文法JLPT N5 grammar
61 grammar patterns with meanings, usage and examples
- ～ないといけないnaitoikenai Must; have toStates that not doing the action would cause a problem, and therefore that the action is necessary. It is common in everyday speech.
- ～なくちゃいけないnakutyaikenai Have to; must, conversationallyA conversational contraction of なくてはいけない. It expresses a requirement or something that must be done.
- ～だけdake Only; justLimits a statement to the named amount, action or item. Unlike しか, it does not require a negative predicate.
- ～からkara Because; sinceIntroduces the reason for a following result, decision or request. The reason can also follow the result as a separate explanatory sentence.
- ～のがnoga Nominalizing an action as a subjectTurns a verb clause into a noun-like unit that can serve as the subject of a predicate, especially liking, skill or difficulty.
- ～のをnowo Nominalizing an action as an objectMakes a clause the object of a verb such as 忘れる, 知る or 見る. For example, an entire action can be what someone forgot.
- ～のはnoha Nominalizing an action as a topicMakes an action or event the topic for a judgment, explanation or identifying statement. The clause ending before の can be positive, negative or past...
- ～もう～ましたmou-masita Already did; have done yet?Shows that an action has already been completed. The question asks whether completion has occurred by now.
- ～まだ～ていませんmada-teimasen Have not done yet; still continuingWith a negative predicate, states that an expected action or change has not happened yet. With a positive continuing predicate, まだ means still.
- so sánh hơn ～より; ～より + ～ のほうがyori More than; the comparative formCompares A with B, with the item before より serving as the reference point. のほうが explicitly identifies the side having the greater degree.
- ～ほど～ないhoda-nai Not as much as; not as adjective asUses B as a benchmark and states that A does not reach the same degree. It can compare qualities, amounts or frequency.
- ～と同じtoonaji The same asStates that two things are the same in the relevant respect. The aspect being compared can be expressed explicitly, such as publisher or appearance.
- のなかで～がいちばん～nonakade-gaichiban The most among; the best withinIdentifies the member with the greatest degree of a quality within a stated group. 一番 can be written in kanji or hiragana.
- ～になるninaru Become; turn intoDescribes a change into a new status or state. With a noun it can indicate becoming a student, a holiday or another category.
- ～も～ないmo-nai Even if, still notCombines a concessive condition with a negative result: even when the first condition holds, the action or result in the second part does not occur.
- ～たり～たり ～するtaritari Do things such as; alternately doLists representative actions without claiming they are the complete set. する at the end carries tense and politeness.
- ～ているteiru Be doing; be in a resulting state; do habituallyDescribes an action in progress, a continuing result or a repeated activity. The meaning depends strongly on the type of verb and the surrounding time...
- ～ことがあるkotogaaru Sometimes do; there are occasions whenStates that an event happens on some occasions. It describes occasional occurrence, not necessarily past experience.
- ～ないことがある Sometimes do not; there are occasions when notDescribes occasions on which an action does not take place. It can be used for irregular behavior or a result that sometimes fails to occur.
- ～たことがあるtakotogaaru Have done before; have the experience ofStates that an experience has occurred at least once before. The negative ことがない means the person has never had that experience.
- ～や～など Things such as; and othersNames representative items from a larger, non-exhaustive set. など reinforces the sense of and so on.
- ～のでnode Because; since; asGives a reason or circumstance for the following statement. It often presents the reason as background and is common in explanations and considerate r...
- ～でしょう？ Isn't it?; right?; confirming an expectationWith a confirmation-seeking intonation, asks the listener to agree with something the speaker expects to be true.
- ～多分～でしょう Probably; most likelyCombines the adverb probably with a tentative prediction. The speaker considers the proposition likely but does not present it as certain.
- ～と思いますtoomoimasu I think thatIntroduces the content of an opinion or belief. The clause before と takes its own appropriate plain tense and polarity.
- ～と言います Say; be calledMarks the content of speech with quotation と. It can quote exact words or report the meaning, and と言います is also used when stating a name.
- ～まえにmaeni BeforePlaces an action before another event or activity. A verb before 前に remains in dictionary form even when the main sentence describes the past.
- ～てからtekara After doing; since doingStates that one action is completed before the next takes place. It can also mark the starting event of a continuing period.
- ～あとで、atode AfterPlaces an action after another event. Unlike てから, it can simply locate the later action in time without emphasizing a strict procedural sequence.
- ～時toki When; at the time thatIntroduces the occasion or time of another event. A verb's dictionary or past form can indicate whether the referenced action is before or after compl...