〜も〜ば〜も

Both...and...

Level 3Sounds Like mo~ba~mo

Use this pattern to emphasize that two or more things are true at the same time. It creates a balanced, structured feel, often used to describe a wide range of traits or a comprehensive situation.

How It Works

The 〜も〜ば〜も pattern is a formal listing structure used to describe multiple traits or facts that exist together. It emphasizes that a subject has a variety of characteristics, typically grouping similar traits (all positive or all negative) or 'complementary opposites' that form a complete set (like 'ups and downs').

1. Formation Rules:
The structure requires two parts, each marked with the particle も. The first part uses a conditional form.

  • Verbs: N1も V1-ば、N2も V2 (e.g., 歌（うた）も歌（うた）えば、ピアノも弾（ひ）く)
  • Verb Stem Variation: V-stemもすれば、...もする (e.g., 掃除（そうじ）もすれば料理（りょうり）もする — 'Does cleaning and also does cooking')
  • I-Adjectives: N1も A1-ければ、N2も A2 (e.g., 値段（ねだん）も安（やす）ければ、味（あじ）もいい)
  • Na-Adjectives: N1も Na1-なら、N2も Na2 (e.g., 歌（うた）も上手（じょうず）なら、踊（おど）りも上手（じょうず）だ)
  • Nouns: N1も N1-なら、N2も N2 (e.g., 親（おや）も親（おや）なら、子（こ）も子（こ）だ — 'Like parent, like child')
  • Negative Form: N1も V1-なければ、N2も V2-ない (e.g., お金（かね）もなければ、時間（じかん）もない — 'Have neither money nor time')

2. Nuance and Register:
This pattern is more literary and structured than using し or simply repeating も. It creates a sense of balance and completeness. It is frequently used in formal writing, speeches, and proverbs.

3. Parallelism and Opposites:
Usually, the items listed share a similar 'vibe'. However, it can also be used to show a wide range of possibilities by pairing natural opposites: '人生（じんせい）には楽（たの）しいこともあれば、苦（くる）しいこともある' (In life, there are both fun times and painful times). It should not be used to list unrelated traits with conflicting valences (e.g., 'He is both smart and mean' is better expressed with が).

Examples (4)

  1. 人生には楽しいこともあれば、苦しいこともある。

    In life, there are both joyful times and painful times.

    Word by Word: Life-in-as-for, joyful things-also-if-exist, painful things-also-exist.

    This uses the verb ある in its conditional form あれば to show that both joy and pain are natural parts of life.

  2. 彼は勉強もできれば、スポーツも得意だ。

    He is not only good at studying but also excels at sports.

    Word by Word: He-as-for, study-also-if-can-do, sports-also-specialty-is.

    Here, the potential verb ことができる is used in its conditional form できれば to list two positive skills.

  3. このレストランは、料理もまずければサービスも最悪だ。

    At this restaurant, the food is bad and the service is the worst.

    Word by Word: This restaurant-as-for, cooking-also-if-bad, service-also-worst-is.

    This example shows the pattern used with an い-adjective (まずい → まずければ) to list two negative qualities.

  4. あの人は歌も上手なら、ダンスも上手だ。

    That person is good at both singing and dancing.

    Word by Word: That person-as-for, singing-also-if-skillful, dancing-also-skillful-is.

    For な-adjectives like 上手（じょうず）, the conditional form なら is used.

Common Mistakes

  • Using 〜たら instead of 〜ば/〜なら.

    値段も安かったら味もいい。
    値段も安ければ味もいい。

    Even though 〜たら is a common conditional, this specific parallel listing pattern strictly requires the 〜ば or 〜なら form.

  • Mixing unrelated positive and negative traits.

    彼は頭もよければ性格も悪い。
    彼は頭はいいが、性格は悪い。

    This pattern usually lists items with the same 'valence' (both good or both bad). While it can be used for 'complementary opposites' that form a natural pair (like 'joy and sorrow' or 'rich and poor'), it sounds unnatural when listing unrelated traits with different valences, like 'smart' and 'mean'.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

〜も〜ば〜もLevel 3Both...and...

Learn This First

To understand '〜も〜ば〜も', you first need to know how the particle 'も' functions to mean 'also' or 'too'. Additionally, you must be familiar with the 'ば' conditional conjugation for verbs and adjectives, as it is used here to link two parallel descriptions or qualities.

Words in This Pattern