At a glance
〜たら最後 means "once (something) happens, there is no going back". It says that after one action, a situation follows that cannot be stopped or undone, usually a bad one.
Verb た-form + ら最後、[result that can't be stopped or undone]
彼は飲み始めたら最後、朝まで止まらない。 Once he starts drinking, he doesn't stop until morning.
How to form it
Make the verb's た-form, then add ら最後. This is the same as the たら conditional plus 最後.
| Verb group | Dictionary form | たら最後 form |
|---|---|---|
| う-verb | 飲む | 飲んだら最後 |
| う-verb | 言う | 言ったら最後 |
| る-verb | 食べる | 食べたら最後 |
| する | サインする | サインしたら最後 |
| 来る | 来る | 来たら最後 |
Register: relatively colloquial and common in conversation. The variant 〜たが最後 means the same thing and is more literary.