At a glance
～さえ means "even" when it marks an extreme example. With a conditional (ば/たら), it means "as long as" or "if only", showing that one thing is enough.
Noun + さえ even
Noun + さえ + ～ば / ～たら as long as, if only
Verb stem + さえ + すれば as long as (someone) does
忙しくて、寝る時間さえありません。 I'm so busy that I don't even have time to sleep.
How to form it
さえ attaches to nouns, verbs and adjectives. It works in both polite and casual speech.
| Attaches to | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun (subject or object) | Noun + さえ (replaces が / を) | 名前さえ書けない |
| Noun + other particle | Noun + に / で + さえ | 子供にさえ分かる |
| Noun + condition | Noun + さえ + ～ば | お金さえあれば |
| Negative condition | Noun + さえ + ～なければ | 雨さえ降らなければ |
| Verb + condition | Verb stem + さえ + すれば | 飲みさえすれば |
| い-adjective + condition | ～く + さえ + あれば | 安くさえあれば |
| な-adjective + condition | ～で + さえ + あれば | 静かでさえあれば |
With a verb, add する after さえ: 食べさえすれば, 食べさえしなければ.