Learning guides
Understand readings and expressions, then put them into practice with review and mock tests.
〜てください: asking someone to act
Attach ください to the te-form to ask someone to act. Compare requests for an action, requests for an item, and requests not to do something, while considering how direct they sound.
Permission and prohibition
These patterns distinguish what is allowed from what is prohibited. A question asking permission differs from a request for help in who is expected to act.
Obligation: must I, or is it optional?
〜なければならない expresses a requirement, while 〜なくてもいい says that something is not necessary. Interpret these negative-looking forms as complete expressions.
Invitations, suggestions, and offers
ませんか, ましょう, and ましょうか invite different kinds of responses. Consider who will act and how much agreement the speaker is assuming.
より, ほうが, and いちばん
Track the reference point and the item being compared. Keep both items in view so that affirmative and negative patterns do not reverse the comparison in your interpretation.
前に, あとで, and てから
Different forms connect actions with 'before' and 'after.' Distinguish the time of the whole sentence from the order of the two actions.
とき: timing two events
とき means 'when,' but a verb's non-past or ta-form can change the timing relationship. Distinguish the sentence's past reference from completion relative to another event.
から and ので: giving reasons
から and ので both connect reasons, but differ in form and tone. Avoid treating one as always rude or the other as automatically objective.
Choosing たら, と, なら, or ば
Japanese conditionals do not all express the same kind of 'if.' Choose according to the expected result, the sequence of actions, and any situation introduced by the other person.
〜たことがある: talking about experience
Asking about experience differs from asking what happened on a particular day. Use ta-form + ことがある for experience and compare it with an ordinary past statement.
つもり and 予定: intentions and plans
An intention and an arranged plan are not quite the same. Learn how to connect つもり and 予定 without treating either as a guarantee about the future.
あげる, くれる, and もらう
The same gift exchange can be described with different verbs depending on viewpoint. Identify the giver, the recipient, and the speaker separately.
Putting a description before a noun
Japanese places a verb-based description before a noun, as in 'the book I bought yesterday.' In longer phrases, find the head noun at the end and read its preceding description as one unit.
と and と思う: words and thoughts
Quotative と marks the content of speech or thought. Track the subject and time inside that content separately from the person speaking or thinking in the main sentence.
そうです: reports and appearances
降るそうです and 降りそうです differ by one character but rely on different evidence. Distinguish relaying information from making a judgment based on current signs.
こそあど: things and places
これ, それ, and あれ depend on distance and conversational context. Also distinguish forms that stand alone from forms that must precede a noun.
Counters: what are you counting?
Japanese quantities usually use a counter suited to the item. A number's pronunciation can change with its counter, so learn the combination as a unit.
Clock time and duration
Three o'clock and three hours are different kinds of information. Distinguish 時, 分, and 時間 so that appointment times and durations do not get confused.
Family terms: whose family?
Japanese family terms depend not just on the relationship, but on whose family you mean and whom you are addressing. Separate descriptions to outsiders from direct forms of address at home.
Respectful and humble language
Honorific language is not a rule for making every verb longer. Identify who acts and who is being shown respect before choosing a respectful or humble expression.
The passive: describing the affected side
The same event can be described through its actor or the person affected. Read the passive ending together with the person marked by に.
The causative: instructions and permission
A causative relates someone to an action they cause or allow another person to perform. Use the context to distinguish instructions from permission and identify who acts.
〜てある: a state left by someone's action
A window being open and someone having left it open have different emphases. Read transitive verb + てある as a state remaining from a deliberate action.
〜ておく: preparing for what comes next
Finishing an action and preparing for a later need are not the same. With ておく, look for what is being prepared for or which state is to be maintained.
〜てしまう: completion and regret
Reading てしまう as a mistake every time can distort an intentional completion. Distinguish emphasis on finishing from an emotional response to an unexpected result.
〜ながら: two actions by the same person
Listing activities is different from doing them simultaneously. Check who performs each action around ながら and whether the actions overlap.
ために and ように: goals and desired states
Do not choose a purpose expression from the translation 'in order to' alone. Consider whether the goal is an intended action or a state to achieve or avoid.
ようになる and ようにする: change and effort
Becoming able to do something differs from consciously trying to do it. Read the choice of なる or する together with the preceding verb.
のに: a result that contrasts with expectations
A result that follows from a reason differs from one that defies expectations. With のに, compare what the first fact led you to expect with the outcome in the later clause.
ところ and ばかり: stages and recent completion
Changing the verb before ところ changes the stage: about to start, in progress, or just finished. Compare these stages with the sense of recency in たばかり.