JLPT N3 Grammar Study Guide

As soon as ～

Just as ～; when ～; as soon as ～

To the extent that ～

Don't ～

Imperative form. Gives a command.

For the purpose of ～; in order to ～. Gives the goal.

Only after ～; it was not until ～

Depending on ～

The more ～, the more ～

Only ～

Just ～; recently ～

Starting with ～. Used to give one possible example.

～al; ～ic; ～ive. Turns a noun into a na-adjective.

If only

As it is. Expresses the state during which.

If (hypothetically) ～; in the case that ～

Just ～; freshly ～

Like ～; ～-ish; with ～ character

In regards to ～; in relation to ～

Pretend to ～

Thanks to ～; because of ～

～ without thinking; ～ unintentionally

End up ～. Conveys that one did something regrettably or completely. Short form of V-てしまう.

Even ～. Gives an extreme example, implying that other cases are naturally true.

Become used to ～

I am sure that ～; I absolutely think ～

Without doing ～ Similar meaning to V-ないで.

According to ～

Instead of ～, in place of ～; in return for ～, in exchange for ～

As ～. Gives a role, position, credential, etc.

For sure ～. Puts emphasis on the preceeding N.

Before ～ happens; before ～ starts.

Tends to ～; often ～; easily becomes ～

Together with; at the same time

Everytime ～. Expresses that each time something happens, something else happens.

In regards to ～

Should ～. Very strong statement, usually expressing a personal value or social norm.

Should not ～. This is the negative of ～べき.

There is no need to ～

～ is not possible; I cannot ～.

Rarely; hardly ever.

Therefore ～; For this reason, ～. Expresses a result or effect.

Must not ～; Cannot ～. Used when there is some existing reason you must not do something.

Must ～. There is an existing reason you must do something.

～ cannot be; There is no way that ～

You can definitely ～; There is no reason ～ cannot be.

～ is not necessarily true; ～ is not always true.

At the same time as ～; While you are ～.

I was told to ～.

I have heard that ～. Expresses hearsay.

That means that ～.

1) To ～ and go (to another place). 2) To continue ～. An action/state will continue into the future. 3) ～ will progress. Something that has been progressing will continue to progress into the future. 4) ～ will stop/disappear. Due to ～, something will disappear or stop.

1) ～ and come back. 2) To continue ～. An action/state from the past is continuing in the present. 3) ～ has become apparent. You are now able to see something that you could not before. 4) Has become ～. There has been some change and ～ has started.

The ～ called ～. This is a shortened, casual version of ～という～.

～ starts (suddenly)

About to start to ～, will try to ～.

Sometimes do ～; ～ occasionally happens.

～ was done by someone else and it inconvenienced you. Using the passive form with Personに or Objectを has a strong negative connotation. られちゃう is the shortened, casual form of られてしまう.

Via ～. Expresses the means or method of doing something.

In regards to ～, as for ～, towards ～, for ～. Often used for direct actions or feelings toward another person. Often used to address a problem or refute an opinion.

～ per ～

In that way, in the same way as.

Must not ～. This is a shortened (and casual) form of V-てはいけない

Must ～. This is a shortened (and casual) form of V-なければいけない.

Must ～. This is a shortened (and casual) form ov V-なくてはいけない

Must ～. This is the casual equivalent of V- なきゃいけない. いけない is left off in casual conversation where it is understood.

It was ～, right? This is used to confirm something you are unsure about.

って has the same meaning as は. This substitution is used mainly in conversation.

Not as ～ as ～

This conjuction has the same meaning as "V-て、～". Often used in more formal situations.

Do ～ completely; do ～ to the end

As an example of ～; when speaking of ～. This pattern is often used to express a famous/well known example of ～.

Resulting from ～. Expresses a reason.

While ～; during ～. Something changes or occurs at the same time as ～.

Too bad it is not ～; If only it were ～. Expresses disappointment that the current situation is not as the speaker hoped.

Can I have you ～? This is a request that is less direct that ～てください. ～ていただいてもいいですか is the polite form of ～てもらってもいいですか.

It seems like ～ (but it actually not)

Geared towards ～; made for ～

While I was in the middle of ～; just as I was ～. Something happened (interrupted you) while you were in the middle of doing something.

～ is the only option; have no choice but to ～.

Especially because ～

Just because …, does not mean … Eventhough …, you still should not …

Feel (slightly) like ～. Often used to describe your physical or mental state.

Leave in the state of ～. This has a negative connotation.

～や～や. Indicates examples, etc.

Must not ～

Must ～

Humble form of です

It seems that ～; I heard that ～. This expresses something you heard (or read).