JLPT N4 Grammar Map: たことがある, てしまう, Passive, Causative, and あげる/くれる/もらう

verb た-form + ことがある

富士山に登ったことがあります。I have climbed Mt. Fuji.

Says you have done something at least once before.

Watch out:Not for past habits. For "I often used to…", use a different pattern.

verb た-form + り, verb た-form + り + する

週末は本を読んだり、映画を見たりします。On weekends I do things like reading and watching movies.

Gives a few examples from a longer list: "things like A and B."

Watch out:Don't drop the final する. You can also use it with just one example: 〜たりする.

verb ます-stem + ながら

音楽を聞きながら勉強します。I study while listening to music.

One person doing two things at the same time.

Watch out:The main action goes last. In the example, studying is the main activity.

verb て-form + みる

この服、着てみてもいいですか。May I try this on?

Means "try doing something and see how it goes."

Watch out:Nothing to do with seeing. It is written in hiragana, not 見る.

verb て-form + しまう (casual: 〜ちゃう)

電車に傘を忘れてしまいました。I (accidentally) left my umbrella on the train.

Two meanings: "finish something completely" and "end up doing something you regret."

Watch out:In casual speech it shrinks to 食べちゃった, 飲んじゃった.

verb て-form + おく (casual: 〜とく)

会議の前に資料を読んでおきます。I will read the materials beforehand.

Do something in advance for later, or leave something as it is.

Watch out:It has nothing to do with physically putting something down (置く).

Group 1: 書く→書ける / Group 2: 食べる→食べられる / する→できる, 来る→来られる

私は漢字が少し読めます。I can read a little kanji.

The potential form: "can do."

Watch out:The object marker を often changes to が: 漢字が読める.

書く→書こう / 食べる→食べよう / する→しよう

来年、日本へ行こうと思っています。I am thinking of going to Japan next year.

Volitional form + と思う means "I intend to." On its own, the volitional form means "Let's…"

Watch out:と思っています is a plan you have had for a while. と思います is something you just decided.

verb ます-stem / い-adjective minus い / な-adjective + すぎる

昨日は食べすぎました。I ate too much yesterday.

"Too much" or "overdo it."

Watch out:いい becomes よすぎる, not いすぎる.

書けば / 書いたら / 書くと

春になると、桜が咲きます。 / 駅に着いたら、電話してください。When spring comes, cherry blossoms bloom. / Please call me when you get to the station.

と = it always happens that way. たら = after something happens (the most flexible of the three). ば = puts the focus on the condition itself.

Watch out:と cannot be followed by a request or command. 駅に着くと電話してください is wrong.

Group 1: 書く→書かれる / Group 2: 食べる→食べられる / する→される

先生にほめられました。I was praised by the teacher.

The passive: "something is done (by someone)." The doer is marked with に.

Watch out:Japanese also has a "suffering passive" for things that bother you, like 雨に降られた (I got rained on).

Group 1: 書く→書かせる / Group 2: 食べる→食べさせる / する→させる

母は子どもに野菜を食べさせました。The mother made the child eat vegetables.

The causative: "make or let someone do something."

Watch out:〜させてください is a polite way to ask "May I…?"

me → others: あげる / others → me: くれる / I receive from others: もらう

友達が本をくれました。 / 友達に本をもらいました。My friend gave me a book. / I received a book from my friend.

Choose by the direction the thing moves. The same verbs follow a て-form for favors: 〜てあげる, 〜てくれる, 〜てもらう.

Watch out:くれる is only used when the receiver is you (or someone in your group, like family).

looks like: 降りそうだ, おいしそうだ / I heard: 降るそうだ, おいしいそうだ

雨が降りそうです。 / 明日は雨が降るそうです。It looks like it will rain. / I heard it will rain tomorrow.

The meaning depends on what comes before そう. A ます-stem or adjective stem means "it looks like." The plain form means "I heard that."

Watch out:いい becomes よさそう, and ない becomes なさそう.

verb dictionary form or ない-form + ようになる / ようにする

日本語が話せるようになりました。 / 毎日歩くようにしています。I have become able to speak Japanese. / I make a point of walking every day.

ようになる = something you could not do before, you can do now. ようにする = you make an effort to keep doing something.

Watch out:With nouns, just use 〜になる: 医者になる (become a doctor).

plain form + のに (な-adjectives and nouns: 〜なのに)

一生懸命勉強したのに、合格できませんでした。Even though I studied hard, I couldn't pass.

Stronger than けど. It adds a feeling of disappointment that things did not go as expected.

Watch out:It is rarely followed by your own intention, like 〜します.