~かもしれない vs ~にちがいない: Possibility and Certainty in Japanese
かもしれない vs にちがいない map the endpoints of the Japanese certainty scale at JLPT N4: attachment rules, register ladders, adverb pairings, and where each lands.
かもしれない vs にちがいない map the endpoints of the Japanese certainty scale at JLPT N4: attachment rules, register ladders, adverb pairings, and where each lands.
Appearance ~そうだ in Japanese means "looks like": stem-attach formation for verbs and adjectives, the よさそう and なさそう irregulars, and the hearsay split.
Hearsay ~そうだ in Japanese reports what you heard or read: plain form + そうだ, the stem-vs-plain test against the looks-like reading, no past or negative.
~つもり is the N4 firm-intention pattern. Learn ~つもりだ, the four negatives, つもりだった as counterfactual or "thought I had," and how つもり beats ようと思う.
~ている vs ~てある, sorted at N4: why verb transitivity decides the form, the 開いている / 開けている / 開けてある three-way split, and the が vs を particle tell.
でしょう and だろう express the speaker's conjecture ("probably") and, with a rising tone, seek confirmation ("...right?"). Sorted at N5/N4 with the certainty scale.
はず expresses logical expectation in Japanese, what should be true based on evidence. Learn はずだ, はずがない, and はずだった, plus how はず differs from べき and だろう.
~みたい is the casual N4 way to say "like" or "seems like" in Japanese: noun attaches with no だ, conjugates as a な-adjective, lives in everyday speech.
The formal N3 way to say "seems" or "like" in Japanese: の before nouns, three readings (resemblance, simile, inference), and the contrast with みたい.
ようと思う is the N4 pattern for stated intentions. Learn the volitional + と思う recipe, the just-decided vs decided-already split, and the first-person rule.
Evidential ~らしい marks reliable inference and hearsay in Japanese: how it attaches, why nouns drop だ, and how it differs from そうだ-hearsay and the suffix.
~わけだ marks a logical conclusion in Japanese, "that's why / no wonder," sorted at N3 with attachment rules and the わけだ vs はず, のだ, and だろう split.
The difference between そう, らしい, みたい, and ようだ, sorted on two axes: evidence type and register. A decision tool, a comparison table, and the two らしい trap.
Tense, aspect, and mood in Japanese, mapped: why た is not really past tense, how ている marks aspect, and where the evidential and modal suffixes fit.
The ~ている form has two readings: progressive ("is doing") for continuous verbs and resultant state ("has done, result remains") for punctual verbs.
The ~ておく form in Japanese, sorted at N4: the prepare ("do in advance") and leave-as-is readings, the ~とく / ~どく contraction, and the ~てある boundary.
The difference between ~てくる and ~ていく, sorted out at N4: one deictic-center rule covering spatial movement, temporal unfolding, and gradual change.
~てしまう has two readings from one idea: completion ("all the way") and regret ("ended up"). An N4 guide to the ちゃう / じゃう contraction and its ちゃった past.
The ~ところ family in Japanese, JLPT N3: ~るところ "about to," ~ているところ "in the middle of," ~たところ "just finished," plus the close-call ところだった and ばかり contrast.
The た-form is not just past tense. See how it marks completion, discovery (I knew it), soft commands, and counterfactuals, with formation linked separately.
The plain volitional ~よう/~おう is how to say "let's" or "I'll do it" casually in Japanese. Learn the 一段, 五段, する, and くる rules, plus when to use each.