The Japanese phrase そうだ can be a little tricky. Because it has two very different meanings. One expresses how something seems based on observation. The other is used to report what you’ve heard from someone else. Although they look the same, these two uses follow different grammar patterns. Understanding both will help you sound more […]

Some actions in life are accidents. Others are done completely. Japanese has a simple expression that can capture both meanings depending on the context: ～てしまう. This grammar point is a great tool for expressing either regret or total completion of an action so you can tell someone you dropped your phone by mistake, or that

In Japanese, you can describe nouns not only with adjectives, but also with actions just like saying “the book I read” or “the person who helped me.” This is done using relative clauses. In Japanese, the structure is simpler than in English. 動詞の普通形＋名詞 Qualifying Nouns with Verbs Usage Pattern [Short-form verb] + noun Details JLPT

Sometimes you don’t just want to say something happened recently—you want to say “I just did it!” In that case, the better grammar point is た + ばかり. Let’s explore how to use ばかり when you want to express a recent action with emotion or emphasis. た + ばかり Just Did (With Feeling!) Usage Pattern [Verb

When you’ve just completed an action and want to tell someone, Japanese uses past short form + ところ. It’s like saying “I just did [something]” with a neutral tone. Let’s learn how to use たところ to express something you just finished. た + ところ Just Did (Neutral) Usage Pattern [Verb (past short form)] + ところ + です

If you want to tell someone that you’re in the middle of doing something—right at that moment—Japanese has a grammar point for that: ている + ところ. Let’s look at how to express that something is actively happening now. ている + ところ In the Middle of Doing Usage Pattern [Verb (て-form)] + いるところ + です Details JLPT Level:

Sometimes you’re just about to do something when someone calls or interrupts you. In Japanese, you can express this with dictionary form + ところ. It’s a simple way to say, “I’m just about to…” Let’s learn how to use ところ to say you’re just about to start an action. Dictionary Form + ところ About to Do

When one thing (or person) replaces another, or when someone does something on behalf of someone else, Japanese uses the phrase にかわって. This is different from かわりに—it’s not about a temporary switch or a tradeoff, but about full-on replacement or representation. Let’s learn how to use にかわって when one thing stands in for another. にかわって In

Sometimes we swap one thing for another—coffee for tea, walking for driving, or a late bedtime for extra morning energy. In Japanese, when you want to say “instead of” or “in exchange for,” you can use かわりに. This phrase lets you talk about substitutions and trade-offs in a flexible way, and it works with nouns, verbs,

Want to quote something you read or something someone told you? In Japanese, the best phrase to use is によると, which means “according to.” In this post, we’ll explore how to use によると to report what someone else said or what you learned from a source. によると According To… Usage Pattern [Source] によると + [Statement] + と +