JLPT N4 Japanese Grammar Lessons

普通形＋と言う is the core N4 pattern for quoting or reporting what someone said: You put a plain-form clause before と and finish with the verb 言う. The original speaker is usually marked with は or が outside the quote, while the quoted content itself stays in plain form even when the outer sentence is polite. Learners meet this pattern when retelling announcements, claims, and everyday speech, and when contrasting reported speech with reported thoughts (思う).

The ～られる suffix attaches to ichidan verbs and the irregular verb 来る to form passive, potential, and honorific expressions. Because these different functions share the exact same visible form, you must rely on context and particles to understand the intended meaning. In spoken Japanese, the potential form often drops the ら to become ～れる, helping to distinguish it from the passive and honorific uses.

The causative form (～させる) is a Japanese verb conjugation used to express that someone makes or lets someone else do an action. It covers both coercion (forcing someone to do something) and permission (allowing someone to do something), depending entirely on context. Once conjugated, the causative form functions like a standard ichidan verb.

The causative-passive form expresses being forced, coerced, or obligated to do something against your will by someone else. It combines the causative and passive structures to emphasize the speaker's sense of annoyance, burden, or lack of choice. It can also be used to describe when a moving experience naturally causes you to think or feel a certain way.

～てしまう is an auxiliary verb attached to the て-form of a main verb. It is widely used in daily Japanese to emphasize that an action was carried out completely to the end, or to express that something happened accidentally with a sense of regret. In casual spoken Japanese, it frequently contracts to shorter forms like ～ちゃう and ～じゃう, making it an essential pattern for natural conversation.

The Japanese verb ending ～てある describes an ongoing, visible state that exists because someone deliberately performed an action to make it that way. It is used almost exclusively with transitive verbs and shifts the focus away from the person who did the action to the object that was acted upon. You will often see this pattern when describing preparations that have been completed or physical evidence that has been left behind, such as a note on a desk.

The Japanese verb ending ～ておく is used to express doing an action in advance as a preparation for the future, or leaving a situation exactly as it is. It can also describe a temporary measure taken for the time being, often functioning as a practical step for immediate convenience. You will encounter this grammar point frequently in JLPT N4 materials and everyday conversations, where it is often contracted to ～とく or ～どく in casual speech.

The pattern ～てみる expresses doing an action as a trial, test, or experiment. It is used when you want to experience something new, check the outcome of a situation, or encourage someone else to give it a try. The auxiliary verb みる is usually written in hiragana and conjugates like a standard ichidan verb.

The Japanese pattern ～ていく combines a verb in its te-form with the auxiliary verb いく (to go). It expresses physical movement away from your current location, or describes an action that you do before leaving a place. In a broader sense, it also describes a state, action, or change that begins now and will continue forward into the future.

The auxiliary verb pattern ～てくる describes an action, change, or state that moves toward the speaker or the present moment. It is used for physical movement coming closer, for gradual changes that have developed from the past up to now, and for actions where someone goes somewhere to do something and returns. By attaching くる to the te-form of a verb, you shift the perspective to focus on the arrival or completion of the action at your current location or time.

The ～よう ending is the casual volitional form used to make invitations or suggest doing something together with close friends and family. It is also frequently used to express your own personal intentions or to talk to yourself about what you are going to do next. This specific ～よう ending is used strictly for ichidan verbs and irregular verbs, while godan verbs use a different ending.

The ～おう ending is the casual volitional form applied exclusively to godan verbs. It is the casual counterpart to the polite ～ましょう and is widely used with friends and family to mean 'let's' or to express strong personal resolve. Learners encounter this form frequently in daily conversation, anime, and manga when characters make spontaneous decisions or invite others to join an activity.

The imperative form (命令形) is the direct, forceful command form of Japanese verbs used to strictly order someone to do something. Because it is highly blunt and can sound aggressive, it is usually reserved for emergencies, cheering at sports events, or quoting orders in reported speech. Learners should be careful to use polite request forms like ～てください in everyday situations instead.

The Japanese ending ～な attaches directly to the dictionary form of a verb to create a strong, casual negative command. It is a highly direct way to tell someone not to do something, often used in emergencies, on public warning signs, or in intense situations. Because it sounds blunt and aggressive, it is generally avoided in polite conversation.

The suffix ～始める, meaning “hajimeru,” attaches to the pre-ます form of the verb to show that an action or process has started. It is commonly used for continuous actions, new habits, or natural processes that take time to unfold. Because 始める functions as a regular ichidan verb, you can easily conjugate the combined word to show past tense, negative forms, or polite speech.

The Japanese verb ending ～出す describes an action or state that begins suddenly, unexpectedly, or uncontrollably. It is formed by attaching 出す to the pre-ます form of the verb, creating a new compound verb that conjugates as a regular godan verb. Beyond sudden starts, it can also describe an action directed outward, bringing something hidden or contained into the open.

The Japanese suffix ～終わる attaches to the stem of an action verb to show that a process or continuous action has come to an end. It is commonly used to express objectively finishing tasks that take time, such as reading, writing, or eating. Unlike other completion forms, ～終わる focuses simply on the fact that the activity has reached its conclusion.

The grammar pattern ～たら is a highly versatile form used to express conditions ("if") and sequences of events ("when" or "after"). It indicates that the action or state in the first clause happens first, and once completed, the second clause occurs as a result or in sequence. Because it allows commands, requests, and volitions in the main clause, it is one of the most flexible and common conditional forms in conversational Japanese.

The Japanese grammar form なら is a conditional expression that sets up a topic or condition based on context, such as something the listener just mentioned. Unlike other conditional forms, なら is often used to give advice, make a recommendation, or state a personal judgment about that specific topic. Because it focuses on adopting a context rather than just a logical sequence, the action in the なら condition does not have to be completed before the main action takes place.

The Japanese verb form ～ば is used to express logical conditions, showing that one action or state is necessary for another to happen. It is often used to state natural consequences, explain how things work, or ask for advice. Unlike other conditional forms, ～ば sounds objective and is widely used in both everyday conversation and formal writing.

The ～ければ form is the standard Japanese conditional ending used to say "if it is" for i-adjectives or "if not" for negative statements. It is created by dropping the final い from an i-adjective or a negative ない form and attaching ければ. Unlike the action-verb conditional ば, conditions made with ～ければ can naturally be followed by commands, requests, and expressions of intention.

The Japanese conditional ending ～と connects two events where the second event is the natural, inevitable, or automatic result of the first. It is commonly used for explaining how machines work, giving directions, and stating general facts. Because it expresses an objective reality, you cannot use personal requests, commands, or invitations after ～と.

The Japanese grammar pattern ～たらどうですか is used to offer gentle advice or suggest an action for someone else to take. It is typically translated as 'Why don't you...' or 'How about you...' in English. You will frequently hear this in everyday conversations when the speaker wants to recommend a helpful course of action without sounding overly forceful.

The Japanese pattern ～といいです is used to express a hope or wish that a certain situation will happen. It can also function as a very gentle, indirect way to give advice or make a suggestion to someone else. This pattern literally translates to "it is good if..." and is often followed by particles like ね or な to emphasize the speaker's emotional stance.

The Japanese grammar pattern ばいい is used to suggest a simple solution, give advice, or express a wish for a favorable outcome. By combining the conditional ば-form of a verb with the word いい, meaning "good," it literally means 'if you do this action, it is good.' This pattern is highly versatile, whether you are telling someone 'all you have to do is press this button,' answering 'what should I do?' or hoping 'I wish it would be sunny.'

場合は (baai わ) is an objective, formal expression used to introduce a specific scenario or condition before explaining what to do if that situation occurs. It translates roughly to "in the case of," "in the event that," or "if," and is widely used in business, manuals, announcements, and rules. Because 場合 functions grammatically as a noun meaning "case" or "situation," it connects to other words using standard noun-modifying rules.

The pattern ～てあげる is used to express that you are doing a favor or performing a helpful action for someone else. It connects the te-form of an action verb with あげる, which literally means "to give." Because it highlights your own good deed, you should avoid using it directly with superiors so you do not sound patronizing.

The Japanese grammar pattern ～てくれる (te-form + kureru) describes an action that someone else performs for your benefit. Unlike the ～てもらう pattern, this structure makes the person performing the favor the subject of the sentence. Using this pattern naturally expresses gratitude and appreciation for the action you received.

The Japanese grammar pattern ～てもらう is used to express that you received a beneficial action or favor from someone else. By attaching もらう to the te-form of a verb, you show gratitude for the action while keeping yourself, the receiver, as the grammatical subject. This pattern is essential for polite and natural communication when acknowledging help in Japanese.

The Japanese grammar pattern てくださる is an honorific expression used when someone of higher status does a favor or performs an action for you. It elevates the person performing the action, showing deep respect from the speaker. You will encounter this form in formal situations, customer service, or when talking about beneficial actions done by teachers, bosses, and elders.

～ていただく is a formal Japanese verb ending used when you humbly receive an action or a favor from someone of higher status. It is the humble equivalent (kenjougo) of ～てもらう, lowering the speaker's status to show deep respect and gratitude toward the doer. The receiver of the action is the grammatical subject, while the superior who performs the action is marked by the particles に or から.

The pattern ～てくれませんか is used to politely ask someone to perform an action for your benefit. Because it translates literally to "won't you give me the favor of doing...", it sounds softer and less demanding than a direct instruction. It is best used with friends, colleagues, and people of equal status, rather than with superiors.

The Japanese verb ending ～てもらえませんか is a polite and modest way to ask someone to do you a favor. By literally asking 'could I receive the favor of you doing...?', it softens your request and gives the listener space to accept or decline. It is perfect for everyday polite requests directed at colleagues, acquaintances, or service staff.

～ていただけませんか is a highly polite sentence ending used to ask someone to do something for you. It uses the humble verb いただく in its negative potential form, framing the request as "could I possibly receive the favor of you doing..." This pattern is ideal for speaking to superiors, teachers, customers, or strangers when you need to show deep respect and give them room to decline.

The verb あげる means "to give" in Japanese, but it is strictly used for an outward direction of giving. You use it when you give an object to someone else, or when one third party gives something to another. It cannot be used when someone gives an object to you or your inner circle.

The verb くれる means "to give", but it is specifically used when someone gives an object to you or to someone in your in-group. Unlike other Japanese verbs for giving, the direction of giving is always inward, moving toward the speaker's side. Because of this inherent inward direction, くれる naturally carries a sense of gratitude or benefit received from the giver.

The verb もらう expresses receiving a physical object or an abstract item from someone else. The receiver of the item acts as the grammatical subject of the sentence, while the giver is marked by the particle に or から.

The Japanese verb やる is an outward-facing giving verb, used when the speaker gives something to a recipient of lower social status, an animal, or a plant. While it acts as a rough, casual counterpart to あげる in human interactions, it is the standard, neutral choice for everyday actions like watering plants and feeding pets. Because it establishes a strict top-down relationship, you must avoid using it toward social superiors, teachers, or strangers.

The pattern ～し is used to list multiple reasons, traits, or states that share a common direction or support a single conclusion. Unlike a simple sequence, it accumulates parallel facts, often softening a statement by implying there may be even more reasons left unsaid. It frequently pairs with the particle も (also) to emphasize that several things are true at the same time.

The grammar pattern ながら connects two verbs to show that a single person is doing two things at the same time. It is attached to the secondary, background action, leaving the primary focus for the end of the sentence. While often translated as "while," it is strictly used when both actions are performed by the exact same subject.

The pattern ～あいだ is used to show that a continuous action or state happens concurrently throughout the entire duration of another period or event. It connects two continuous blocks of time, indicating that as long as the first condition holds true, the second action or state continues to occur. Because both clauses must share the exact same duration, this pattern is specifically for continuous actions rather than momentary events that happen at a single point during a time frame.

The Japanese grammar pattern ～あいだに expresses that a short, discrete action occurs within a continuous timeframe. It differs from ～あいだ, which is used when both the background event and the main action continue for the exact same duration. You will often see it translated as "while" or "during," followed by a completed action or change that happens inside that time window.

The Japanese grammar pattern ～うちに (uchi ni) is used to say "while" or "before," focusing on taking action while a specific condition still lasts. It can also describe a natural, unintended change that happens in the background while an ongoing action continues. Because it carries a sense of urgency or natural transition, it is naturally paired with volitional actions or ongoing states rather than strict deadlines.

The pattern までに sets a clear deadline by which an action must be completed. It attaches to time nouns or dictionary-form verbs to express that something happens by or before that point. Unlike まで (until), which is used for continuous states, までに marks a limit for a discrete, one-time action.

The Japanese pattern ために is used to express the clear purpose behind an action or to show that something is done for the benefit of someone else. It often translates as "in order to" when used with verbs, or "for the sake of" when used with nouns. To use this pattern for purpose, the action must be something you can actively control, and the same person must perform both actions.

The grammar pattern ように is used to express a purpose, goal, or desired state that you want to bring about. It is commonly paired with potential verbs or negative verbs to show what condition you are trying to achieve or prevent. Unlike other purpose expressions, ように focuses on realizing a state and allows the goal's subject to be different from the main action's subject.

The pattern ～ずに connects two actions, showing that a main action was performed without doing an expected secondary action. It shares the exact same meaning as ないで but is more formal, making it common in written Japanese, news, and speeches. The most important rule to remember is that する becomes せずに, which is a frequent exception in this pattern.

The pattern ～あとで expresses that one action or event occurs chronologically after another. It treats the first action as a distinct, completed marker in time before the second action begins. You will use it with the past-tense ta-form of verbs or by connecting it to an event noun with the particle の.