21 docs tagged with "tense-aspect-mood"

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.