N4 Grammar

Question 1

間　(あいだ）- meaning

Answer 1

‘Whilst’, ‘During’ or ‘Between’. Use it whilst doing something continuously for a time (during), or to express distance between two locations/times.

Question 2

間　(あいだ）- use

Answer 2

Used after a plain form verb or a noun + の

Question 3

間に　(あいだに) - meaning

Answer 3

Similar to 間、it means ‘Whilst’. However it is used to show you are doing something intentionally to make use of your time, or that something happened within a time period that was out of your control.

Question 4

間に　(あいだに) - use

Answer 4

Used after a plain form verb, a noun + の, or an adjective ( add な for な adjective)

Question 5

あまり - meaning

Answer 5

Adverb meaning ‘not much’, ‘not very’ or ‘not really’

Question 6

あまり- use

Answer 6

As it’s describing something negative it must be used with a ない form verb or adjective in negative form.

Question 7

後で　(あとで) - meaning

Answer 7

Meaning ‘after’ or ‘later’, often in the context of ‘after I do this, I will do that.’

Question 8

後で　(あとで) - use

Answer 8

Used after a verb in た form or a noun + の

Question 9

場合は　(ばあいは) - meaning

Answer 9

This means ‘in the event of’ or ‘in case of’

Question 10

場合は　(ばあいは) - use

Answer 10

Used after a casual verb, a noun + の, or an adjective (+な for な adjectives)

Question 11

ばかり　- meaning

Answer 11

This means ‘only’, ‘just’ or ‘nothing but’. It is used to express shock, often but not always in a negative context.

Question 12

ばかり　- use

Answer 12

Used after a verb in て form or a noun

Question 13

だけで　- meaning

Answer 13

This is a combination of だけ (only, just) and particle で (by). Altogether it translates to ‘just by doing …’ or ‘with only…’

Question 14

だけで - use

Answer 14

Can be used after a casual verb or a noun

Question 15

出す　(だす）- meaning

Answer 15

This literally translates to ‘suddenly start’ or to ‘burst’, but when combined with a verb it is used to indicate any action that is sudden and uncontrollable, usually in an outward motion.

Question 16

出す　(だす）- use

Answer 16

This is combined with the ます stem of a verb.

Question 17

で御座います　(でございます）- meaning and use

Answer 17

This replaces です in very formal language. It is most often used by shop workers speaking to customers. It can also be used as でございません

Question 18

でも- meaning

Answer 18

In addition to meaning ‘but’, this has two other meanings. The first meaning is ‘… or something, etc. ‘, and the second is used to make a suggestion, meaning ‘how about something like…’

Question 19

でも- use

Answer 19

When used to mean ‘etc.’ or to make a suggestion, it must follow a noun

Question 20

でわないか　- meaning

Answer 20

This is used to ask for confirmation. It means ‘right?’, or ‘Isn’t it?’

Question 21

でわないか - use

Answer 21

This is used at the end of a sentence. It is interchangeable with じゃないか

Question 22

が必要　(がひつよう) - meaning

Answer 22

This is used to indicate something you need / is necessary. It’s used only for items, for actions you need to do, use 必要がある

Question 23

が必要　(がひつよう) - use

Answer 23

It is placed immediately after a noun. Where appropriate, the particle が at the beginning can be replaced with は。

Question 24

がする - meaning

Answer 24

This is used to indicate a sensory experience, or a conclusion reached based on sensory input. It can translate to ‘smell’, ‘hear’ or ‘taste’ depending on the context.

Question 25

がする　- use

Answer 25

This is used after a noun (usually naming the sense e.g 音がする ‘I can hear'). する can be conjugated as normal.

Question 26

がる/がっている　- meaning

Answer 26

This means 'to appear to', 'to feel' or 'to seem like', and is mainly used to describe someone else in the third person.

Question 27

がる/がっている　- use

Answer 27

This is always used after an adjective. For い adjectives, the い must be removed first. Using this turns the adjective into a verb, so it must be conjugated based on tense.

Question 28

がり - meaning

Answer 28

Similar to がる, but this is used to describe someone’s more long term impression, such as a personality trait or a tendency.

Question 29

がり - use

Answer 29

This is placed after an adjective. For い adjectives you must remove the い. It isn’t conjugated.

Question 30

御座います　(ございます) - meaning & use

Answer 30

This is a polite form of いる or ある, meaning 'To be'

Question 31

始める　(はじめる) - meaning

Answer 31

Meaning 'to start' or 'to begin to', it’s used to indicate when an action has just begun.

Question 32

始める　(はじめる) - use

Answer 32

It is placed after the ます stem of a verb and then conjugated.

Question 33

はずだ - meaning

Answer 33

The opposite of はずがない、This means 'it must be', 'It should be', or 'surely'. It’s used when you expect something to happen.

Question 34

はずだ　- use

Answer 34

It can be placed after a dictionary form verb, a noun + の, or an adjective ( + な for な adjective).

Question 35

はずがない - meaning

Answer 35

The opposite of はずだ, this means 'cannot be', 'impossible' or 'no way'.

Question 36

はずがない - use

Answer 36

It can be placed after a dictionary form verb, a noun + の, or an adjective ( + な for な adjective). This is the plain form of the verb, to use in polite speech say はずがありません。

Question 37

必要がある　(ひつようがある) - meaning

Answer 37

This means 'to need to do', or 'it is necessary to do'. When used in ない form, it means 'do not need to do'.

Question 38

必要がある　(ひつようがある) - meaning

Answer 38

This is used after a verb in dictionary form. It can be used in negative form as well. This is for actions only, for objects use が必要

Question 39

いらっしゃる / いらっしゃいます- meaning and use

Answer 39

This is the very polite version of 行く、来る、or いる。It changes meaning based on the context. It can be conjugated as normal. いらっしゃる　is plain speech and いらっしゃいます is the formal way of saying it.

Question 40

いたす / いたします - meaning and use

Answer 40

This is the more formal alternative to the verb する。It can be conjugated normally. いたす is plain speech and いたします is polite.

Question 41

じゃないか - meaning and use

Answer 41

This means 'right?' or ‘isn’t it?'. It’s used at the end of a sentence to seek confirmation, and is interchangeable with でわないか。

Question 42

かどうか - meaning

Answer 42

This means 'whether or not'.

Question 43

かどうか　- use

Answer 43

This can be used after a plain form verb, a noun or an adjective.