Learn Hardcore Japanese: hayaku okireba, gakkou ni maniaimasu. - If I wake up early, I will be on time for school.

起きれば is the ～ば conditional form of the ichidan verb 起きる (“to wake up”). For ichidan verbs, drop る and add れば, so 起きる → 起き + れば = 起きれば. This expresses “if (someone) wakes up…”

Why is 早く used before 起きれば, and what does it modify?

早く is the adverbial form of 早い (“early”). It modifies 起きる, telling us how you wake up—“wake up early.” Adverbs like 早く typically come before the verb they modify.

Why is 学校 marked with に in 学校に間に合います?

In the phrase 間に合う (“to be in time” / “to make it”), the particle に marks the target or goal you’re making it to. So 学校に間に合います literally means “(you) make it to school on time.”

What does 間に合います literally mean, and how is it constructed?

It’s built from 間 (“interval”/“time”) + に (location/target marker) + 合う (“to meet”/“to fit”). Together 間に合う means “to meet the time” or “to be in time.” Here it’s in polite non-past form 間に合います, “(you) will make it (on time).”

Why is the conditional clause in plain form (起きれば), but 間に合います is in the polite form?

Japanese marks politeness at the end of the sentence. Intermediate verb forms (like the ～ば conditional) stay in plain form; only the final verb uses the polite ～ます form. Hence 起きれば (plain) + 間に合います (polite).

Why is there no subject in this sentence?

Japanese often omits subjects when they’re clear from context. Here the implied subject is “you” (or “I,” depending on the situation), so it’s dropped.

Could you use other conditional forms like ～たら or ～と instead of ～ば? What’s the difference?

Yes. You could say:

早く起きたら、学校に間に合います。
早く起きると、学校に間に合います。 Roughly: • ～ば: general or hypothetical condition (“If you wake up early…”).
• ～たら: more neutral or time-focused (“Once you’ve woken up early…”).
• ～と: indicates a natural or inevitable result, often habitual (“Whenever you wake up early, you make it…”).
All three work for simple “if” statements, but each carries a slight nuance.