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I know in Mandarin, it is easy to say something like "if" by using a statement akin to this:

如果我要去北京的話,我就用飛機。

When I looked up the word "if" in Cantonese, my dictionary brought back the following:

如果

若果

假如

若然 ...

And many others. What is the best catch all that is similar to 如果?

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    如果 is the most common word for "if" in Cantonese too
    – Tang Ho
    Sep 26, 2022 at 1:11
  • I'll be interesting if someone could pair up "if", "perhaps", "maybe", "perchance", "tentatively", with 如果, 若果, 如, 假如, 若然? Sep 26, 2022 at 4:19
  • Other common conditionals in colloquial Beijing Mandarin are 要是 and the elliptical ... 就...; pairing these up with English can be futile, as the levels of conditionality differ.
    – Michaelyus
    Sep 28, 2022 at 13:57

1 Answer 1

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如果、假如、若 is the most common phrases to express "if" conditions.

若果..? i have never used it.

若然 ... This phrase express a affirmative context instead of if condition. BUT it is really rare to use or hear the phrase. You may see it by reading some article or books.

i.e. 氣象預報說今天會下雨(forecast says it will rain today!),若然(若 means IF, 然 means it really happens!),你就得帶傘去學校!

BTW, you can say 用坐飛機的方式去北京 or just use "坐飛機、坐火車、坐車、坐船去北京". (or 搭飛機、搭火車、搭車、搭船)

用飛機 sounds like you fly a plane, even though a native user can understand you mean "take a plane".

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  • Thanks for clarifying further!
    – user31212
    Sep 29, 2022 at 0:48

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