

もしAとしてもB (JLPT N3)

[Meaning]
A represents an unreal situation or state, and B represents an imagined outcome or possibility.

[Rules]
[V] もし＋Verb plain form ＋としても
[A] もし＋い adjective plain form ＋としても
[Na] もし＋な adjective plain form ＋としても
[N] もし＋Noun plain form ＋としても

[Examples]
もし1億おく円えんあったとしても仕事しごとを続つづけます。
Even if I had 100 million yen, I would continue working.

もしあの車くるまが安やすいとしても買かいません。
Even if that car were cheap, I wouldn’t buy it.

もしこの町まちが便利べんりだとしても誰だれも来きないでしょう。
Even if this town were convenient, no one would likely come.

もし彼かれがお金持かねもちだとしても結婚けっこんしたくないです。
Even if he were rich, I wouldn’t want to marry him.

This functions similarly to the meaning of “but” in a contradictory sense, meaning “Even if A is true, still B.” In B, it expresses an answer or an outcome that generally wouldn’t be expected from the assumption in A or one that is certain and unchangeable.

[Examples]
もし雨あめだとしても出でかけます。
Even if it rains, I’ll go out.
⇒ Generally, you wouldn’t go out if it’s raining, but the intention to go out doesn’t change.

もし走はしったとしてもバスは行いってしまうよ。
Even if I run, the bus will leave.
⇒ Even if you assume the person will run as hard as they can, it doesn’t change the fact that the bus will depart on time.

Let’s Compare

Both forms use A to describe an unreal situation or state, while B expresses an imagined result or possibility.

“もしAたらB” indicates that the assumption in A affects or changes B, whereas “もしAとしてもB” implies that A does not influence B.

In other words, “もしAたらB,” describes one of the various results or possibilities that could arise from the assumption in A. In contrast, “もしAとしてもB” only expresses a single possibility, often conveying a firm decision or resolve.

[Examples]
もし100万まん円えんあったら日本にほんに留学りゅうがくしたいです。
If I had a million yen, I would like to study in Japan.
⇒ This sentence assumes having a million yen and imagines the result of studying in Japan with that amount. Since studying abroad is only possible if there’s a million yen, the presence or absence of “a million yen” in A affects the outcome of studying abroad in B.

もし1億おく円えんあったとしても仕事しごとを続つづけます。
Even if I had 100 million yen, I would continue working.
⇒ Here, we assume having 100 million yen, even though it doesn’t exist. In this case, whether or not there’s 100 million yen does not change the decision to continue working, so the presence or absence of the money in A doesn’t affect B (continuing to work). This also conveys a firm determination to continue working regardless of wealth.

Now, which of the following is correct?

[例れい]
Q：もし明日あした雨あめだったらどうする？　
VS
もし明日あした雨あめだったとしてもどうする？
A：うちにいよう。

The answer is “もし雨あめだったら…” (if it rains…).
When the speaker asks the listener about a hypothetical situation, “もし〜たら” is used.

Summary

[もし～たら]

• Expresses one possible outcome among various results or possibilities imagined from a given assumption.
• States a natural result that is generally expected from the assumption.

[もし～としても]

• Does not change the outcome or possibilities due to the assumption.
• States an outcome that is generally not expected or considered from the assumption.

Quiz

Read the following sentence and choose the expression that fits the context from the options provided in the parentheses.

Click on the question to check the answer.

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