推量What you think and know
How do you know?
English can say “it's going to snow” no matter why you think so. Japanese usually shows your evidence too.
Same forecast, different evidence
Choose why you think it will snow
It looks like it's about to snow.
- Your evidence
- What you see right now
- How sure
The classic trap
One sound apart
First speaker
雪が降りそうです。Yuki ga furi sou desu.Second speaker
雪が降るそうです。Yuki ga furu sou desu.Which speaker could be sitting in a room with no windows?
Side by side
Which one fits?
| Form | Use it when | How sure | Sounds |
|---|---|---|---|
| ~そう (looks) | You can see signs right now | Everyday | |
| ~そう (heard) | Someone told you | Everyday | |
| ~かもしれない | It's one possibility | Everyday | |
| ~よう | You worked it out from clues | Careful, polite | |
| ~みたい | Like よう, in conversation | Casual | |
| ~らしい | The clues come from outside you | A little distant | |
| ~はず | You have a reason to expect it | Everyday | |
| ~にちがいない | You're convinced | Often written |
The two そう
They attach differently
Looks takes a stem, and heard takes a complete plain sentence.
| Before it | Looks | Heard |
|---|---|---|
| Verb | 降りそう | 降るそう |
| い adjective | 高そう | 高いそう |
| な adjective | 静かそう | 静かだそう |
| Noun | — | 学生だそう |
| いい | よさそう | いいそう |
| ない | なさそう | ないそう |
Looks
Going by appearances
You say this about what you can't yet confirm. Something plainly true on sight doesn't need it: a dress you can see is simply きれい, not きれいそう.
That cake looks delicious.
Before a noun, use そうな.
The children are singing happily.
Before a verb, use そうに.
It doesn't look like it'll rain today.
For a verb, the negative is そうにない or そうもない.
My legs hurt so much I feel like I might fall.
It can also be something you sense coming in yourself.
Heard
A report has one shape
According to the news, a typhoon is coming.
によると names your source.
I hear Yamada moved last year.
The past goes before そう. Heard そう stays as そうです or そうだ: never そうでした or そうではありません.
よう and みたい
Your own reasoning
You noticed the mail piling up and the lights off. You're vouching for this conclusion yourself.
The neighbors seem to be out.
Nouns take の, and な adjectives take な.
Looks like the neighbors are out.
みたい means the same, but sits right after a noun or な adjective stem.
らしい
Two meanings, two negatives
らしい leans on what you've read or been told, which keeps you at a little distance from the claim. If you're wrong, it was the source's information.
Apparently that person isn't a student.
Negative inside: you're passing on a conclusion from what you've heard.
He isn't himself today.
Negative on らしい itself: noun + らしい means true to type, as in 春らしい天気, “real spring weather”.
はず
Not “should” as in advice
はず is about what the facts lead you to expect. “You should rest” is advice, so it needs ~たほうがいい. 休むはずです could only mean you expect they'll rest.
The package should arrive today.
You have grounds: you checked the tracking.
He isn't expected to come.
ない + はず: you expect he won't.
There's no way he's coming.
はずがない rules it out, and it's the stronger of the two.
We walked all day. No wonder you're tired.
It can also explain something once you've found the reason.
Sure, but why?
はず vs. にちがいない
The meeting should end at three.
Grounds you could point to: it's on the schedule.
With that face, it must be a lie.
Your own conviction. It's still a guess, however strongly you hold it.
Check yourself
What's the evidence?
らしい
Which meaning is it?
はず
How strong is it?
Find the mistake
Tap the part that's wrong.
。
Say it yourself
Your boss is asking
Tanaka's desk is cleared and their coat is gone. Nobody told you anything. Your boss asks where Tanaka is.
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