假如【jiǎrú】

假如 sets up a supposition, and 就 introduces what follows from it. 的话 can close the 假如 clause.

假如 leans towards the imagined. It's the natural choice for "if I were you", for things that can't happen, and for asking what someone would do.

A past event that didn't happen works the same way: the 假如 clause says what would have changed, and 就不会…了 gives the result.

Register

如果 is the everyday "if" and 要是 the most casual. 假如 is more bookish and turns up in essays, stories and hypothetical questions.

Where 就 goes

就 is an adverb: it follows the subject of the second clause.

• × 假如下雨，就我们不去 → 假如下雨，我们就不去