Lesson 109: べきだ・ものだ・たものだ

N3 · Lesson 109 · 18 min — Should~, Naturally~, Used to~: three sentence endings for opinions, common sense and nostalgia

Last lesson you learned ないことはない, ことはない and おそれがある, and Rin finished his first tour safely. This lesson has three sentence endings that carry the speaker's feeling: opinion, common sense and nostalgia. Read the comic first!

After this lesson, you can:

• Use べきだ／べきではない to say "(I think) you should~ / you shouldn't~"
• Use ものだ／ものではない to state what is natural ("that's just how it is") and to sigh "how ~ it is!"
• Use たものだ to look back on "what I used to do often~" with nostalgia
• Tell apart べきだ, ほうがいい, ものだ and たことがある

Master's Saying

Rin's first tour ended safely. Back at くまや that night, Mr. Kuma wipes bowls and thinks of his master. (昔むかし＝long ago, 師匠ししょう＝master, 三杯さんばい＝three bowls)

べきだ＝I think you should, ものだ＝naturally / how ~ it is!, たものだ＝used to do often.

Words for this lesson: opinion, common sense, nostalgia

• べきだ (beki da): should~ (the speaker's opinion)
• べきではない (beki dewa nai): shouldn't~
• ものだ (mono da): naturally~; how ~ it is!
• ものではない (mono dewa nai): (by common sense) shouldn't~
• 〜たものだ (ta mono da): used to do~ often (nostalgic)
• 師匠ししょう (shishō): master (a teacher of a craft)
• お客きゃくさん (okyaku-san): guest, customer
• 大切たいせつに する (taisetsu ni suru): to cherish, to treat with care
• 三杯さんばい (sanbai): three bowls, three cups
• 昔むかし (mukashi): long ago, in the past
• なつかしい (natsukashii): nostalgic, missed fondly
• 時間じかんが たつ (jikan ga tatsu): (time) passes
• 約束やくそく (yakusoku): promise, appointment
• 守まもる (mamoru): to keep, to protect
• 先さきに (saki ni): first, ahead of ~
• 一度いちど (ichido): once
• 助たすける (tasukeru): to help, to rescue
• 川かわ (kawa): river
• 夜市よいち (yoichi): night market
• ガイド (gaido): tour guide

Grammar 1 / 3: べきだ・べきではない

べきだ＝(I think) you should~: your opinion about what is right or wrong. The standard negative is べきではない (shouldn't~).

• べきだ＝I think you should: The speaker argues from reason or conscience that "this is the right thing to do": 約束やくそくは 守まもる べきだ. = You should keep promises. It is stronger than ほうがいい (advice) and sounds like a personal belief.
• Form: dictionary form ＋ べきだ: 行いく べきだ, 食たべる べきだ, 来くる べきだ. する has two forms: するべきだ and すべきだ (す＋べき joined as すべき is more formal and written). Polite: べきです.
• Negative: べきではない: The standard way to say "shouldn't" is dictionary form ＋ べきではない (polite: べきでは ありません). You may sometimes hear 食たべない べきだ, but it sounds unnatural and counts as wrong on exams. Say 食たべる べきではない ✓.
• How it differs from なければならない and ほうがいい: なければならない＝a rule, you must; ほうがいい＝advice for the other person; べきだ＝my own sense of right and wrong. Saying "～べきです" straight to a teacher or customer sounds like a lecture, so use a request like 〜て いただけませんか instead.

• 約束やくそくは 守まもる べきだ。 — You should keep promises.
• 日本にほんに 来きたら、一度いちど 温泉おんせんに 入はいる べきです。 — If you come to Japan, you should try a hot spring once.
• 電車でんしゃの 中なかで 大おおきい 声こえで 話はなす べきではない。 — You shouldn't talk loudly on the train.
• 困こまって いる 人ひとが いたら、助たすける べきだ。 — If you see someone in trouble, you should help.
• ガイドは お客きゃくさんより 先さきに 来くる べきです。 — A tour guide should arrive before the guests.

Grammar 2 / 3: ものだ・ものではない

ものだ＝naturally~: states common sense or nature that everyone accepts; it can also sigh "how ~ it is!" The negative ものではない＝(by common sense) shouldn't~.

• Common sense, nature: naturally~: States a truth everyone accepts or the nature of something: 子こどもは よく 泣なく ものだ. = Children cry a lot, naturally. It carries a tone of "that's normal, no need to make a fuss."
• A sigh: how ~ it is!: Expresses wonder about time or change: 時間じかんが たつのは 早はやい ものだ. = How fast time passes! An adjective often comes before it.
• ものではない＝by common sense, shouldn't~: Used to advise or lecture: 食たべながら 歩あるく ものではない. = You shouldn't walk while eating. It adds a feeling of "this is basic good manners" that べきではない lacks. It is often an elder speaking to someone younger.
• Form: Verb dictionary form / ない form, or い-adjective ＋ ものだ; na-adjective ＋な＋ものだ (元気げんきな ものだ). Polite: ものです. What comes before must be a general truth, not a single event.

• 子こどもは よく 泣なく ものだ。 — Children cry a lot, naturally.
• 人ひとは 変かわる ものだ。 — People naturally change.
• 時間じかんが たつのは 早はやい ものですね。 — How fast time passes!
• 日本にほんに 来きて もう 一年いちねん。早はやい ものだ。 — It's already been a year in Japan. How fast!
• 食たべながら 歩あるく ものではない。 — (By common sense) you shouldn't walk while eating.

Grammar 3 / 3: たものだ

た form ＋ ものだ＝used to do~ often: recalls something done again and again in the past, with a feeling of "how I miss it."

• た form ＋ ものだ＝used to do~ often: Recalls a past habit: 昔むかしは よく ここで 遊あそんだ ものだ. = I used to play here a lot. It carries nostalgia and often appears with よく, 毎日まいにち, 昔むかしは and 子こどもの とき. In the comic, Mr. Kuma says 昔むかし、師匠ししょうは よく 言いった ものだ…… = My master used to say...
• Only for repeated things: You can't use it for something that happened once: 昨日きのう 食たべた ものだ ✗. To simply state a fact, use 〜ました.
• How it differs from たことがある: たことがある＝I have had this experience (even once); たものだ＝I used to do it often, and I feel nostalgic now. 一度いちど (once) does not go with たものだ.
• Don't mix it up with ものだ (present form): 子こどもは よく 食たべる ものだ＝children naturally eat a lot (common sense); 子こどもの とき よく 食たべた ものだ＝I used to eat a lot as a child (nostalgia). Check whether the form before もの is the た form.

• 昔むかしは よく この 川かわで 泳およいだ ものだ。 — I used to swim in this river a lot.
• 子こどもの とき、毎日まいにち 外そとで 遊あそんだ ものです。 — As a child, I played outside every day.
• 学生がくせいの とき、よく 友ともだちと 朝あさまで 話はなした ものだ。 — As a student, I often talked with friends until dawn.
• 台湾たいわんでは よく 夜市よいちに 行いった ものです。 — When I was in Taiwan, I often went to the night market.
• 師匠ししょうは よく「お客きゃくさんは 大切たいせつに する べきだ」と 言いった ものだ。 — My master used to say, "You should cherish your guests."