All 45 JLPT N4 grammar points

can do, be able to do The potential form says you are *able* to do something. The object usually takes が rather than を — 日本語が話せます, not 日本語を話せます — because the sentence is really about what is possible, not what you act on. In casual speech 一段 verbs often drop the ら (食べられる → 食べれる). You will hear it constantly; it is still marked wrong on the exam.

let's ~, I think I'll ~ The plain-form equivalent of 〜ましょう. On its own it is a casual suggestion to someone close to you. With と思っています it states your own intention: 留学しようと思っています — "I'm thinking of studying abroad." That pattern is far more common on the exam than the bare form.

if ~, when ~ The most flexible conditional, and the one to reach for when unsure. It covers both "if" and "once/when", and unlike と it allows a request, invitation or opinion in the second half. Built from the past form, but it says nothing about the past: 時間があったら means "if there's time", not "there was time".

if ~ (then) A more formal, more logical "if" — it presents a general condition rather than a specific occasion. Common in advice and in set phrases: 〜ばいい (you should just ~), 〜ば〜ほど (the more ~, the more ~). Avoid it when the second half is a command or request about the same subject; use たら there instead.

whenever ~, if ~ (always) For results that always follow — natural laws, machines, directions, habits. "Do A and B inevitably happens." The restriction is the exam point: the second half cannot be a request, invitation, permission or command. 春になると暖かくなります is fine; ×春になると出かけてください is not.

if it's the case that ~, if you mean ~ Picks up something the other person just said and responds to it. 京都へ行くなら、バスが便利ですよ — "if you're going to Kyoto (as you say), the bus is handy." Unlike たら, the なら clause can happen *after* the main clause: you give the advice before they travel.

be ~ed (passive) The doer is marked with に: 先生に褒められました — "I was praised by the teacher." Japanese also has the "suffering passive", which English lacks: 雨に降られました, literally "I was rained on" — something happened and it affected me badly. Even intransitive verbs can take it.

make / let someone do One form, two meanings, and the particle is what separates them in practice. With を the nuance is usually "make": 子供を歩かせました. With に and a transitive verb it leans toward "let": 子供に本を読ませました. Context decides which; there is no separate grammar for "make" and "let".

be made to do (unwillingly) You were made to do something and you did not want to. The feeling of reluctance is part of the grammar, not an extra word. 五段 verbs usually contract: 飲まされる rather than 飲ませられる. Both are correct; the short form is what people say. **Except す-ending verbs**, which never contract: 話す becomes 話させられる, and 話さされる is simply wrong. The contraction would run into the す itself.

honorific — raising the other person Used about *someone else's* actions to show respect. Never about your own. The passive form doubles as a light honorific (先生が来られました), which is why passive and honorific look identical — context tells them apart.

humble — lowering yourself The mirror of 尊敬語: used about *your own* actions, to raise the listener by lowering yourself. お持ちします — "I'll carry it (for you)." The classic exam trap is using a humble form about the listener, which insults them. Ask yourself whose action it is before choosing.

has been done (and left that way) Something was done deliberately by someone and the result remains. The doer is not mentioned — the point is the present state. Contrast 〜ている with an intransitive verb: 窓が開いている is "the window is open"; 窓が開けてある is "the window has been opened (by someone, on purpose)".

do in advance, leave as is Do something now because of something later — preparation. 予約しておきます means you book ahead so it's sorted. It can also mean leaving something alone deliberately: そのままにしておいてください. Casual speech contracts it to 〜とく (やっとく).

do completely; do by accident (regret) Two senses that share one form: finishing something off (宿題をしてしまいました), or doing something you regret (財布をなくしてしまいました). Tone tells them apart. Contracts to 〜ちゃう / 〜じゃう in speech, which is where most learners first meet it.

try doing and see Do something to find out what happens. Not "attempt" — that is 〜ようとする. 食べてみます is "I'll have a taste and see", with no suggestion of difficulty. Written in kana, not 見る, because the seeing is figurative.

too much, excessively Always negative — it marks a problem, not an intensity. 高すぎます means the price is a problem, unlike とても高い which is simply an observation. いい becomes よすぎる, and ない becomes なさすぎる.

easy to ~ / hard to ~ A property of the thing, not of you. この本は読みやすい says the book is written clearly — it is not a comment on your reading ability. Both behave as い-adjectives afterwards: 読みやすかった, 読みやすくない.

ought to be, is supposed to be Expectation based on evidence or reasoning — not a guess. 彼は今日来るはずです because he said so, or because it's on the schedule. はずがない is a strong denial: そんなはずがない, "that can't possibly be right."

come to be able to, reach the point of Marks a change that happened gradually. Very often paired with the potential form: 泳げるようになりました — "I've become able to swim." For the negative, 〜なくなる is more natural than 〜ないようになる.

make an effort to, try to make it so A deliberate effort, usually ongoing. 毎日運動するようにしています — "I make a point of exercising daily." The pair to remember: ようになる is a change that happens to you, ようにする is a change you choose.

intend to A firm intention already decided. Stronger than 〜ようと思う, which is still being weighed up. Not used for things outside your control — you cannot 雨が降るつもりだ.

about to / in the middle of / just did One noun, three points on a timeline, chosen by the verb form before it: 食べるところ (about to eat), 食べているところ (eating right now), 食べたところ (just ate). The exam tests exactly that distinction, so read the verb form before the ところ.

just did (a short while ago) Close to 〜たところ but subjective: ばかり is about how recent it *feels*. 去年日本に来たばかりです is fine a year later; 来たところ would not be.

I hear that ~ Reporting what you were told, without judging it. Attaches to the *plain* form, which is what separates it from the looks-like そうだ. Compare: 雨が降るそうです (I hear it'll rain) versus 雨が降りそうです (it looks like rain).

looks like, seems about to Your own impression from looking. Attaches to the *stem*, not the plain form. いい becomes よさそう and ない becomes なさそう — irregular, and regularly tested. Never used for things you can see plainly: you don't say 赤そうです about something obviously red.

seems, apparently; typical of A conclusion from what you've heard or seen around you — less committed than はず, less second-hand than 伝聞のそうだ. After a noun it can instead mean "a proper ~": 男らしい, 春らしい日 — "a real spring day".

seems like, is like Your own judgement from direct evidence. みたいだ is the casual twin and attaches straight to a noun: 子供みたいだ. Also used for resemblance and comparison: 雪のように白い — "white as snow".

might, may A genuine possibility with no weight behind it — much weaker than でしょう or はず. Roughly fifty-fifty or less. Polite form かもしれません; casual speech often shortens it to かも.

probably, I expect A confident prediction — stronger than かもしれない, weaker than はず. でしょう is the polite form and is what weather forecasts use all day long. With rising intonation it becomes a check: 明日でしょう？ — "it's tomorrow, right?"

must, have to Obligation. ならない leans toward a general rule; いけない leans toward this particular situation, though in practice they are near-interchangeable. Spoken Japanese contracts heavily: なきゃ, なくちゃ. Recognising those in the listening section matters more than producing them.

don't have to The absence of obligation — the direct counterpart of なければならない. Don't confuse it with 〜てはいけない (must not). "You don't have to come" and "you must not come" are opposite messages built from similar parts.

do for someone / someone does for me / have someone do Who benefits, and in which direction. あげる: I do it for them. くれる: they do it for me — the one that always points inward. もらう: I get them to do it, marking the doer with に. 〜てあげる can sound patronising said directly to someone; 〜ましょうか is safer for offers.

because ~ / even though ~ ので is a softer, more objective から — preferred when explaining yourself politely. のに is "even though", and always carries a note of surprise, complaint or disappointment. Both take な after a noun or な-adjective, which is where mistakes cluster: 静かなので, not ×静かので.

while ~ / during ~ 間 alone means the action fills the whole period. 間に means something happened at one point inside it. 留守の間に means someone came while you were out — a moment, not a duration. The に is the whole difference.

before ~ing / after ~ing The tense is fixed by the pattern, not by when it happened: 前に always takes the *dictionary* form, 後で always takes the *past* form. 寝る前に and 食べた後で, even about yesterday. That fixed pairing is exactly what the exam checks.

when ~ The verb form before 時 sets the timing relative to the main clause, not to now. 日本へ行く時 is before or during the trip (buying a suitcase); 日本へ行った時 is after arriving (something that happened there).

while doing (both at once) Two actions by the *same person* at the same time. The main action is the second clause — 音楽を聞きながら勉強する is studying, with music on. For two different people acting at once, use 間に instead.

in order to; for the sake of; because of Purpose when the verb is something you control: 日本語を勉強するために日本へ来ました. For things you can't control, use 〜ように instead (聞こえるように大きい声で). ために can also mean cause: 事故のために電車が遅れました.

so that ~ (something one can't directly control) The counterpart to ために. Use it when the result isn't a deliberate act: 忘れないようにメモします, 見えるように前に座ります. The giveaway is the verb before it — potential, negative, or an intransitive change of state.

and what's more (listing reasons) Stacks reasons, implying there are others you haven't listed. 安いし、おいしいし… — cheap, tasty, and more besides. Often a single し softens one reason into a hint rather than an argument.

even if, even though The result holds regardless: 雨が降っても行きます. With a question word it becomes "no matter what": 何を食べても, どこへ行っても, 誰が来ても.

can, be able to A more formal alternative to the potential form, common in writing, signs and announcements. ここで切符を買うことができます. Same meaning as 買えます, but heavier — in conversation the potential form is what people use.

have done before (experience) Life experience, not a past event. 富士山に登ったことがあります is "I've climbed Fuji at some point" — never used with a specific date. With the dictionary form the meaning changes entirely: 〜ことがある means "there are times when".

doing things like ~ and ~ Lists example activities without implying order or completeness — unlike 〜て which puts actions in sequence. The closing する carries the tense: 〜たりしました for the past.

shows signs of feeling ~ Japanese doesn't let you state another person's feelings flatly. 寒い is what *you* feel; for someone else you need 寒がっている — they are *acting* cold. Same for 欲しい → 欲しがる, 嬉しい → 嬉しがる. Getting this wrong is one of the most audible learner mistakes.