Learn Japanese with Anime - If You Do Not Fight, You Can't Win (Attack on Titan)

Analysis

勝てなきゃ死ぬ

勝(か)て(て)なきゃ means “if you can’t win”. It’s the contracted form of 勝(か)て(て)なければ which is the negative conditional form (if … not) of the potential verb 勝(か)て(て)る(る) meaning “can win”. To make the negative conditional form, take the nai-form, remove the い in the end and attach ければ or きゃ.

死(し)ぬ(ぬ) means “you die” or “you will die”.

So the first sentence 勝(か)て(て)なきゃ死(し)ぬ(ぬ) means “if you can’t win, you will die”.

勝てば生きる

勝(か)て(て)ば(ば) means “if you win”. It’s the conditional form of the verb 勝(か)つ(つ) meaning “to win”. To make the conditional form, switch the last hiragana of the dictionary form which is from the う-line to the え-line and attach ば.

生(い)き(き)る(る) means “you live” or “you will live” which is the opposite word of 死(し)ぬ(ぬ).

So the second sentence 勝(か)て(て)ば(ば)生(い)き(き)る(る) means “if you win you will live”.

戦わなければ勝てない

戦(たたか)わ(わ)な(な)け(け)れ(れ)ば(ば) means “if you do not fight”. It’s the negative conditional form of the verb 戦(たたか)う(う) meaning “to fight”. The nai-form is 戦(たたか)わ(わ)な(な)い(い), so remove the い in the end and attach ければ which is the negative conditional form.

勝(か)て(て)な(な)い(い) means “you can’t win”. It’s the nai-form of the potential verb 勝(か)て(て)る(る).

So the last sentence 戦(たたか)わ(わ)な(な)け(け)れ(れ)ば(ば)勝(か)て(て)な(な)い(い) means “if you do not fight you can’t win”.

戦(たたか)わ(わ)な(な)け(け)れ(れ)ば(ば) can be contracted into 戦(たたか)わ(わ)な(な)き(き)ゃ(ゃ), but non-contracted form is often used for emphasis or used in formal speech. In this case, it’s used for emphasis to strongly persuade themselves to fight.