“〜to omotte・〜to omottara”: Thinking 〜 (motive) / Thought 〜 But (gap) [JLPT N4]
Content by NTJ Kuma · Nihongo to Japan editorial team · Updated July 27, 2026
「喜ぶと思って買った」 vs 「寝たと思ったら起きていた」 — a motive for acting vs a surprise that upends it.
「喜ぶと思って」 vs 「寝たと思ったら」 — one is a motive, one is “but it turned out ~”
「彼が喜ぶと思って、サプライズを用意した」 (thinking he'd be happy, I prepared a surprise) vs 「もう寝たと思ったら、まだ起きていた」 (I thought he'd gone to sleep, but he was still up) — both use 「と思う」, yet differ: 〜と思って = motive “(I) thought ~ (so I did something)”; 〜と思ったら = “I thought ~, but it turned out ~” (surprise) or “right after ~, ~.” This guide sorts them by “motive vs surprising outcome.”
Core: と思って (motive) vs と思ったら (surprising outcome)
- 〜と思って = (I) thought ~ (so ~) (a motive/reason): 安いと思って、たくさん買った (thinking it was cheap, I bought a lot).
- 〜と思ったら = I thought ~ but ~／right after ~ (surprise, immediacy): 晴れると思ったら、雨が降ってきた (I thought it'd clear up, but it started raining).
Test: “why you did something (motive)” → と思って; “thought ~, but it turned out ~ (surprise)” → と思ったら.
How to Connect
| Form | Use | Example |
|---|---|---|
| plain form ＋ と思って | motive (thought ~, so) | 喜ぶと思って |
| plain form ＋ と思ったら | thought ~, but ~／right after | 寝たと思ったら |
Examples in context
- 彼が喜ぶと思って、プレゼントを買った。(Thinking he'd be happy, I bought a gift.) — motive
- 安いと思って、たくさん買った。(Thinking it was cheap, I bought a lot.) — motive
- もう寝たと思ったら、まだ起きていた。(I thought he'd slept, but he was still up.) — surprise
- 晴れると思ったら、雨が降ってきた。(I thought it'd clear, but it started raining.) — surprise
- 家に着いたと思ったら、また会社から電話が来た。(Right after I got home, work called again.) — immediacy
⚠️ Easy traps to avoid
① と思って (motive) vs と思ったら (surprise). 「喜ぶと思って買った」 = I thought he'd be happy (motive), so I bought it; 「晴れると思ったら雨」 = I thought it'd clear, but it rained (surprise). One is “why I did it,” the other “but it turned out ~.”
② と思って's subject is usually “yourself.” 「（私が）安いと思って買った」 = I thought it cheap and bought it — the motive is the speaker's.
③ と思ったら carries “surprise/unexpected” or “right after.” Thought A, but B (surprise); or “right after A, B” (immediacy). The second clause is often unforeseen.
🔄 Nuance & comparison: と思って／と思ったら／と思う
| Form | Nuance | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 〜と思って | motive (thought ~, so did) | 喜ぶと思って買った （I bought it thinking they'd be pleased） |
| 〜と思ったら | thought ~ but ~／right after | 寝たと思ったら起きてた （I thought they'd fallen asleep, but they were awake） |
| 〜と思う | (now) think, believe | いいと思う |
💡 The one thing to remember
Both have 「と思う」 but do completely different jobs: と思って = motive (I “thought ~,” so I did something: 喜ぶと思って買った); と思ったら = the surprise of “I thought ~, but it turned out ~,” or the immediacy of “right after ~” (寝たと思ったら起きてた). One trick: と思って is followed by “what I did” (a motive); と思ったら is followed by “an unexpected outcome.” To explain why you did something, use と思って; for a “who'd have thought” twist, use と思ったら.
❓ Questions you might have
Q: 「喜ぶと思って」 vs 「喜ぶと思ったら」?
Completely different. 「喜ぶと思って（買った）」 = I thought he'd be happy (motive), so I bought it — “why I did it”; 「喜ぶと思ったら（喜ばなかった）」 = I thought he'd be happy, but he wasn't (surprise) — “thought ~, but ~.” と思って is the reason for an action, と思ったら is a dashed-expectation twist.
Q: Is 「と思ったら」 always a bad outcome?
No. It marks the surprise of “thought A, but B” (B can be good or bad: 晴れると思ったら雨 (bad)／難しいと思ったら簡単だった (good)), or the immediacy of “right after A, B” (家に着いたと思ったら電話が来た). The core is “unexpected” or “right after,” not good or bad.
🖊️ Practice Questions (5)
Q1. 「喜ぶ___、彼にプレゼントを買った。」(thinking he'd be happy, I bought a gift)
(A) と思って (B) と思ったら (C) からには (D) ながら
Q2. 「もう寝た___、まだ起きていた。」(I thought he'd gone to sleep, but he was still awake)
(A) と思ったら (B) と思って (C) ために (D) ように
Q3. 「晴れると思ったら雨が降ってきた」の意味は?
(A) Thought it would clear up, but it started raining (a gap)
(B) It rains because it clears up
(C) It's been raining the whole time
(D) It won't rain
Q4. 「と思って」の主語は普通?
(A) The speaker themselves (acting with a certain thought)
(B) A third party
(C) The listener
(D) No subject
Q5. 「と思ったら」が自然なのは?
(A) 泣いていると思ったら、笑っていた。 (B) 役に立つと思ったら買った（motive）。
(C) 喜ぶと思ったらあげた。 (D) 安いと思ったら買ってください。
Answer Explanations
1. (A) と思って ── bought it with the thought 「he'll be happy」 (motive).
2. (A) と思ったら ── thought he'd fallen asleep, but he was still awake (a gap).
3. (A) ── the gap between expectation (clearing up) and reality (rain).
4. (A) ── with と思って the subject is usually the speaker.
5. (A) ── と思ったら shows a gap (thought he was crying, but he was laughing); (B)(C) motives should use と思って.