Introduction
Have you ever wanted to say “It doesn’t look like…” in Japanese?
For example:
- How do you say “I probably can’t meet my partner tomorrow”?
- How do you say “This restaurant is so crowded that we probably can’t get in right away”?
In this article, you will learn ～そうもない / ～そうにない, a useful derived pattern from the N4 grammar ～そうだ (It looks like ~ / It seems ~).
1. Meaning: What do ～そうもない / ～そうにない mean?
～そうもない and ～そうにない mean:
- it doesn’t look like…
- probably won’t…
- there seems to be no chance of…
They express the speaker’s guess that an action is unlikely to happen.
Core idea
You already know the N4 pattern:
- 雨が降りそうだ。
It looks like it is going to rain.
With ～そうもない / ～そうにない, the meaning becomes negative:
- 雨が降りそうもない。
It doesn’t look like it’s going to rain.
So this pattern is used when the speaker thinks:
“From the situation now, V probably will not happen.”
～そうもない vs ～そうにない
These two forms have almost the same meaning, and in most cases they can be used interchangeably. For example:
- 終わりそうもない
- 終わりそうにない
Both mean something like “it doesn’t look like it will finish.”
If we want to point out a very small nuance difference:
- ～そうもない can sound a little more subjective, as if the speaker is saying,
“I do not think this will happen.” - ～そうにない can sound a little more objective, as if the speaker is making a judgment or outlook that “the possibility of this happening is low.”
However, this difference is very subtle. In actual usage, the meaning is nearly the same, and in almost all cases, they are interchangeable.
2. Formation
Basic pattern
Vます-stem + そうもない
Vます-stem + そうにない
| ます-form | stem | そうもない・そうにない |
|---|---|---|
| できます I can do | でき | できそうもない できそうにない |
| 終わります It ends | 終わり | 終わりそうもない 終わりそうにない |
| （雨が）やみます It stops (raining) | やみ | やみそうもない やみそうにない |
Important note: only with verbs
This pattern is used with verbs, not adjectives.
- おいしい (delicious) → ✖
おいしそうもない、おいしそうにない - げんき (energetic) → ✖
げんきそうもない、げんきそうにない
For adjective-based “doesn’t look…” expressions, Japanese usually uses ～なさそう instead:
- おいしくなさそう (or おいしそうじゃない、おいしそうではない)
- げんきじゃなさそう (or げんきそうじゃない、げんきそうではない)
Common tendency
This grammar is often used with potential forms, such as:
- 行ける
- 会える
- できる
That is because many sentences express the idea of “probably can’t do X.”
How to make it polite (Formal forms)
When speaking politely (Desu/Masu form), you have two options for the ending:
- 終わりそうもないです (Casual polite – common in daily conversation)
- 終わりそうもありません (A bit more formal)
Both are natural and correct.
3. Useful Examples
このレポートは締切までに終わりそうにない。
I don’t think I’ll be able to finish this report by the deadline.
今年は忙しくて、海外旅行には行けそうもありません。
I am busy this year, so it does not look like I can go on an overseas trip.
雨は夜までやみそうにありません。
It does not look like the rain will stop until tonight.
電車が遅れていて、約束の時間に間に合いそうにありません。
The train is delayed, so it does not look like I will make it on time.
4. Related grammar (comparison)
～そうだ (It looks like ~ / It seems ~)
This is the base pattern.
- 会えそうだ。
It looks like I can meet them. - 終わりそうだ。
It looks like it will finish.
By contrast:
- 会えそうもない / 会えそうにない。
It does not look like I can meet them. - 終わりそうもない / 終わりそうにない。
It does not look like it will finish.
So:
- ～そうだ = likely to happen
- ～そうもない / ～そうにない = unlikely to happen
～なさそう
This is used mainly with adjectives, not verbs.
- おいしくなさそう。
It does not look delicious. - 元気じゃなさそう。
He does not look well.
～そうな / ～そうに
～そうな and ～そうに let you use ～そうだ to modify something else.
- ～そうな + N = N that looks/seems…
- ～そうに + V = do V in a way that looks/seems…
Example:
- 雨が降りそうだ (It looks like it’s going to rain)＋天気 (weather)
→ 雨が降りそうな天気 (weather that looks like it will rain) - うれしい (happy)＋笑う (to laugh)
→ うれしそうに笑う (smiling happily)
～ないそうだ
Learners sometimes confuse Vます-stem + そうにない with V-nai form + そうだ. They look similar but have completely different meanings.
- Guess: 雨は降りそうにない
It doesn’t look like it will rain. (Based on what you see now) - Hearsay: 雨は降らないそうだ
I heard that it won’t rain. (Based on the weather forecast or news)
5. Practice
Translate the following English into Japanese using ～そうもない or ～そうにない.
| English | Example Answer |
|---|---|
| It doesn’t look like I can finish this report by tomorrow. | このレポートを明日までに終わらせられそうにない。 |
| It doesn’t look like we can get tickets. | チケットを取れそうもない。 |
| It doesn’t look like the meeting will end soon. | 会議はすぐには終わりそうにない。 |
FAQ
- QCan I use ～そうにない with adjectives? Like おいしそうにない?
- A
No, this pattern is strictly for verbs. If you want to say an adjective “doesn’t look…”, you must use ～なさそう.
- ❌ おいしそうにない (Incorrect)
- ✅ おいしくなさそう (Correct: It doesn’t look delicious)
- QWhich is more common, ～そうにない or ～そうもない?
- A
Both are very common! ～そうにない sounds slightly more neutral and standard, making it very safe for any situation. ～そうもない is highly common in spoken Japanese when the speaker wants to emphasize that they feel there is absolutely no chance of something happening.
- QCan I use this grammar for my own actions? Like “I don’t look like I will go”?
- A
Usually, you don’t use it for your own intentional actions (e.g., “I won’t go”). However, it is very natural to use it with your own potential actions (ability).
- ❌ 私は行きそうにない。(Unnatural: “I don’t look like I will go.”)
- ✅ 私は行けそうにない。(Natural: “It doesn’t look like I can go.”)
Conclusion
In this article, you learned how to use ～そうもない / ～そうにない, a derived form of N4 ～そうだ, to express that something does not look likely to happen.
With this grammar, you can now:
- say naturally that an action is probably not going to happen,
- use both ～そうもない and ～そうにない with confidence,
- and clearly distinguish this pattern from ～そうだ and adjective-based ～なさそう.
