Usages of 〜nakereba
私 は 無理な 約束 は しない。 時間 が なければ 行ける はず が ない から だ。watasi ha murina yakusoku ha sinai. zikan ga nakereba ikeru hazu ga nai kara da.
I don’t make impossible promises, because if I don’t have time, there’s no way I can go.
宿題 を 出さなければ、 先生 に 注意されます。syukudai wo dasanakereba, sensei ni tyuuisaremasu.
If you don’t turn in your homework, you will be warned by the teacher.
私 は 新品 より 中古 を 買って、 気 に 入らなければ 交換します。watasi ha sinpin yori tyuuko wo katte, ki ni iranakereba koukansimasu.
I buy used rather than new, and if I don’t like it I exchange it.
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“How do verb conjugations work in Japanese?”
Japanese verbs conjugate based on tense, politeness, and mood. For example, the polite present form adds ‑ます to the verb stem, while the past tense uses ‑ました. Unlike English, Japanese verbs don't change based on the subject — the same form works for "I", "you", and "they".
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