～と
when / whenever (natural result)
The conditional ～と connects two clauses so that whenever the first one holds, the second one follows naturally, automatically, or habitually. It is made by putting と after a plain non-past verb or adjective, and it matches English “when ...” or “whenever ...”.
Unlike ～たら, which can describe a one-time event or a personal decision, ～と is used for results that reliably follow whenever the condition is met.
1. Natural and habitual results
Use ～と for things that happen as a law of nature or as a regular habit.
春になると桜が咲く。
“When spring comes, the cherry trees bloom.”
- 春（はる）= spring
- に = result marker (into, used with なる)
- なると = when (it) becomes
- 桜（さくら）= cherry trees, cherry blossoms
- が = subject marker
- 咲く（さく）= to bloom
2. Machines, directions, and fixed outcomes
～と is the natural choice for explaining how machines work or what always happens in a certain situation.
このボタンを押すと、ドアが開きます。
“When you press this button, the door opens.”
- この = this
- ボタン = button
- を = object marker
- 押すと（おすと）= when (you) press
- ドア = door
- が = subject marker
- 開きます（あきます）= opens
How to form it
Plain non-past form + と
- なる = to become → なると = when (it) becomes
- 押す（おす）= to press → 押すと（おすと）= when (you) press
- 食べる（たべる）= to eat → 食べると（たべると）= when (you) eat
Key idea
Think of ～と as “X leads to Y, every time”. If the result is automatic, natural, or habitual rather than a one-off choice, ～と is the conditional you want.
Other N4 grammar
Updated .