N4
Foundations
The te-form opens up the grammar: requests, permission, prohibitions, one action after another and everything that is going on right now.
The plain form joins the polite one. Anyone who gets this far can follow slow everyday Japanese and talk about their own day, their plans and their experiences.
Script and the basic sentence2
Writing Japanese
2Particles2
Particles
2Verbs and adjectives25
Verbs
6N4The dictionary formThe form a verb has in the dictionary — and in casual speech, in front of nouns and inside most grammar patterns.N4The plain negativeHow to say "not" in plain speech: the a-row of a う-verb, the stem of a る-verb, and ない.N4The plain pastThe te-form with た in place of て — the casual past, and the base of a whole family of patterns.N4The potential formOne change for "can": the e-row plus る for a う-verb, られる for a る-verb, and できる for する.N4The volitional formThe plain counterpart of ましょう: let's do it, or I think I will.N4Transitive and intransitive pairsMany verbs come in pairs: one for doing something to a thing, one for the thing happening by itself.
Adjectives and adverbs
4N4Adverbs from adjectives, and becomingく turns an i-adjective into an adverb, に does the same for a na-adjective, and both combine with なる for change.N4Linking adjectives with くて and でくて and で join an adjective to what follows, where English says "and".N4Too much, easy to, hard toすぎる says "too", やすい and にくい say "easy to" and "hard to", and all three attach to a stem.N4Looks like: そうそう on a stem says how something looks, or what looks about to happen, judged by the eye.
Using the te-form
6N4てもいい and てはいけない: may, must not, need not, mustFour patterns built on te-forms that allow, forbid, excuse and oblige.N4てしまう: done for good, or done and regrettedてしまう marks an action as completely finished — and often as something the speaker wishes had not happened.N4てある: left that way on purposeてある describes a state that somebody brought about deliberately, usually as a preparation.N4ておく: doing something in advanceておく means doing something now so that it is ready later — or leaving something as it is.N4てみる: trying something to seeてみる means doing something to find out what it is like — not trying hard to manage it.N4ないで and なくて: without doing, and because notないで says how something is done or what is done instead; なくて gives a reason.
Wanting and intending
4N4Other people's wishes: たがる and ほしがるたがる and ほしがる describe what somebody else visibly wants, and they conjugate as う-verbs.N4Intentions and plans: つもり and よていつもり states what a person intends to do; よてい states what has been arranged.N4Thinking of doing, trying to doThe volitional plus とおもう says what you are thinking of doing; plus とする, what somebody tries or is about to do.N4Deciding and being decided: ことにする and ことになることにする reports your own decision; ことになる reports one made by others or by circumstances.
Giving and receiving
3N4あげる, くれる, もらう: who gives to whomあげる gives away from me, くれる gives towards me, もらう is receiving — and "me" includes my own people.N4てあげる, てくれる, てもらう: doing favoursThe three giving verbs after a te-form say who did a favour for whom.N4Asking for a favour: てくれませんか, ていただけませんかA giving verb turned into a negative question makes a request — and the more indirect it is, the politer.
Passive and causative
2Joining sentences20
Linking clauses
11N4A clause in front of a nounJapanese has no who, which or that: a plain-form clause simply stands in front of the noun it describes.N4Turning a verb into a noun with の and ことA particle needs a noun, so a verb that is liked, forgotten or heard first becomes one with の or こと.N4Although, and not happy about it: のにのに joins what should have happened to what did, and lets the speaker's surprise or annoyance show.N4When: とき and the tense inside itとき is a noun meaning "time"; the tense in front of it says before or after, not past or present.N4Before and after: まえに, あとで and てからBefore takes the dictionary form, after takes the た-form, whatever the tense of the sentence.N4Two things at once: ながらThe ます-stem plus ながら: one person doing two things, with the main one at the end.N4Doing things like this and that: たり〜たりするTwo or more たり-forms give examples of what someone does, and する at the end carries the tense.N4Questions inside a sentence: か and かどうかA question in the plain form plus か can sit inside a larger sentence; かどうか is "whether or not".N4Saying and thinking: と and ってと marks what was said or thought; the quoted clause keeps its own tense and, if indirect, the plain form.N4In order to, and because of: ためにAfter a dictionary form, ために is a purpose you work towards; after a past form or a noun, it can also be a cause.N4So that: ように and ようにするように aims at a state you can only bring about indirectly; ようにする is making a habit or an effort of something.
Conditions
5N4と for whenever and natural resultsA, と, B: whenever A happens, B follows by itself.N4The ば-form: what it takesA conjugated form that puts the weight on the condition: if A, then B.N4たら: if and when, the all-purpose conditionalThe plain past plus ら: once A has happened, B.N4なら: if that is so, given the topicTakes up what was just said and comments on it: if that is the case, then.N4ても and でも: even ifThe te-form plus も: even if A, B still happens.
Probability and hearsay
4N4かもしれない: mightA plain form plus かもしれない: it is possible, but far from sure.N4はず and はずがない: should be, cannot beSomething the speaker expects to be true, because the facts point that way.N4そうだ for hearsay: I hear thatA complete plain form plus そうです: passing on what you heard or read.N4ようだ and みたいだ: it seems, it looks likeA judgement from what you yourself see or feel — and the word for like.
Register and expressions3
Politeness
3N4Plain and polite styleEvery sentence chooses a style, and the choice says how close you are to the listener.N4Honorific verbsSpecial verbs that raise the person who acts — used for others, never for yourself.N4Humble verbsSpecial verbs that lower you and your side, so that the other person stands higher.