Grammar (JLPT N3)
136 worksheets · CC BY-SA 4.0 · EL
Level H 29 units in the course ladder →
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Patterns that do the same job, on one sheet — so the ones learners confuse can finally be compared side by side. N5, N4 and N3 sets come with a second sheet of fill-in exercises, three per pattern, with answers.
H1 Nominalisers: こと and の · 8 Turn verbs into nouns and master the こと family, including when こと and の are interchangeable and when they are not. ✎ with 24 fill-in exercises and answers H2 Aspect: てしまう, ておく, てみる · 5 Helper verbs after て: done in advance, tried out, regretted, left standing — and てある vs ておく, ていく vs てくる. ✎ with 15 fill-in exercises and answers H3 Obligation and permission · 7 Must, must not, may, need not — and the difference between べきだ (moral should) and わけにはいかない (socially can't). ✎ with 21 fill-in exercises and answers H5 Conditionals: ば, たら, なら, と · 8 The four conditionals side by side, plus the set phrases built on them: ばいい, ばよかった, たらどう, てよかった. ✎ with 24 fill-in exercises and answers H6 Reasons, causes and purpose · 5 Why something happened and what it was for — including the two ために (purpose vs cause) and おかげで vs せいで. ✎ with 15 fill-in exercises and answers H7 Giving, receiving and requests · 5 Who does the favour for whom: くれる・あげる・もらう, wanting others to act, and polite ways to ask or to ask permission. ✎ with 15 fill-in exercises and answers H9 Time: 間, うちに, 前に, 後で · 6 Framing when something happens: 間 vs 間に, うちに vs 間に, before and after, deadlines, and spans of time. ✎ with 18 fill-in exercises and answers H10 Time: ながら, たびに, とたんに · 6 Two things at once, every time, the very moment, and staying in an unchanged state — ながら vs 間に, たびに vs ごとに. ✎ with 18 fill-in exercises and answers H11 Stages of an action · 6 About to, in the middle of, just finished, half-done: ところだ in its three tenses plus 始める・続ける・終わる, かけ and 中. ✎ with 18 fill-in exercises and answers H13 Listing and examples · 6 Giving representative examples and stacking reasons: たり, とか, など, し, も〜ば〜も, and それで vs それから. ✎ with 18 fill-in exercises and answers H14 Negative expressions · 6 Doing without, having only, and the adverbs that demand a negative verb: なかなか, 全然, 必ずしも — plus ずに vs ないで. ✎ with 18 fill-in exercises and answers H15 Contrast and concession · 6 Even if, although, and yet: ても vs のに vs くせに by how much complaint they carry, and the connectors that echo them. ✎ with 18 fill-in exercises and answers H17 Guessing: ようだ, らしい, そうだ · 6 Reporting what you saw or heard, and the classic trap: そうだ (hearsay) vs そうだ (appearance) vs ようだ vs らしい. ✎ with 18 fill-in exercises and answers H18 Certainty: はず, かもしれない · 7 Ranking your confidence from かもしれない through だろう and はずだ to に違いない, plus stating opinions and intentions. ✎ with 21 fill-in exercises and answers H19 The ように family · 5 One form, four jobs: purpose (ように), effort (ようにする), change (ようになる), resemblance (ような) — and 通りに beside them. ✎ with 15 fill-in exercises and answers H21 Degree, quantity and tendency · 8 How much and how easily: ほど vs くらい, the more-the-more ば〜ほど, すぎる, やすい/にくい, っぽい and がる. ✎ with 24 fill-in exercises and answers H22 Only, even, not only · 7 Limiting and emphasising: しか-free ばかり vs さえ, the condition さえ〜ば, and だけでなく vs ばかりでなく. ✎ with 21 fill-in exercises and answers H23 Quoting and embedded questions · 5 Packing a clause inside a sentence: という for naming and defining, といえば, and かどうか vs question-word か. ✎ with 15 fill-in exercises and answers H25 Explaining: のだ and わけ · 5 Giving background and drawing conclusions: んだ・んですが・のですか, and わけだ vs わけではない (partial denial). ✎ with 15 fill-in exercises and answers H26 Passive, causative and keigo · 7 The られる forms that look identical: passive, causative, causative-passive, and honorific — plus お〜になる vs お〜する. ✎ with 21 fill-in exercises and answers H27 Compound particles with に · 7 Noun-plus-phrase connectors for essays and news: について vs に関して, にとって vs に対して, によって, として, に向けて. ✎ with 21 fill-in exercises and answers H29 Casual speech and connectors · 5 Sounding natural in conversation: って for quoting, っけ for checking, ところで, つまり and the hedge 一応. ✎ with 15 fill-in exercises and answers
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All 136, for when you want a single pattern — readings, meaning and its own sheet. To practise, use the sets above.
- 〜こと (nominalizer) Verb (dictionary form) + こと turns a verb into a noun phrase, like '-ing' or 'to do' in English. Used for general activities, facts, and abstract ideas.
- 〜の (nominalizer) Verb (plain form) + の turns a verb into a noun phrase. Often used with verbs of perception and feeling (見る, 聞く, 好き, 忘れる) and for concrete actions.
- 〜ことがある Verb (dictionary form) + ことがある. Expresses that something happens occasionally or sometimes.
- 〜たことがある Verb (た-form) + ことがある. Expresses past experience: 'have (ever) done'. Negative: たことがない (have never done).
- 〜ことにする Verb (dictionary/ない form) + ことにする. Expresses a decision made by the speaker: 'decide to'.
- 〜ことになる Verb (dictionary/ない form) + ことになる. Expresses a decision or outcome made by circumstances or others, not the speaker: 'it has been decided that'.
- 〜ことになっている Verb (dictionary/ない form) + ことになっている. Describes an established rule, schedule, or arrangement: 'it is a rule that / it is arranged that'.
- 〜ことができる Verb (dictionary form) + ことができる. Expresses ability or possibility: 'can, be able to'. Slightly more formal than the potential form.
- 〜ことはない Verb (dictionary form) + ことはない. Tells someone there is no need to do something, often to reassure: 'there's no need to, you don't have to'.
- 〜ようになる Verb (dictionary/potential/ない form) + ようになる. Expresses a change over time: 'come to, reach the point where, become able to'.
- 〜ようにする Verb (dictionary/ない form) + ようにする. Expresses making an effort or habit: 'try to, make sure to'. ようにしている = habitual effort.
- 〜ように (purpose) Verb (dictionary/potential/ない form) + ように + clause. Expresses purpose with non-volitional verbs: 'so that'.
- 〜ように言う Verb (dictionary/ない form) + ように言う. Reports an instruction or request indirectly: 'tell someone to (do)'. Also with 頼む, 注意する.
- 〜ようだ / 〜みたいだ Plain form + ようだ (な-adj + な, noun + の) or plain form + みたいだ (casual). Expresses a judgment based on what the speaker sees or senses: 'seems like, looks like'.
- 〜ような / 〜ように (like) Noun + のような (before nouns) / のように (before verbs and adjectives). Makes a comparison or gives an example: 'like, as, such as'.
- 〜そうだ (hearsay) Plain form (verb, い-adj, な-adj + だ, noun + だ) + そうだ. Reports information heard from another source: 'I heard that, they say'.
- 〜そうだ (appearance) Verb stem / adjective stem + そうだ. Describes how something looks or what seems about to happen: 'looks, seems about to'. いい becomes よさそう, ない becomes なさそう.
- 〜らしい Plain form + らしい (nouns and な-adj without だ). Expresses a judgment based on evidence or hearsay: 'seems, apparently'. Noun + らしい also means 'typical of, -like'.
- 〜はずだ Plain form + はずだ (な-adj + な, noun + の). Expresses a confident expectation based on reasoning: 'should be, is supposed to, I'm sure'.
- 〜はずがない Plain form + はずがない (な-adj + な, noun + の). Strongly denies a possibility: 'there's no way, it can't be'.
- 〜わけだ Plain form + わけだ (な-adj + な, noun + という). Shows a natural conclusion or explanation: 'that's why, no wonder, so it means'.
- 〜わけではない Plain form + わけではない (な-adj + な, noun + という). Partially denies an expected conclusion: 'it's not that, it doesn't mean that'.
- 〜わけにはいかない Verb (dictionary form) + わけにはいかない. Expresses that something can't be done for social, moral, or practical reasons: 'can't very well'. ない form + わけにはいかない = 'have no choice but to'.
- 〜かもしれない Plain form + かもしれない (な-adj and nouns without だ). Expresses possibility with low certainty: 'might, may, perhaps'.
- 〜に違いない Plain form + に違いない (な-adj and nouns without だ). Expresses strong conviction based on evidence: 'must be, there's no doubt'.
- 〜だろう / 〜でしょう Plain form + だろう (casual) / でしょう (polite); な-adj and nouns without だ. Expresses a guess: 'probably'. With rising intonation, seeks agreement: 'right?'.
- 〜と思う / 〜と思っている Plain form + と思う. Gives the speaker's opinion or guess: 'I think'. と思っている shows an ongoing belief or intention, and is used for third-person thoughts.
- 〜つもりだ Verb (dictionary/ない form) + つもりだ. Expresses the speaker's intention or plan: 'intend to, plan to'.
- 〜べきだ Verb (dictionary form) + べきだ (する → すべき/するべき). Expresses what one should do as a matter of duty or good sense: 'should, ought to'. Negative: べきではない.
- 〜なければならない / 〜なくてはいけない Verb ない-form (drop い) + なければならない / なくてはいけない. Expresses obligation: 'must, have to'. Casual: なきゃ, なくちゃ.
- 〜なくてもいい Verb ない-form (drop い) + なくてもいい. Expresses that something is not necessary: 'don't have to, need not'.
- 〜てもいい Verb て-form + もいい. Gives or asks for permission: 'may, it's OK to'. Also with adjectives and nouns (くてもいい, でもいい).
- 〜てはいけない Verb て-form + はいけない. Expresses prohibition: 'must not, may not'. Casual: ちゃいけない / ちゃだめ.
- 〜ずに Verb ない-form (drop ない) + ずに (する → せずに). Means 'without doing', a more formal/written equivalent of ないで.
- 〜ないで Verb (nai-form) + で. Means 'without doing X' when linking two actions, or 'please don't do X' with ください.
- 〜たり〜たりする Verb (ta-form) + り, repeated, + する. Lists representative actions: 'do things like A and B'. Also shows alternating actions.
- 〜てしまう / 〜ちゃう Verb (te-form) + しまう. Shows an action is completed, or expresses regret that something happened. ちゃう/じゃう is the casual form.
- 〜ておく Verb (te-form) + おく. Means to do something in advance as preparation, or to leave something as it is. Casual form is 〜とく.
- 〜てみる Verb (te-form) + みる. Means to try doing something to see what it is like or how it turns out.
- 〜ていく / 〜てくる Verb (te-form) + いく/くる. ていく shows change continuing into the future; てくる shows change up to now, or something starting or coming toward the speaker.
- 〜てある Transitive verb (te-form) + ある. Describes a state that results from someone's deliberate action, e.g. 'the window has been opened'.
- 〜ているところだ Verb (te-form) + いるところだ. Means 'to be in the middle of doing something' right now.
- 〜ところだ / 〜たところだ Verb (dictionary form) + ところだ means 'about to do'. Verb (ta-form) + ところだ means 'have just done'.
- 〜たばかり Verb (ta-form) + ばかり. Means 'just did', stressing that little time has passed from the speaker's point of view.
- 〜ばかり Noun + ばかり. Means 'only' or 'nothing but', often with a negative feeling that there is too much of one thing.
- 〜てばかりいる Verb (te-form) + ばかりいる. Means 'do nothing but X', usually criticizing someone for always doing the same thing.
- 〜てほしい Verb (te-form) + ほしい. Expresses that the speaker wants someone else to do something. The person is marked with に.
- 〜てくれる / 〜てあげる / 〜てもらう Verb (te-form) + くれる (someone does for me), あげる (I do for someone), もらう (I receive the favor of someone doing). Shows who benefits.
- 〜ていただけませんか Verb (te-form) + いただけませんか. A very polite way to ask someone to do something: 'Could you please...?'
- 〜させていただく Verb (causative te-form) + いただく. Humble way to say 'allow me to do', used when asking permission or announcing your own action politely.
- 使役 〜させる Causative form: Group 1 verbs → a-stem + せる, Group 2 → stem + させる, する→させる, 来る→来させる. Means 'make' or 'let' someone do something.
- 使役受身 〜させられる Causative-passive: Group 1 → a-stem + せられる (often される), Group 2 → stem + させられる. Means 'be made to do something', usually unwillingly.
- 受身 〜られる Passive form: Group 1 → a-stem + れる, Group 2 → stem + られる, する→される, 来る→来られる. Means 'be done to', often with a sense of being affected.
- 尊敬語 Honorific language raises the listener or a third person. Uses special verbs (いらっしゃる, おっしゃる, 召し上がる, ご覧になる, なさる) and the passive-form られる.
- 謙譲語 Humble language lowers the speaker's own actions to show respect. Uses special verbs such as 参る, 申す, いたす, いただく, 伺う, 拝見する.
- お〜になる お + verb (masu-stem) + になる (ご + する-noun + になる). A general honorific pattern showing respect for the person doing the action.
- お〜する お + verb (masu-stem) + する (ご + する-noun + する). A general humble pattern for your own actions done for someone else. いたす is more polite than する.
- 〜ば Conditional ば: Group 1 → e-stem + ば, Group 2 → stem + れば, i-adj → ければ, noun/na-adj → なら(ば). Means 'if', focusing on the condition needed for a result.
- 〜たら Verb/adjective (ta-form) + ら. The most general conditional: 'if' or 'when', including unexpected results after doing something.
- 〜なら Plain form + なら. Means 'if that is the case' — responds to what someone said or a known situation, often with advice or a suggestion.
- 〜と (conditional) Verb (dictionary/nai form) + と. Means 'whenever/if A, then B naturally follows'. Used for natural results, habits and machines, not requests or intentions.
- 〜ばよかった Verb (ba-form) + よかった. Expresses regret: 'I should have done X'. With the negative (なければよかった) it means 'I shouldn't have'.
- 〜ばいい Verb (ba-form) + いい. Gives advice or a solution: 'you should / all you need to do is'. With a question word it asks 'what/how should I...?'.
- 〜たらどう / 〜たらいい Verb (ta-form) + らどう(ですか) makes a suggestion: 'how about doing X?'. 〜たらいい means 'it would be good to' or asks 'what should I do?'.
- 〜てよかった Verb (te-form) + よかった. Expresses relief or gladness: 'I'm glad that I did / that it happened'.
- 〜ても Verb/i-adj (te-form) + も; noun/na-adj + でも. Means 'even if' or 'even though' — the result does not change.
- 〜のに Plain form + のに (na-adj/noun + なのに). Means 'although / in spite of', with surprise, disappointment or complaint about an unexpected result.
- 〜くせに Plain form + くせに (noun + のくせに, na-adj + なくせに). Means 'even though', with strong criticism or contempt for the subject.
- 〜ので / 〜から Plain form + ので / から. Both mean 'because'; ので sounds softer and more objective, から is more direct and personal.
- 〜ために (purpose) V-dict / N + の + ために. Expresses a purpose: 'in order to' or 'for the sake of'. The verb before ために is a volitional action.
- 〜ために (cause) Plain form / N + の + ために. Expresses a cause or reason: 'because of, due to'. Often used for events beyond the speaker's control, in slightly formal style.
- 〜おかげで N + の / plain form + おかげで. Means 'thanks to', giving credit for a good result. The result is positive.
- 〜せいで N + の / plain form + せいで. Means 'because of', blaming someone or something for a bad result. The opposite of おかげで.
- 〜間 / 〜間に V-ている / N + の + 間 (に). 間 means 'during the whole time'; 間に means 'at some point during'. The following action fits inside the period.
- 〜うちに V-dict / V-ている / V-nai / い-adj / な-adj + な / N + の + うちに. Means 'while (a state still lasts)', do something before it changes.
- 〜前に / 〜後で V-dict / N + の + 前に means 'before'; V-た / N + の + 後で means 'after'. Note the verb before 前に is always dictionary form.
- 〜時 Plain form / N + の / な-adj + な + 時. Means 'when'. V-dict + 時 means the action is not yet done; V-た + 時 means it is already done.
- 〜たびに V-dict / N + の + たびに. Means 'every time' or 'whenever' something happens, something else also happens.
- 〜とたんに V-た + とたん(に). Means 'the moment / as soon as' something happened, something unexpected followed. Used for past events.
- 〜と すぐ V-dict + と、すぐ(に). Means 'right after doing X, Y happens'. Often describes habits or a quick sequence of actions.
- 〜ながら V-ます stem + ながら. Means 'while doing', two actions by the same person at the same time. The main action comes second.
- 〜まま V-た / V-nai / N + の / い-adj / な-adj + な + まま. Means 'as is, in that unchanged state' while another action happens.
- 〜きり V-た + きり means 'ever since X, (nothing has happened)'. N + きり means 'only, just'. The main clause is often negative.
- 〜までに N (time) / V-dict + までに. Means 'by (a deadline)', the action is completed at some point before that time. Compare まで ('until', continuous).
- 〜から〜まで / 〜から〜にかけて N + から + N + まで gives a clear start and end point. N + から + N + にかけて gives a rough range of time or place ('from around A to B').
- 〜について N + について. Means 'about, concerning'. Use についての before a noun.
- 〜にとって N + にとって. Means 'for X, from X's point of view'. Usually followed by a judgement or evaluation such as 大切, 難しい.
- 〜に対して N + に対して. Means 'toward' (the target of an action or attitude), or 'in contrast to' when comparing two things.
- 〜によって N + によって. Means 'by means of', 'depending on', or marks the agent in passive sentences ('by'). Use によっては for 'in some cases'.
- 〜によると N + によると / によれば. Means 'according to'. Usually paired with hearsay endings like そうだ or ということだ.
- 〜に関して / 〜に関する N + に関して means 'regarding, concerning', a more formal version of について. Use に関する before a noun.
- 〜として N + として. Means 'as, in the role/capacity of'. Shows a status, position, or standpoint.
- 〜という N / plain clause + という + N. Means 'called X' when naming something, or 'the fact that / that' when a clause describes the noun.
- 〜ということだ Plain form + ということだ. Either reports hearsay ('I heard that') or draws a conclusion ('it means that'). Formal alternative to そうだ.
- 〜というのは N / clause + というのは + explanation. Introduces a word or idea as a topic to define or explain it: 'what X means is', 'X is (a thing that)'.
- 〜といえば N + といえば. Means 'speaking of X', picking up something just mentioned and giving a related thought or association.
- 〜とか〜とか N / V-dict + とか + N / V-dict + とか. Lists examples casually, 'things like A and B'. Implies there are others. Colloquial.
- 〜など N + など. Means 'etc., such as, and so on'. Gives examples from a group. なんか is the casual spoken form.
- 〜かどうか Plain form + かどうか. Means 'whether or not'. Embeds a yes/no question inside a sentence, often before 分からない, 聞く, 確かめる.
- 〜か (embedded question) Question word + plain form + か. Embeds a question with a question word (何, どこ, いつ, etc.) inside a larger sentence.
- 〜ほど N / V-dict + ほど. With a negative, 'not as ... as X'. With a positive, 'to the extent that', showing a degree.
- 〜ば〜ほど V-ば + V-dict + ほど / い-adj-ければ + い-adj + ほど. Means 'the more X, the more Y'. The same verb or adjective is repeated.
- 〜くらい / 〜ぐらい Noun / V-plain / adjective + くらい・ぐらい. Gives an approximate amount or shows the degree of something ("about", "so … that", "at least").
- 〜さえ Noun + さえ. Means "even", giving an extreme example to emphasize that something applies to everything else too.
- 〜さえ〜ば Noun + さえ + V-ba / A-ければ. Means "if only … / as long as …", stating the one condition that is enough for a result.
- 〜しかない Noun + しか + negative verb. Means "only / nothing but", stressing that the amount is small. V-dict + しかない means "have no choice but to".
- 〜だけでなく Noun / V-plain / A + だけでなく … (も). Means "not only … but also", adding a second point on top of the first.
- 〜ばかりでなく Noun / V-plain / A + ばかりでなく … (も). Means "not only … but also"; slightly more formal than だけでなく.
- 〜し Plain form + し. Lists two or more reasons or facts ("and also"), often implying there are more.
- 〜も〜ば〜も Noun + も + V-ba / A-ければ + Noun + も. Means "both … and …", listing two things of the same kind.
- なかなか〜ない なかなか + negative verb. Means "not easily / just won't", showing that something does not happen as expected despite effort or waiting.
- 全然〜ない / 少しも〜ない 全然 or 少しも + negative. Means "not at all", completely denying something.
- 必ずしも〜ない 必ずしも + negative (often 〜とは限らない / 〜わけではない). Means "not necessarily / not always".
- 〜にくい / 〜やすい V-stem + にくい / やすい. Means "hard to do" / "easy to do" (or "tends to"). The result works like an i-adjective.
- 〜すぎる V-stem / A-i stem / A-na + すぎる. Means "too much / excessively".
- 〜がる A-i stem / A-na / V-tai stem (drop い) + がる. Describes another person showing signs of a feeling or wish ("seems to feel", "acts like").
- 〜っぽい Noun / V-stem / A-i stem + っぽい. Means "-ish, like, tends to", often with a slightly negative feel. Works like an i-adjective.
- 〜っけ Plain past / だった + っけ. Casual ending used to check something you half remember ("Was it …?").
- 〜って (casual quotation) Plain form + って. Casual version of と for quoting speech or thoughts, and of という / というのは for topics.
- 〜んだ / 〜のだ Plain form + んだ / のだ (A-na, N + なんだ). Explains a reason or background, or seeks an explanation. Very common in speech.
- 〜んですが Plain form + んですが. Softly introduces a situation before a request or question ("…, so / and …").
- 〜のですか Plain form + のですか / んですか. Asks for an explanation about something you have noticed or heard.
- ところが Sentence + ところが + sentence. Means "however / but", introducing a result that is contrary to what was expected.
- ところで ところで + new sentence. Means "by the way", used to change the topic of conversation.
- それにしても それにしても + sentence. Means "even so / still", admitting a point but stressing that something goes beyond expectation.
- それで / それから それで means "and so / therefore" (result); それから means "and then / after that" (sequence or addition).
- つまり つまり + sentence. Means "in other words / in short", restating or summarizing what was just said.
- 一応 一応 + verb. Means "for the time being / just in case / more or less", showing something is done tentatively or not completely.
- 確かに 確かに + sentence. Means "certainly / indeed", agreeing that something is true, often before adding "but …".
- 〜通りに Noun + の通りに / V-dict, V-ta + 通りに. Means "as / in accordance with / just like".
- 〜ごとに Noun / V-dict + ごとに. Means "every / each", for regular intervals or each member of a group.
- 〜ずつ Number/quantity + ずつ. Means "each / at a time", giving an equal amount per person or per step.
- 〜に向けて / 〜向け Noun + に向けて means "toward / in preparation for" (a goal or direction). Noun + 向け means "intended for" a certain group.
- 〜中 (ちゅう/じゅう) Noun + 中. Read ちゅう it means "during / in the middle of" (会議中); read じゅう it means "throughout / all over" (一日中, 世界中).
- 〜かけ V-stem + かけ / かけの / かける. Means "half-done / partway through", describing an action that was started but not finished.
- 〜終わる / 〜始める / 〜続ける V-stem + 終わる / 始める / 続ける. Means "finish doing", "start doing", and "keep doing" respectively.
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