Useful Grammar
Here you will find phrases and grammar patterns that upper beginners may find useful in daily life, but which are introduced relatively late in textbook progression, or which may be more useful than they first appear.
私にできる(こと)
私にできる is a relative clause meaning “I can do.” I’m sure that at least 75% of you have had a conversation asking if there’s anything that you should do to help, and your JTE insisted that everything was fine. This is the phrase to whip out in those situations.
私にできることは本当にないですか。 - Is there really nothing I can do?
私にできることがあれば、知らせてください。 - If there’s anything I can do, please let me know.
This usage of the に particle seems a bit unintuitive, but it is consistent with other potential verbs when placed before a noun.
私に歌える歌はミュージカルのだけです。 - The only songs I can sing are from musicals.
私に読める本を勧めてくれませんか。 - Could you recommend a book that I can read?
私にできることは本当にないですか。 - Is there really nothing I can do?
私にできることがあれば、知らせてください。 - If there’s anything I can do, please let me know.
This usage of the に particle seems a bit unintuitive, but it is consistent with other potential verbs when placed before a noun.
私に歌える歌はミュージカルのだけです。 - The only songs I can sing are from musicals.
私に読める本を勧めてくれませんか。 - Could you recommend a book that I can read?
べき
This is a great little particle, which no elementary textbooks teach. Whenever I ask people “what’s something you learned at the intermediate level that you wish you’d learned earlier?” I nearly always get べき as one of their responses. To put it simply, 〜べき means “really ought to ~” or “really should ~” where ~ is a verb. You may be wondering how this differs from 〜したほうがいい (it’s better to do ~). They are similar, but the use cases are rather different, and that’s part of why べき is put off until the intermediate level.. したほうがいい says that one thing is preferable to another, unstated option. べき implies strongly that this is the thing that ought to be done, and there is no other option. This is incredibly forward, and so you should never use it in regards to actors other than yourself. If your friend has a cold, you do not tell him ゆっくり眠るべきです - that sounds like you’re scolding him for being so stupid as to not know that he should be resting. As a matter of habit, only use べき in statements (not questions) regarding to yourself. It’s possible to use it in other ways, but for the beginner/intermediate level, this is the only “safe” way to use it.
Up until learning べき, most people make do with a combination of したほうがいい and しなければならない (I have to do ~ ) to express things that they should do, but 私は読まなければならない本がある is rather awkward and a bit too strong, and 私は読んだほうがいい本がある is borderline nonsensical. Try this out:
私は読むべき本がある。 - I have a book that I really ought to read, (so I won’t buy that comic book today).
Usage is quite simple. Just plug べき onto a plain-form verb, and you’re done. If you want to make a relative clause you can plug another noun right onto it, as in the above 読むべき本. The only strange case is that するべき is usually reduced down to すべき, so keep that in mind when using it with する verbs (勉強すべき, for example).
今夜勉強すべきだ。 - I really ought to study tonight, (so I can’t go to the bar).
べき is not necessarily something that you’ll use every day, but it is very useful. As a side note, this is why many JTEs have an aversion to the word “should” when speaking about what others “should do.” In their minds they’re parsing it as べき, and it feels way too strong so they tend to avoid using it entirely, opting for “it’s better to~” and other such phrases.
Up until learning べき, most people make do with a combination of したほうがいい and しなければならない (I have to do ~ ) to express things that they should do, but 私は読まなければならない本がある is rather awkward and a bit too strong, and 私は読んだほうがいい本がある is borderline nonsensical. Try this out:
私は読むべき本がある。 - I have a book that I really ought to read, (so I won’t buy that comic book today).
Usage is quite simple. Just plug べき onto a plain-form verb, and you’re done. If you want to make a relative clause you can plug another noun right onto it, as in the above 読むべき本. The only strange case is that するべき is usually reduced down to すべき, so keep that in mind when using it with する verbs (勉強すべき, for example).
今夜勉強すべきだ。 - I really ought to study tonight, (so I can’t go to the bar).
べき is not necessarily something that you’ll use every day, but it is very useful. As a side note, this is why many JTEs have an aversion to the word “should” when speaking about what others “should do.” In their minds they’re parsing it as べき, and it feels way too strong so they tend to avoid using it entirely, opting for “it’s better to~” and other such phrases.
〜したいと思う
By adding a と思います or と思っています to a statement of something you want to do, you can soften it and make it sound far less imposing/demanding. This is a good thing to put into practice pretty much any time you’re speaking to someone higher up than you. It’s not overly flowery or humble, and it’s best to think of it as the difference between “I want to try out this game” and “I’d like to try out this game.”
英語の授業ではもう少し積極的な役をしたいと思います。 In English class I’d like to take a more active role.
8月7日から11日まで年休を使いたいと思っています。 I’d like to take time off from August 7th to the 11th.
英語の授業ではもう少し積極的な役をしたいと思います。 In English class I’d like to take a more active role.
8月7日から11日まで年休を使いたいと思っています。 I’d like to take time off from August 7th to the 11th.
(もし)よかったら・(もし)時間があれば
These are good phrases to toss in before either a request, or a statement expressing your desire to do something, especially when speaking to someone with whom you have a strictly professional relationship. It assures the listener that you do not expect a positive response, and makes it easy for them to decline or offer an alternate solution. Using this with friends will probably come off as strange, as your consideration for their time/feelings should be implied and not need explicit mentioning. These phrases are largely interchangeable, but of course you should only use 時間があれば in situations where time might be the limiting factor.
例:
もし時間があれば、やってみたいたいゲームがありますけど。 If there’s time, I have a game I want to try.
来週の月曜日、友達が来ますので、もしよかったら年休を使いたいと思います。 A friend is coming next Monday, so if it’s alright I’d like to take the day off.
例:
もし時間があれば、やってみたいたいゲームがありますけど。 If there’s time, I have a game I want to try.
来週の月曜日、友達が来ますので、もしよかったら年休を使いたいと思います。 A friend is coming next Monday, so if it’s alright I’d like to take the day off.
<A>ず(に)<B>する / <A>ないで<B>する
This grammar pattern is really useful and very easy to use. It means “do <B> without doing <A>.” If you need to say that you came to school without eating breakfast, came to the meeting without your presentation, or went to jail without passing go, this is how you do it. There are three ways to phrase this, but the differences are not so great. Using ず alone, followed by a pause, is rather authoritative sounding. It’s common in writing or formal announcements and instructions. ずに is neutral, and can be used in conversation or writing, though it can sound a bit stiff when used with する verbs. ないで is slightly more relaxed than the others, though it’s not impolite so you don’t need to worry if you use it with the principal; you just probably won’t see it in more formal or academic writing.
The ず form is a negative form with adverbial properties, specifically it is the 連用形 of ぬ form, the old negative verb form. Unlike ぬ, ず is still used in modern Japanese, though it can give a more formal and stiff tone when used in certain ways. This pattern is usually pretty neutral, so you don’t need to worry about sounding uptight in this case (as long as you include the に particle). For regular verbs, you simply use the negative form of the verb and replace ない with ず, so 食べる becomes 食べず, 読む becomes 読まず, 持つ becomes 持たず, 死ぬ becomes 死なず, 言う becomes 言わず, and so on. The irregular verbs conjugate as follows: くる becomesこれず, and する becomesせず.
例:
今朝遅く起きたので、朝食を食べずに学校に来ました。 I got up late this morning, so I came to school without eating breakfast.
今日のプレゼンについて緊張すぎて、プリントを持たずに来てしまった。 I was so nervous about today’s presentation that I didn’t bring the handouts.
時間はあまりないので、迷わないで続きましょう。 There’s not much time, so let’s keep going without getting flustered.
もし避難になると、走らないでグラウンドへ行くのです。 “In the event of an evacuation, proceed to the sports ground without running.”
The ず form is a negative form with adverbial properties, specifically it is the 連用形 of ぬ form, the old negative verb form. Unlike ぬ, ず is still used in modern Japanese, though it can give a more formal and stiff tone when used in certain ways. This pattern is usually pretty neutral, so you don’t need to worry about sounding uptight in this case (as long as you include the に particle). For regular verbs, you simply use the negative form of the verb and replace ない with ず, so 食べる becomes 食べず, 読む becomes 読まず, 持つ becomes 持たず, 死ぬ becomes 死なず, 言う becomes 言わず, and so on. The irregular verbs conjugate as follows: くる becomesこれず, and する becomesせず.
例:
今朝遅く起きたので、朝食を食べずに学校に来ました。 I got up late this morning, so I came to school without eating breakfast.
今日のプレゼンについて緊張すぎて、プリントを持たずに来てしまった。 I was so nervous about today’s presentation that I didn’t bring the handouts.
時間はあまりないので、迷わないで続きましょう。 There’s not much time, so let’s keep going without getting flustered.
もし避難になると、走らないでグラウンドへ行くのです。 “In the event of an evacuation, proceed to the sports ground without running.”