The Meaning of dattara [だったら] In Japanese

だったら
だったら
Romaji: dattara N5

What does だったら mean?

Translation and Meaning

if that was, in that case, then

Definition

What does だったら mean? It expresses a hypothetical condition based on a preceding situation and signals a consequence or decision in that scenario, functioning as a versatile conditional discourse connector. It combines the past copula with the conditional ら to refer to imagined or assumed states and to propose a next action or response.

Type

grammar form (conjunction) in English, Japanese: 接続詞

Stroke Order

Meanings

  • Conditional connector indicating that a situation is being assumed and a consequence or action follows.
  • Discourse marker meaning in that case or then, used to steer the conversation toward a proposal.
  • Casual to neutral register, common in spoken Japanese rather than formal writing.

Usage

Used after a clause describing a past or hypothetical state with だった, だったら attaches to that clause to present a condition and a corresponding outcome. In speech it signals planning, decision making, or negotiation, and is typically more casual than formal alternatives such as でしたら or それなら. It can be followed by a proposal, suggestion, or question about the next step.
💡 Tips
Mnemonic: think DAT + TARA as that + then — when you hear dattara, imagine turning a statement about a past situation into a plan for what to do next: if that were the case, then …

Variations

  • それなら (sorenara) – in that case, then
  • なら (nara) – if, in case
  • だったらね (dattara ne) – casual emphatic variant

Example Phrases

  • だったらこの道をまっすぐ行けば、駅に着くよ。
    Dattara kono michi o massugu ikeba, eki ni tsuku yo.
    If that’s the case, go straight along this road and you’ll reach the station.
    Lista:
    • だったら (dattara) – if that’s the case
    • この (kono) – this
    • 道を (michi o) – road (object marker)
    • まっすぐ (massugu) – straight
    • 行けば (ikeba) – if you go
    • 駅に着くよ (eki ni tsuku yo) – you’ll reach the station
    The word 「だったら」 is the conditional form of 「だ」, meaning ‘if that’s the case’.
だったら