なら details

Examples

if — taking up what was just said or assumed, often to advise or offer

京都きょうとに行いくなら、朝あさいちばんの新幹線しんかんせんが楽らくだよ。

kyouto ni iku nara, asa ichiban no shinkansen ga raku da yo.

If you're going to Kyoto, the first shinkansen of the morning is the easy way. casual

中古ちゅうこでもいいなら、半額はんがくで手てに入はいりますよ。

chuuko demo ii nara, hangaku de te ni hairimasu yo.

If secondhand is fine with you, you can get it for half price. neutral

as for N — なら as a soft topic marker picking out what the listener asked about

部長ぶちょうなら、さっき出でかけましたよ。

buchou nara, sakki dekakemashita yo.

If it's the manager you're after, he went out a little while ago. neutral

Nouns and na-adjectives attach bare — ×学生だなら. The だ drops before なら, unlike と (学生だと) and たら (学生だったら).

たら
たら fires only after its condition completes (着いたら＝once you have arrived); なら takes something already said or assumed as its premise, so the main clause may even precede the condition in time — 行くなら早く出ろ.