N4 Grammar Guide: Connectives, Conditionals & Potential Form
N4 is where sentences start joining together — five conditionals for "if," the connectives for "because" and "even though," and the potential form for "can."
N5 grammar builds single clauses. N4 connects them — cause and effect, conditions, contrast — which is what makes N4 feel like a real jump in complexity even though the vocabulary load isn't much bigger.
Ten patterns that carry N4
| Pattern | Meaning | Note |
|---|---|---|
| V + し | and, listing reasons | 安いし、おいしいです — it's cheap, and [also] tasty |
| N + でも | but, however | sentence-connecting, not the particle でも meaning "even" |
| V + のに | even though | carries a note of surprise or complaint |
| V + ので | because | softer, more polite than から |
| V + とき | when, at the time | 行くとき — when [I] go |
| V + たら | if / when | the most flexible of the four conditionals |
| V + ば | if | leans formal and general-rule |
| V + と | if... then (automatic result) | a different と from the N5 "and/with" particle |
| N + なら | if (topic-based) | reacts to something already mentioned |
| V-stem + ことができる | can do — potential form | 泳ぐことができる — can swim |
Four ways to say "if" — how to pick one
たら is the safe default — it works in almost any conditional sentence. ば leans toward general or formal conditions ("if prices rise, demand falls"). と describes something that happens automatically and predictably ("if you push this button, the door opens") and can't be used for a request or suggestion in the result clause. なら reacts to a condition someone else just raised — 行くなら、一緒に行きましょう ("if you're going, let's go together") only makes sense as a response to "I'm going."
Watch for reused kana
The と in 友達と話す ("with a friend") and the と in 押すと開く ("if you push, it opens") are two unrelated grammar points that happen to share a syllable — treat them as separate flashcards.
N3 grammar shifts from these core connectives toward more nuanced, often written-register patterns — see our N3 grammar guide once these ten feel solid.
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