318. 若使 zák sz‘, 若是 zog ’sz, 若然 zog zén, 倘或 ’t’ong wóh, 倘使 ’t’ong sz‘, 倘然 ’t’ong zén, are used in the sense of if: 旣然 kí‘ zén is if it was already so.
- 若使勿看見末, 就歸來 zák sz‘ veh k’ön‘ kíen‘ meh, dzieu‘ kü lé, if you do not see him, return at once.
Obs. The verbs 使, 是, and adverb 然 lose their primary sense, and form in colloquial usage merely a terminating syllable to the conjunction with which they combine.
319. Even if is expressed by 就是 dzieu‘ ’zz, 也怕 ’á p’ó‘ 那裏怕 ’á ’lí p’ó‘.
- 就是其哭, 也勿要憑其 dzieu‘ ’zz gí k’óh, ’á veh yau‘ bing gí, even if he cries, do not yield to him.
- 也怕嘸末銅錢, 總勿要去偷人家 ’á p’ó‘ m meh dóng díen, ’tsóng veh yau‘ k’í‘ t’eu niun ká, even if you have no money, you must not steal from others.
320. If, with the negative is represented 勿然 veh zén, or 再勿然 tsé‘ veh zén, should it not be so.
- 快點撥勒我, 勿然我要去者 k’wá ’tíen peh ’lá ’ngú, veh zén ’ngú yau‘ k’í‘ ’tsé, If you do not give it me quickly, I shall go.
- 再勿然我自家去 tsé‘ veh zen ’ngú zz‘ ká k’í‘, if is so, I shall go myself.
Obs. This amounts to an entire omission of the if, for 然 zén is an adverb so. In fact, the if is often not used in affirmative sentences as well as negative.
321. The conjunctional phrases suppose that, for instance, for example, are expressed by 比方 ’pí fong, 譬如 p’í zû, 猶如 yeu zû, etc.
- 比方死之末那能 ’pí fong ’sí tsz meh ná‘ nung, if you should die, what then?
- 猶之乎 yeu tsz hú, just as if.
- 猶如 yeu zû, ib.