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Formation: V-potential + ものなら (if one could); V-volitional (〜う／よう) + ものなら (if one dared)

Has two distinct uses that depend on the verb form. With a potential verb, it supposes something unlikely or hard to achieve and is followed by a wish or a challenge: 戻れるものなら戻りたい, やれるものならやってみろ. With the volitional form, (よ)うものなら warns that if someone did something even slightly, a terrible result would follow. It is used in both speech and writing, and もんなら is casual. Compared with plain ば or たら, ものなら signals that the condition is unlikely or risky. 〜さえ〜ば ('if only') has no such sense of improbability or danger.

Variants: もんなら、（よ）うものなら

Examples

• できるものなら、学生時代に戻りたい。
  If only I could, I'd go back to my student days.
• 父に口答えしようものなら、大変なことになる。
  If I dared answer my father back, there'd be hell to pay.
• 言えるものなら言ってみろ。
  Go on, say it, if you dare.

In real texts 0 occurrence(s)

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