How to Say ‘If the ball comes’ in Japanese
ボールがきたら
booru ga ki tara
[boh-roo gah kee tah-rah]
💬 Usage Tip: [〜たら] is “if/when.” In soccer: [ボールがきたら、トラップして] (“When it comes, trap it”).
🇯🇵 In Japan: Japanese coaching often chains instructions using [〜たら] to make simple “if-then” rules.
Phrase Breakdown
ボール
booru
[boh-roo]
ball
Soccer ball. Used constantly in simple coaching instructions for kids.
ボールがきたら、トラップしてね。
When the ball comes, trap it, okay?
が
ga
[gah]
(subject marker)
Particle marking the subject: ‘ボールが’ = ‘the ball (does)…’.
ボールがきたら、まえをみよう。
When the ball comes, look forward.
き
ki
[kee]
come (past/conditional part)
From 来る (くる). Here it’s ‘きたら’ = ‘if/when it comes’.
ボールがきたら、まんなかにき。
When the ball comes, (start of) come to the middle.
たら
tara
[tah-rah]
if/when (conditional)
‘〜たら’ conditional: ‘when/if X happens, then…’. Very useful for coaching decision rules.
ボールがきたら、サイドにひろがって。
When the ball comes, spread out to the side.
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