Japanese Expression Of Desire 5t3820

Japanese Expression of Desire Learn Japanese Online Intermediate Lessons: 1 In this first intermediate lesson, you are going to learn Japanese expression of desire for something (for noun) and desire to do something (for verb).

When you desire or want something (noun), the expression used is "欲しい" or "ほしい" (hoshii). When you desire or want to do something (verb - since it's an action), the Japanese expression "verb {stem of masu-form} たい" (tai) is used. While there are some other variations and functions for these two expressions such as when describing third person desire, this lesson will concentrate on the basic function of them. I will discuss the other functions in future lessons.

Japanese Expression of Desire for Something Let's take a look at the sentence pattern for the first expression... (私は) Noun が ほしいです (watashi wa) Noun ga hoshii desu Take note that this expression is only used for first person, so it's always "watashi wa Noun ga hoshii desu". However "watashi wa" is normally omitted as it's obvious that the speaker is talking as the first person. Therefore the following sentence is wrong because it's not the speaker's desire... •

田中さんは犬 が ほしいです。 X

tanaka san wa inu ga hoshii desu X Meaning: Mr Tanaka wants a dog. X

Note: This sentence is wrong because it's Mr Tanaka's desire However you can ask someone (second person) what's his or her desire in a question. So you can use this expression in a question like the following... •

あなたは何 が ほしいですか。 anata wa nani ga hoshii desu ka Meaning: What do you want?

In this expression, the thing that you desire (Noun) is marked with the particle が (ga). This is the rule that you have to . For the object Noun, it can be a) thing, b) people and c) time. Let's use some examples to further see how this Japanese expression works... a) Thing •

今日は暑いです。私は冷たいジュース が ほしいです。 kyou wa totemo atusi desu. watashi wa tsumetai ju-su ga hoshii desu Meaning: Today is very hot. I want cold juice.

•

今日は雨が降っています。傘 が ほしいです。 kyou wa ame ga futte imasu. kasa ga hoshii desu Meaning: Today is raining. I want an umbrella.

b) People •

私は恋人 が ほしいです。 watashi wa koibito ga hoshii desu Meaning: I want a boyfriend/girlfriend.

•

私は日本人の友達 が ほしいです。 watashi wa nihonjin no tomodachi ga hoshii desu Meaning: I want a Japanese friend.

c) Time •

私はとても忙しいから、時間 が ほしいです。 watashi wa totemo isogashii kara, jikan ga hoshii desu Meaning: I want time because I am so busy.

Negative and Past Tense of ほしい (hoshii) As ほしい (hoshii) is an i-adjective, the negative form and past tense (affirmative and negative) follow how an i-adjective changes form. Take a look at the following...

Present Affirmative:

ほしいです

Present Negative:

ほしくないです

Past Affirmative:

ほしかったです

Past Negative:

ほしくなかったです

Let's make some examples to explain the various forms clearly... •

子供の時人形 が ほしかったですが、今はほしくないです。 kodomo no toki ningyou ga hoshikatta desu ga, ima wa hoshikunai desu Meaning: I wanted a doll when I was a kid, but I don't want it anymore now.

•

五年前にカメラ が ほしくなかったですが、今はほしいです。 gonen mae ni kamera ga hoshikunakatta desu ga, ima wa hoshii desu Meaning: I didn't want a camera 5 years ago, but I want it now.

Bear in mind the Japanese expression ほしい (hoshii) is only used for things/objects. You cannot use it when you have desire to do something (action). A common mistake student often made is the following sentence... •

私は寝ます が ほしいです。 X

watashi wa nemasu ga hoshii desu X Meaning: I want to sleep. X

Note: This sentence is wrong since nemasu is a verb.

Note: You can actually connect Verb to ほしい (hoshii), but you've to change the verb to てform (te-form) first: Verb (て-form) ほしい. However, Verb (て-form) ほしい has a different meaning from the above which will be discussed in one of the future lessons. Just bear in mind that you cannot connect verb directly to ほしい (hoshii) unless you change it to て-form (teform). For own desire to do something (action), you need to use the next Japanese expression of desire to do something.

Japanese Expression of Desire to Do Something Let's take a look at the sentence pattern for this Japanese expression... Verb {stem of masu-form} たいです Verb {stem of masu-form} tai desu Check out the page on Japanese verb stem of masu-form if you are not sure how to form it. Let's make use of few verbs to see how to change into the respective たい-form (tai-form)... dict-form

masu-form

tai-form

Meaning

1.

買う

買います

買いたい

want to buy

2.

待つ

待ちます

待ちたい

want to wait

3.

乗る

乗ります

乗りたい

want to ride

4.

飲む

飲みます

飲みたい

want to drink

5.

死ぬ

死にます

死にたい

want to die

6.

遊ぶ

遊びます

遊びたい

want to play

7.

行く

行きます

行きたい

want to go

8.

泳ぐ

泳ぎます

泳ぎたい

want to swim

9.

話す

話します

話したい

want to talk

10.

見る

見ます

見たい

want to see

11.

する

します

したい

want to do

12.

くる

きます

きたい

want to come

たい-form (tai-form) is also similar to ほしい (hoshii) that it is only used for first person. Therefore it's wrong to say "someone (other than yourself) verb(~tai) desu". But it's Ok to use it when asking someone "what he or she wants to do" in a question.

For たい (tai) sentence, you can still use the particles as per normal. However sometimes particle を (wo) is changed to が (ga). It's Ok to use either of them, but most of the time が (ga) is used. Let's check out some examples for this Japanese expression... •

ジュース を/が 飲みたいです。 ju-su wo/ga nomitai desu Meaning: I want to drink juice.

•

本屋 へ 行きたいです。 honya e ikitai desu Meaning: I want to go to the bookstore.

•

電車 に 乗りたいです。 densha ni noriitai desu Meaning: I want to get on the train.

•

日本語の新聞 を/が 読みたいです。 nihongo no shinbun wo/ga yomitai desu Meaning: I want to read Japanese newspaper.

Negative and Past Tense of Verb たい (tai) form Similar to ほしい (hoshii), verb tai-form is also an i-adjective. Therefore the same rule applies

when changing form to negative and past tense. Please see the following for a clearer picture...

Present Affirmative:

～たいです

Present Negative:

～たくないです

Past Affirmative:

～たかったです

Past Negative:

～たくなかったです

Let's make some similar examples as you have done in the other Japanese expression "hoshii" to explain the various forms clearly... •

今朝はビール が 飲みたくなかったですが、今は飲みたいです。 kesa wa bi-ru ga nomitakunakatta desu ga, ima wa nomitai desu

Meaning: I didn't want to drink beer this morning, but I want to drink now. •

子供の時は公園 で 遊びたかったですが、今は遊びたくないです。 kodomo no toki wa kouen de asobitakatta desu ga, ima wa asobitakunai desu

Meaning: I wanted to play at the park when I was a kid, but I don't want to play now.

Japanese Grammar on Expressing Experience Intermediate Lessons: 2 In this second intermediate lesson you will get to learn the Japanese grammar for expressing your experience in the past.

It's formed by using the sentence pattern of "Japanese verb (た-form) ことがある/あります" (taform koto ga aru/arimasu). This is a very useful grammar in daily conversation when you need to say something which you or others have experienced or something you or others have done in the past. It can also be used to ask the experience of others. The sentence pattern for this Japanese grammar is... Verb (た-form) ことがあります Verb (ta-form) koto ga arimasu

Normally if you say "去年日本へ行きました" (kyonen nihon e ikimashita), it means you have been to Japan last year. This sentence is talking about your action at that moment (last year). It doesn't say anything about other thing.

But if you say "日本へ行ったことがあります" (nihon e itta koto ga arimasu), you are saying you have been to Japan in the past. It doesn't matter when that happened. So long you have been to Japan previously.

So if you want to mention that you have done a particular thing at a particular moment, use normal past tense. However, if you want to say you have done a particular thing in the past regardless of when you did it, use "ta-form koto ga arimasu".

As this Japanese grammar is talking about something you have done in the past regardless of when you did it, you cannot put a time stamp in the statement. For example, the following sentence is wrong... •

昨日刺身を食べたことがあります。 X

kinou sashimi wo tabeta koto ga arimasu X Meaning: I have experienced of eating sashimi yesterday. X

Note: This sentence is wrong because the time stamp kinou is not required. Instead you should just say... •

刺身を食べたことがあります。 sashimi wo tabeta koto ga arimasu Meaning: I have eaten sashimi before.

No Experience in the Past: ta-form koto ga nai/arimasen For thing that you have neither experienced nor done in the past, you just need to change the form to negative like this... Verb (た-form) ことがありません Verb (ta-form) koto ga arimasen

For example, if you have not climb Mount Fuji in your life, you can say... •

富士山に登ったことがありません。 fujisan ni nobotta koto ga arimasen Meaning: I have not climb Mount Fuji before.

If you have not play Pachinko (Japanese pinball game) before, you can say... •

パチンコをしたことがありません。 pachinko wo shita koto ga arimasen

Meaning: I have not play Pachinko before.

Number of Times You Have Done in the Past Although you cannot put the time stamp like "yesterday" or "last year" in this Japanese

grammar, you can put in how many times you have done it in your life. In this case, make use of the Japanese counter 度 (ど - do) or 回 (かい - kai). So if you have climbed Mount Fuji for once in the past, you can say the following sentence... •

一度/一回 富士山に登ったことがあります。 ichido/ikkai fujisan ni nobotta koto ga arimasu Meaning: I have climbed Mount Fuji once.

If you want to say you have played Pachinko for many times, use the word 何度も (なんども nandomo) or 何回も (なんかいも - nankaimo)... •

何度も/何回も パチンコをしたことがあります。 nandomo/nankaimo pachinko wo shita koto ga arimasu Meaning: I have played Pachinko many times.

For the negative form "ta-form koto ga arimasen", if you want to emphasize that you have not done something even once, use the word 一度も (いちども - ichidomo). For example, if you want to stress that you have not drink alcohol even once, you can say... •

一度も お酒を飲んだことがありません。 ichidomo osake wo nonda koto ga arimasen Meaning: I have not drink alcohol even once.

Please take note that 一度も (いちども - ichidomo) can only be used with negative sentence.

Asking If Someone Has the Experience of Doing Something It's simple to turn this Japanese grammar into a question. Just append the question word か (ka) at the end of the sentence.

So if you want to ask someone whether he has climbed Mount Fuji before...

•

Question: 富士山に登ったことがありますか。 fujisan ni nobotta koto ga arimasu ka

Meaning: Have you climbed Mount Fuji before? •

Answer 1: はい、登ったことがあります。 hai, nobotta koto ga arimasu

Meaning: Yes, I have climbed Mount Fuji before. •

Answer 2: いいえ、登ったことはありません。 iie, nobotta koto wa arimasen

Meaning: No, I have not climb Mount Fuji before. In actual conversation, you might have used Plain form in your sentences. Therefore instead of あります (arimasu) or ありません (arimasen), you should use ある (aru) or ない (nai) respectively. The frequency of using this Japanese grammar is quite high in conversation so read through this lesson few times until you are familiar with it.

Japanese Sentence Plain form no desu Intermediate Lessons: 3 This lesson will teach you how to make your Japanese sentence sounds more natural using the grammar Plain form のです (Plain form no desu). After learning Japanese for some time, you will notice that native Japanese speak differently from what you have learned so far. One of the differences is that they like to add a の (no) at the end of a sentence.

This is to make the sentence sounds more natural. Besides, the speaker used this grammar to:

1. confirm if something he/she has seen or heard is true 2. seek an explanation (more information) 3. show curiosity (strong interest) Let's look at the sentence pattern of this grammar... Plain form のですか

Plain form no desu ka Plain form のです Plain form no desu

Note: For な-adj/Noun -> (～だ) な While the above sentence pattern is used in writing, it's changed to Plain form んです(Plain form n desu) when it's used in conversation because it's easier to pronounce.

There is one condition when using this Japanese sentence. In order to use it, something should be obvious on whatever you have seen or heard. Let's use some examples to explain this condition.

When NOT to Use Plain form no desu? Let's say summer vacation in coming soon. The teacher is asking the students where they are going for their holidays. The teacher probably says... •

どこへ行きますか。 doko e ikimasu ka Meaning: Where are you going?

As the students are still in the classroom wearing their school uniform, the teacher has no idea where they are going for their holidays. Therefore she can only ask with a question like "どこへ 行きますか" (doko e ikimasu ka).

When TO Use Plain form no desu? Let's say now that you see your neighbour is waiting for taxi with his travel suitcase beside him

and he is also carrying a camera. It's obvious that your neighbour is going for travel. You want to make sure that he is really going for travel. In this case you can ask him... •

どこへ行く の ですか。 doko e iku no desu ka Meaning: Where are you going?

As opposed to the first example, it's obvious that your neighbour is going for travel. And you want to confirm that. In this case you can use Plain form no desu in the Japanese sentence.

More Examples on Plain form no desu Assume you are inside the office. If you want to ask someone if it's raining outside, how do you ask? You will probably ask... •

雨が降っていますか。 ame ga futte imasu ka Meaning: Is it raining?

However, if you see your colleague carrying a wet umbrella into the office, you should usePlain

form no desu. •

雨が降っている の ですか。 ame ga futte iru no desu ka Meaning: Is it raining?

It's not a mistake to say "雨が降っていますか。" (ame ga futte imasu ka) for the second case. But native Japanese use Plain form no desu for something obvious, as it's more natural. Let's see another example to make sure what situation is considered as obvious. Suppose today you notice that your colleague who used to maintain long hair suddenly appeared in front of you with short hair. You are surprised and ask her... •

髪を切った の ですか。 kami wo kitta no desu ka

Meaning: Did you cut your hair? You have seen your colleague with long hair until yesterday. It's obvious that she had cut her hair. Therefore it's natural to use Plain form no desu in the Japanese sentence here.

However, if you are talking to your colleague through phone without knowing her new hair style, you will ask her... •

髪を切りましたか。 kami wo kirimashita ka

Meaning: Did you cut your hair?

Japanese Sentences Ended with Noun or Na-adjective For sentences ended with Noun or Na-adjective, instead of ending だ (da), change it to な (na). For example, if you see a tourist carrying a Japanese port on his hand, it's obvious that he is a Japanese. So you can ask him the following to confirm... •

日本人 なの ですか。 nihonjin na no desu ka

Meaning: Are you a Japanese? However if it's not obvious (he is not carrying a Japanese port), you can only ask him... •

日本人ですか。 nihonjin desu ka Meaning: Are you a Japanese?

In summary, you can only use this Japanese sentence when something is obvious, either you have seen or heard about it. It also shows your curiosity and you are seeking for an explanation.

Asking for Reason and How to Answer It And since you are using this Japanese sentence to ask questions, it always goes with the question word どうして (doushite - why). The answer to this type of questions is always "Plain form からです" (Plain form kara desu), as shown in the following sentence patterns... Question: どうして Plain form のですか doushite Plain form no desu ka Answer: Plain form からです Plain form kara desu

As から (kara) also has the meaning of "reason", it always goes in pair with どうして (doushite) question. For example... •

Question: どうして昨日学校を休んだのですか。

doushite kinou gakkou wo yasunda no desu ka Meaning: Why did you absent from school yesterday? Answer: 頭が痛かった から です。 atama ga itakatta kara desu

Meaning: Because I had a headache. •

Question: どうして早く帰るのですか。 doushite hayaku kaeru no desu ka

Meaning: Why do you go back early? Answer: 今日は妻の誕生日だ から です。

kyou wa tsuma no tanjoubi da kara desu Meaning: Because today is my wife's birthday. Don't forget that the Japanese grammar Plain form no desu is usually used in writing. However during a conversation, の (no) is changed to ん (n).

Japanese Grammar on Expressing Benefit & Purpose Intermediate Lessons: 4 In this lesson you will get to learn the Japanese grammar ため (tame). It's used to describe something (noun) or some action (verb). This "something or action" is for the benefit of individual or group. Besides, it can also mean "for the purpose of" or "in order to".

For the Benefit of "Noun" Let's look at the sentence patterns of the first meaning of this Japanese grammar... NounA のための NounB NounA no tame no NounB This means that NounB is for the benefit of NounA. Let's use some examples to explain this Japanese grammar clearer...

1. これは外国人の ための 日本語の辞書です。

kore wa gaikokujin no tame no nihongo no jisho desu

Meaning: This is a Japanese dictionary for (the benefit of) foreigner.

2. これは子供の ための 本です。

kore wa kodomo no tame no hon desu Meaning: This is a book for (the benefit of) children.

3. これはベジタリアンの ための 料理です。

kore wa bejitarian no tame no ryouri desu

Meaning: This is a dish for (the benefit of) vegetarian.

4. これはお年寄りの ための 席です。

kore wa otoshiyori no tame no seki desu Meaning: This is a seat for (the benefit of) elderly

Another sentence pattern is by changing the second noun with a verb (action). Noun のために Verb Noun no tame ni Verb This one describes the action (Verb) is for the benefit of Noun.

1. 家族の ために 一生懸命働いています。

kazoku no tame ni isshoukenmei hataraite imasu Meaning: I am working very hard for the benefit of my family.

2. 恋人の ために ケーキを作っています。

koibito no tame ni ke-ki wo tsukutte imasu

Meaning: I am making cake for (the benefit of) my lover.

3. 目が悪い学生の ために 先生は字を大きく書いています。

me ga warui gakusei no tame ni sensei wa ji wo ookiku kaite imasu Meaning: Teacher is writing the word with big strokes for (the benefit of) students with bad eyesight.

4. 日本語が分からない人の ために 英語で話してください。

nihongo ga wakaranai hito no tame ni eigo de hanashite kudasai Meaning: Please speak in English for (the benefit of) people who doesn't understand Japanese.

Just to use ための (tame no) to describe noun and ために (tame ni) to describe action.

For the Purpose of / In Order To There is another sentence pattern for this Japanese grammar which means "For the purpose of" or "In order to"... Verb(dict-form) ために Action Verb(dict-form) tame ni Action

In this case, a dictionary-form verb is placed before tame ni instead of a noun.

1. 医者になる ために 一生懸命勉強しています。

isha ni naru tame ni isshoukenmei benkyoushite imasu

Meaning: I am studying very hard in order to become a doctor.

2. 弟は自転車を買う ために お金を貯めています。

otouto wa jitensha wo kau tame ni okane wo tamete imasu Meaning: My younger brother is saving money in order to buy a bicycle.

3. 漫画を読む ために 日本語を勉強しています。

manga wo yomu tame ni nihongo wo benkyoushite imasu Meaning: I am studying Japanese in order to read manga.

4. 友達は料理を習う ために イタリアへ行きました。

tomodachi wa ryouri wo narau tame ni itaria e ikimashita Meaning: My friend went to Italy in order to learn cooking.

In summary, this Japanese grammar tame is used to express the benefit/purpose of something or doing some action.

Potential Form 可能形 (kanoukei) & dekiru Intermediate Lessons: 5 You may have come across potential form (or potential verb) in Japanese if you are at the intermediate level. It's one of the 2 ways to express ability and possibility to do something in Japanese. Another way is to convert a verb into its noun-form and append ができる (ga dekiru) to it.

It's very simple to convert a Japanese verb into its noun-form. To do that, simply append こと (koto) to the dictionary-form of any verb. For example, 話す (hanasu) becomes 話すこと (hanasu koto), 読む (yomu) becomes 読むこと (yomu koto). By appending ができる (ga dekiru) to a noun or a verb in its noun-form, as shown in the following sentence patterns, you can express the ability and possibility of performing an action. A. Noun ができる (Noun ga dekiru) OR

B. Verb + こと ができる (Verb+koto ga dekiru) Note: Only noun that is able to connect with する (suru) verb can be used here. Let's use some examples to show how to use the above sentence patterns... A. Using Noun ができる

1. 私はテニスをします。

watashi wa tenisu wo shimasu Meaning: I play tennis. (action to play tennis) becomes

私はテニスができます。 watashi wa tenisu ga dekimasu

Meaning: I can play tennis. (ability to play tennis)

2. 私はスキーをします。

watashi wa suki- wo shimasu Meaning: I ski. (action to ski) becomes 私はスキーができます。 watashi wa suki- ga dekimasu

Meaning: I can ski. (ability to ski) B. Using Verb + こと ができる

1. 私は日本語を話します。

watashi wa nihongo wo hanshimasu Meaning: I speak Japanese.　(action to speak Japanese) becomes 私は日本語を話すことができます。 watashi wa nihongo wo hanasu koto ga dekimasu

Meaning: I can speak Japanese. (ability to speak Japanese)

2. ここで写真を撮ります。

koko de shashin wo torimasu

Meaning: I take photo here. (action to take photo) becomes ここで写真を撮ることができます。 koko de shashin wo toru koto ga dekimasu

Meaning: I can take photo here. (possibility to take photo)

Japanese Potential form or 可能形 (kanoukei) To express ability or possibility, we have one more expression... Potential verb or Potential form. The meaning of "can" has already been included in the verb without using できる.

Rules for Changing Dictionary-form to Potential-form The following are the rules for the 3 groups of Japanese verbs. Group 1 Verbs Group 1 verbs always end up with words containing u-sound. To change group 1 verbs to potential-form, change the u-sound to e-sound in the last word. After that append る (ru) to the changed words and you will get the potential-form of the verb.

For example, this group 1 verb よむ (yomu) ends up with む (mu). If you change the u-sound to e-sound, む (mu) becomes め (me). Adding る (ru) at the end, you will get よめる (yomeru). Let's look at one more example, this group 1 verb はしる (hashiru) ends up with る (ru). If you change the u-sound to e-sound, る (ru) becomes れ (re). Adding る (ru) at the end, you will get はしれる (hashireru). Group 2 Verbs Changing group 2 verbs from dictionary-form to potential-form is much simpler. All group 2 verbs end up with る (ru). To change to potential-form, simply replace る (ru) with られる (rareru) and you will get the potential-form of the verb. For example, this Japanese verb たべる (taberu) is a group 2 verb. To change to potential-form, replace る (ru) with られる (rareru) and you will get たべられる (taberareru). I will use another example to show the change. This group 2 verb ねる (neru) means go to bed. Change る (ru) to られる (rareru) and you will get ねられる (nerareru).

Group 3 Verbs Group 3 verbs are irregular verbs. You just have to memorize them. The potential-form of くる (kuru) is こられる (korareru) and the potential-form of する (suru) is できる (dekiru). In summary, the following diagram shows the rules when changing dictionary-form to potential-form for Japanese verbs.

So you have 2 ways to express the meaning of ability or possibility in Japanese. For example, the following 2 sentences mean the same thing... "I can speak Japanese". •

私は日本語を話すことができます。 watashi wa nihongo wo hanasu koto ga dekimasu

•

私は日本語が話せます。 watashi wa nihongo ga hanasemasu

Note: When using potential form, you have to change the particle from を (wo) to が (ga). And since all potential verbs are Group 2 verbs, it's easy to change a potential verb to its other forms. Following the rules for group 2 verbs, •

masu-form : る -> ます

•

ta-form :　る -> た

•

nai-form :　る -> ない

•

nakatta-from :　る -> なかった

For example, using the potential verb 話せる (hanaseru), which means "can speak"... •

masu-form : 話せる -> 話せます

•

ta-form :　話せる -> 話せた

•

nai-form :　話せる -> 話せない

•

nakatta-from :　話せる -> 話せなかった

Potential verbs can also be applied to the polite style. Using the same example, •

Present Affirmative : 話せる -> 話せます

•

Present Negative :　話せる -> 話せません

•

Past Affirmative :　話せる -> 話せました

•

Past Negative :　話せる -> 話せませんでした

More Examples on Using Potential form and dekiru Let's practise using both ways to express ability or possibility with more examples...

1. 兄は泳ぐことができます。

ani wa oyogu koto ga dekimasu 兄は泳げます。 ani wa oyogemasu

Meaning: My elder brother can swim.

2. 母は日本料理を作ることができます。

haha wa nihon ryouri wo tsukuru koto ga dekimasu 母は日本料理が作れます。 haha wa nihon ryouri ga tsukuremasu

Meaning: My mother can cook Japanese dish.

3. 弟は自転車に乗ることができます。

otouto wa jitensha ni noru koto ga dekimasu 弟は自転車に乗れます。 otouto wa jitensha ni noremasu

Meaning: My younger brother can ride the bicycle.

4. 明日パーティーに行くことができません。 ashita pa-ti- ni iku koto ga dekimasen 明日パーティーに行けません。 ashita pa-ti- ni ikemasen

Meaning: I can't go to the party tommorrow.

5. 昨日晩御飯を食べることができませんでした。

kinou bangohan wo taberu koto ga dekimasendeshita 昨日晩御飯が食べられませんでした。 kinou bangohan ga taberaremasendeshita Meaning: I couldn't eat dinner yesterday.

ようになる you ni naru Intermediate Lessons: 6 In this lesson I am going to introduce the Japanese grammar ようになる you ni naru. Depending on the verb form that comes before it, it can mean change in habitual action or change in ability/possibility.

なる (naru) is a verb that expresses change. For example... •

春になりました (haru ni narimashita) Meaning: The season has changed to Spring.

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天気が暖かくなりました (tenki ga atatakaku narimashita) Meaning: The weather has become warm.

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手がきれいになりました (te ga kirei ni narimashita) Meaning: The hand has become clean.

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ズボンが小さくなりました (zubon ga chisaku narimashita) Meaning: The pants has become small.

By combining ように (you ni) with なる (naru), you can express the change of state of situation. Basically the following two sentence patterns are used for this grammar... 1. Verb (dictionary-form) ようになりました Verb (dictionary-form) you ni narimashita Meaning: change in habitual action. 2. Verb (potential-form) ようになりました Verb (potential-form) you ni narimashita Meaning: change in ability or possibility.

1. Verb (dictionary-form) you ni naru This grammar demonstrates the change in habitual action of someone. For instance, you don't do something in the past but are doing it currently. Maybe you don't smoke in the past, but recently you took up the habit of smoking. Normally you can express this change in habitual action in two sentences like... •

昔はたばこを吸いませんでした。今はたばこを吸います。 mukashi wa tabako wo suimasendeshita. ima wa tabako wo suimasu Meaning: I didn't smoke in the past. I smoke now.

However by using Verb (dictionary-form) you ni naru, you can express the same action in a single sentence... •

たばこを吸うようになりました。 tabako wo suu you ni narimashita

たばこを吸う (tabako wo suu) is the present state where you smoke now. It also means that in

the past you didn't smoke. So from the above sentence you can conclude two things: You didn't smoke in the past, but you smoke now. More Examples

1. 新聞を読むようになりました。

shinbun wo yomu you ni narimashita Meaning: I didn't read newspaper in the past. I read newspaper now.

2. ジャズを聞くようになりました。

jazu wo kiku you ni narimashita

Meaning: I didn't listen to Jazz in the past. I listen to Jazz now.

3. 歌を歌うようになりました。

uta wo utau you ni narimashita Meaning: I didn't sing in the past. I sing now.

2. When to Use Verb (potential-form) you ni naru? You will need to use the potential verb when you want to show the change in ability or possibility instead.

Using the same example of smoking, let's say that in your country you are not allowed to

smoke until you are 18 years old. Normally you can express this in the following sentences like... •

十六歳の時、たばこが吸えませんでした。 今は十八歳です。たばこが吸えます。 juurossai no toki, tabako ga suemasendeshita. ima wa juuhassai desu. tabako ga suemasu

Meaning: I couldn't smoke when I was sixteen. I am eighteen now. I can smoke. By using Verb (potential-form) you ni naru, you can express the same situation in only one sentence... •

たばこが吸えるようになりました。 tabeko ga sueru you ni narimashita

The above example shows the change in possibility was occurred. How about the change in ability? Let's say that you were not able to read Japanese in the past. After studying Japanese for 5 years, now you can read Japanese newspaper. You can express this situation in the following sentences... •

昔は日本語の新聞が読めませんでした。 今は日本語の新聞が読めます。 mukashi wa nihongo no shinbun ga yomemasendeshita. ima wa nihongo no shinbun ga yomemasu

Meaning: I couldn't read Japanese newspaper in the past. I can read now. Again by using Verb (potential-form) you ni naru, you can express the same situation in only one sentence... •

日本語の新聞が読めるようになりました。 nihongo no shinbun ga yomeru you ni narimashita

More Examples

1. 日本語の歌が歌えるようになりました。

nihongo no uta ga utaeru you ni narimashita

Meaning: I couldn't sing Japanese song in the past. I can sing now.

2. 漢字が書けるようになりました。

kanji ga kakeru you ni narimashita Meaning: I couldn't write kanji in the past. I can write now.

3. 日本語の漫画が読めるようになりました。

nihongo no manga ga yomeru you ni narimashita

Meaning: I couldn't read Japanese manga in the past. I can read now.