Welcome to Level 2, Lesson 5!
In Japanese communication, it’s often essential to convey information you’ve heard, make educated guesses about situations, or discuss what would happen under certain conditions. Lesson 5 at gokigen japanese blog introduces you to core patterns that will significantly enhance your ability to do just that.
The main goals of this lesson are to enable you to express hearsay/report information, make conjectures/estimations, and discuss hypotheses/conditions.
Key grammar patterns and expressions you will master in this lesson include:
- Hearsay / Reporting Information (~そうです / 〜って): Learn how to accurately report what you’ve heard from others or from news. Use (short form) + そうです (sou desu) for a general, slightly formal report (e.g., ニュースによると、明日台風が来るそうです – According to the news, a typhoon is coming tomorrow). For a more casual way to report, use (short form) + って (tte) (e.g., 田中さんが来ないって言ってたよ – Tanaka said he’s not coming).
- Conditional (~たら): Master the versatile conditional form V/adj-た + ら (tara). This pattern is used to express “if ~” or “when ~” and is crucial for discussing hypothetical situations or consequences (e.g., 日本へ行ったら、寿司を食べたいです – If I go to Japan, I want to eat sushi).
- Expressing Lack of Necessity (~なくてもいいです): Learn how to tell someone they “don’t have to do ~” something or that “it’s okay not to do ~” it, using V-なくて + もいいです (nakute mo ii desu) (e.g., 無理しなくてもいいですよ – You don’t have to push yourself).
- Conjecture / Appearance (~みたいです): Learn how to express that “it appears that ~” or “it seems like ~” based on a general impression, observation, or feeling, using (short form) + みたいです (mitai desu) (e.g., 彼は少し疲れているみたいです – He seems a little tired).
- Expressing Possibility / Conjecture (~かもしれません): Learn how to express that “it might be that ~” or “it is possible that ~” using (short form) + かもしれません (kamo shiremasen). This pattern indicates a degree of uncertainty (e.g., 明日雨が降るかもしれません – It might rain tomorrow).
By the end of Lesson 5, Level 2, you’ll be able to effectively report information, make conditional statements, tell people what they don’t need to do, and express various levels of conjecture or possibility. These patterns are essential for more nuanced and complete Japanese communication!
Explore the articles linked below to master expressing hearsay, conjecture, and conditions in Japanese!
