さえ〜ば details
write + if only ...
kaki saesureba
if only ...; all it takes is ...
meaning: if you just write
少し待ちさえすればすぐ順番が来るよ。
sukoshi machi saesureba sugu junban ga kuru yo.
Your turn will come right away if you just wait a bit. casual
お金さえあれば旅行に行けるのに。
okane sae areba ryokou ni ikeru noni.
If only I had the money, I could go on the trip. casual
- colloquial
Examples
if only you {V}, [that alone is enough] — a minimal sufficient condition for the result named
少し待ちさえすればすぐ順番が来るよ。
sukoshi machisaesureba sugu junban ga kuru yo.
Your turn will come right away if you just wait a bit. casual
この単語を覚えさえすれば、試験は大丈夫です。
kono tango o oboesaesureba, shiken wa daijoubu desu.
You'll be fine on the exam if you just memorize this word. neutral
Nさえあれば — if only you had N, [everything else follows]
お金さえあれば旅行に行けるのに。
okane sae areba ryokou ni ikeru noni.
If only I had the money, I could go on the trip. casual
時間さえあれば、もっと勉強したいです。
jikan sae areba, motto benkyou shitai desu.
If only I had the time, I'd like to study more. neutral
皆様のご協力さえあれば、このプロジェクトは必ず成功いたします。
minasama no go kyouryoku sae areba, kono purojekuto wa kanarazu seikou itashimasu.
With just your cooperation, this project will certainly succeed. formal
Formation
{V-masu-stem}さえすればattaches to ます-stem{N}さえあればattaches to noun
Variant notes
- さえすりゃ — brisk-spoken contraction of すれば→すりゃ, common in blunt advice — 謝[あやま]りさえすりゃいいんだよ
Notes
tense. Animate nouns take さえいれば instead — 犬さえいれば, not
×犬さえあれば — あれば is for things only.
Related patterns
Similar
さえ states a bare fact about a single extreme case (子供さえ分かる); さえ〜ば takes that same extreme-case logic and turns it into a minimal sufficient condition for a result — 子供さえ分かればいい says a child's understanding alone is enough.
Lookalikes
ば alone states a plain condition (食べれば); さえすれば adds さえ to say that this one minimal action ALONE is enough, but the frame is masu-stem＋さえ＋する's own ば-form (食べ＋さえ＋すれば), not さえ spliced into the verb's native ば-form — ×食べれさえば is wrong, and so is dropping する support entirely as ×食べさえば／×食べさえあれば, an error transferred from the noun row's Nさえあれば, where ある genuinely needs no する.