Learn Hardcore Japanese: hayaku ie wo dereba, kaigi ni maniaimasu. - If I leave the house early, I will be on time for the meeting.

早い (hayai) is an adjective meaning “early” or “fast.”
When you want to modify a verb, Japanese usually turns an -い adjective into an adverb by changing -い to -く.

早い → 早く
早く出る = “to leave early”

So in 早く　家を　出れば, 早く is an adverb modifying the verb 出る (to leave), giving “leave early.”
You cannot say ✕ 早い家を出れば here; that would sound like “if I leave an early house,” which is wrong.

What does 家を出る literally mean, and why is the particle を used with 家?

家を出る (いえをでる) literally means “to exit the house” → “to leave home.”

家 (いえ) = house/home
を here marks the place you move out of
出る = to go out / to leave

In this usage, を marks the starting point you’re physically leaving.

You might have learned から as “from,” like 家から出る, which is also possible.
Nuance:

家を出る – very standard, idiomatic “leave home,” often for daily routine.
家から出る – “go out from the house” (more neutral description of the starting point).

In everyday speech, 家を出る is extremely common and natural for “leave home.”

What does the 〜ば form 出れば mean exactly?

出れば is the conditional form of 出る.

出る = to leave / to go out
出れば = “if (someone) leaves / goes out”

So:

早く家を出れば = “If (you / I / we) leave home early”

Japanese often omits the subject; here the subject is understood from context (usually “I” or “you”).

The 〜ば conditional often implies “if this condition is satisfied, this (natural/expected) result will follow.”
So the sentence means something like:

“If you leave home early, you will make it to the meeting on time.”

What’s the difference between using 〜ば (出れば) and 〜たら (出たら) here?

Both are conditionals, and both would be grammatically fine:

早く家を出れば、会議に間に合います。
早く家を出たら、会議に間に合います。

General nuance (very simplified):

〜ば:
- Often feels a bit more logical or “if this condition is fulfilled, this result naturally follows.”
- Slightly more neutral/formal in tone.
〜たら:
- Very common in spoken Japanese.
- Often feels like “when/if this happens, then that will happen.”
- Can be more event-based / situational.

In this sentence, the difference is small. Both are natural.
If you want a safe, everyday conversational choice, 早く家を出たら、会議に間に合います。 is very common; 〜ば is just a bit more “textbook-logical” but still perfectly natural.

Why does 会議 use the particle に in 会議に間に合います?

会議 (かいぎ) = “meeting.”

With 間に合う (まにあう), the thing you are in time for is marked by に:

電車に間に合う – be in time for the train
試験に間に合う – be in time for the exam
会議に間に合う – be in time for the meeting

So 会議に is like English “for the meeting.”
The pattern is:

[event] + に + 間に合う = “make it in time for [event]”

What exactly does 間に合います mean here, and what is its dictionary form?

間に合います is the polite -ます form of the verb 間に合う.

間 (あいだ) = interval / gap / time between
間に合う literally: “to fit within the interval (of time)”
→ idiomatically: “to be in time; to make it in time.”

Dictionary form: 間に合う
Polite form: 間に合います

So:

会議に間に合います。 = “(I / you / we) will be in time for the meeting / will make it to the meeting on time.”

Why is the Japanese verb in polite present (間に合います) when the meaning is about the future?

Japanese “present” tense (〜ます / dictionary form) covers both:

present habitual (what generally happens)
future (what will happen)

So:

会議に間に合います。 can mean
- “(I / you) am/are (generally) in time for the meeting”
- or, in context like this sentence, “(I / you) will be in time for the meeting.”

The conditional + present pattern (〜ば、〜ます) often implies a future result:

早く家を出れば、会議に間に合います。
→ “If you leave home early, you’ll be in time for the meeting.”

Can I change the word order, like 家を早く出れば instead of 早く家を出れば?

Yes, you can say:

早く家を出れば、会議に間に合います。
家を早く出れば、会議に間に合います。

Both are grammatical.

Nuance:

早く家を出れば – focuses slightly on “leaving home early” as a set phrase.
家を早く出れば – may sound a tiny bit more like you’re emphasizing the timing of leaving the house, but the difference is small.

早く家を出る is probably the more common-sounding order, but both are fine and understandable.

Why is there no word for “I” or “you” in the sentence?

Japanese often omits subjects and even objects when they are clear from context.

In this kind of sentence, the implied subject is usually “you” (giving advice) or “I” (talking about my plan).

So:

早く家を出れば、会議に間に合います。
could be understood as:
- “If you leave home early, you will be in time for the meeting.”
- or “If I leave home early, I will be in time for the meeting.”

If you really want to say it explicitly, you can, for example:

私が早く家を出れば、会議に間に合います。 – “If I leave home early, I’ll be in time for the meeting.”
あなたが早く家を出れば、会議に間に合います。 – “If you leave home early, you’ll be in time for the meeting.”

In natural Japanese, though, these pronouns are often dropped.

How do you read 家, and what’s the difference between いえ (家) and うち?

In this sentence, 家 is read いえ (ie).

家 (いえ) – “house / home” (more physical/neutral)
うち – can also mean “home,” but also “my place,” “my family,” or even “we / our side” depending on context.

Here, 早く家を出れば is neutral: “if (I/you) leave home early.”

You could also say 早くうちを出れば in conversation to sound more informal and personal (“if I leave my place early”), but 家を出る is the very standard expression you’ll see in textbooks.

Could I use 速く instead of 早く here? What’s the difference?

Both 早く and 速く are read はやく (hayaku), but their kanji and common usage differ:

早く – relates more to time → “early, soon”
速く – relates more to speed → “fast, quickly”

In practice:

早く起きる – wake up early
早く家を出る – leave home early
速く走る – run fast
車が速く走る – the car runs fast

In 早く家を出れば, we’re talking about leaving earlier in time, not “leaving at high speed,” so 早く is the correct and natural one.

Can this sentence sound like advice, as in “You should leave early”?

Yes. While the literal structure is “If you leave early, you will be in time,” in real conversation it often functions as soft advice:

早く家を出れば、会議に間に合いますよ。
→ “If you leave home early, you’ll make it in time for the meeting (so you should leave early).”

Adding よ at the end makes it sound more like giving friendly information/advice.

If you want more direct “should,” you might see patterns like:

会議に間に合うためには、早く家を出たほうがいいですよ。
– “To be in time for the meeting, you’d better leave home early.”

How would this sentence look in a more casual (non-ます) form?

Change 間に合います (polite) to 間に合う (plain):

Polite: 早く家を出れば、会議に間に合います。
Casual: 早く家を出れば、会議に間に合う。

If you’re talking to a friend, you might also add a sentence-ending particle:

早く家を出れば、会議に間に合うよ。
– “If you leave home early, you’ll make it in time (you know).”

Can I use 〜と instead of 〜ば, like 早く家を出ると、会議に間に合います?

Yes, 早く家を出ると、会議に間に合います。 is grammatically correct.

Nuance of 〜と:

Often expresses what always happens when a condition is met — a regular / automatic result, sometimes close to “whenever.”
- Example: 春になると、暖かくなります。 – “When it becomes spring, it gets warm.”

In this sentence:

早く家を出ると、会議に間に合います。
can sound like “Whenever I leave home early, I (always) get to the meeting on time.”

〜ば here sounds a bit more like a general logical “if (you do X), (Y will result),” which suits a one-time future situation better. Both are possible; the nuance differs slightly.