Lesson 160: に決まっている・かのようだ・ものがある

N2 · Lesson 160 · 18 min — Strong personal certainty, "as if" comparisons, and qualities you feel: the petition cover

Last lesson, Rin read a newspaper column and even wrote a letter to the editor. Now the petition needs a cover, and the star is Piyo's prize-winning painting「わたしの 町まち」! You will learn three ways to express judgments and feelings: に決きまっている (strong personal certainty), かのようだ (as if ~), and ものがある (there's something ~ about it). Let's read the comic first!

After this lesson, you can:

• Use に決きまっている to say "It's surely ~!": 区くは 断ことわるに 決きまって いる
• Use かのようだ／かのように to say "as if ~ (but it isn't)": 町まちが 生いきて いるかの ようだ
• Use ものがある to say "there's something ~ about it": 心こころを 動うごかす ものが ある
• Tell apart に決きまっている and にちがいない, and かのようだ and ようだ

The Petition Cover

After the letter ran in the paper, the petition needs a cover, but Kumata is gloomy... Then Piyo's prize-winning painting「わたしの 町まち」steps in! (断ことわる = refuse, 描かく = draw, 生いきる = live, 心こころを 動うごかす = move someone's heart, 表紙ひょうし = cover)

に決きまっている = surely; かのようだ = as if; ものがある = there's something ~. Next: the petition reaches the ward office...

Words for this lesson: certainty, comparison, feeling

• 〜に決きまって いる (ni kimatte iru): surely ~, of course ~ (personal certainty)
• 〜かの ようだ (ka no yō da): as if ~ (but actually not, or not necessarily)
• 〜ものが ある (mono ga aru): there's something ~ about it, it makes you feel ~
• まるで (marude): just like, as if
• 〜顔かおを して いる (kao o shite iru): to have a ~ look on one's face
• 断ことわる (kotowaru): to refuse
• 区く (ku): ward; (casual) the ward office (an administrative district of Tokyo's 23 wards or a big city)
• 表紙ひょうし (hyōshi): cover (of a book)
• 生いきる (ikiru): to live, to be alive
• 動うごかす (ugokasu): to move (something), to touch (someone's heart)
• 画家がか (gaka): painter, artist
• 描かく (kaku): to draw, to paint
• 足あしあと (ashiato): footprint, paw print
• あんこ (anko): sweet red bean paste
• 無理むり (muri): impossible, too much
• 特別とくべつ (tokubetsu): special

Grammar 1 / 3: に決きまっている

Plain form + に決きまって いる = surely ~, of course ~: the speaker's personal, confident certainty. In casual speech, 決きまってる. 区くは 断ことわるに 決きまって いる = The ward office will surely refuse.

• Form: plain form + に決きまって いる: Verbs and い-adjectives use the plain form: 断ことわる／断ことわらない／食たべた／寒さむい. Nouns and な-adjectives attach directly, with no だ and no な: うそに、無理むりに. To say "surely it's because of ...", you can put it after から: 食たべたからに 決きまってる.
• Meaning: surely ~, of course ~: A strong "I just think so" judgment by the speaker. It often has little proof and carries feeling: gloom, annoyance, or pride.
• Casual speech: 決きまってる: In conversation it is often shortened to 決きまってる. Changing it to 決きまって います is a bit more polite, but it still sounds very blunt, so avoid it with elders and bosses (say 〜と 思おもいます or 〜に ちがいありません instead). It is rarely used in formal writing or reports.
• Compare with にちがいない: にちがいない (learned at N3) means "after looking at clues, it must be ~". It is calmer and can be used in writing. に決きまっている is a personal judgment: casual and strongly emotional. Both attach to nouns directly: 先生せんせいに ちがいない (✗ 先生せんせいだに), うそに 決きまって いる.

• 区くは 断ことわるに 決きまって いる。 — The ward office will surely refuse.
• そんな 話はなし、うそに 決きまって いる。 — Something like that? It's surely a lie.
• 一人ひとりで 三杯さんばいなんて、無理むりに 決きまってる。 — Three bowls by yourself? Of course that's impossible!
• くまやの ラーメンは おいしいに 決きまって います。 — Of course the ramen at くまや is delicious.
• ケーキが ないのは、先生せんせいが 食たべたからに 決きまってる。 — The cake is gone, and it's surely because Neko-sensei ate it. (To say "surely it's because of ...", put に決きまっている after a reason with から: 食たべたからに決きまってる.)

Grammar 2 / 3: かのようだ

Plain form + かのようだ／かのように = as if ~: it looks like ~, but actually it is not (or not necessarily). 町まちが 生いきて いるかの ようだ = The whole street seems to have come alive (of course it isn't really alive).

• Form: plain form + かのようだ: Verbs and い-adjectives use the plain form: 生いきて いる／なかった／来きた. Nouns and な-adjectives usually add である: 写真しゃしんで あるかの ようだ (more written style). In speech it is sometimes dropped (まるで 夢ゆめかの ようだ), but for tests and writing, add である.
• Meaning: as if ~ (but actually not): You describe what is in front of you by comparing it with something that is not actually true (or not necessarily true). Often used with まるで to strengthen "just like ~".
• Three ways to use it: At the end of a sentence: かのようだ (polite: かのようです). Before a verb or adjective: かのように (何なにも なかったかの ように 寝ねて いる). Before a noun: かのような (夢ゆめを 見みて いるかの ような 顔かお = a face as if dreaming). To say someone "has a ~ look", Japanese uses "〜顔かおを して いる": 夢ゆめを 見みて いるかの ような 顔かおを して いる = has a look as if dreaming.
• Compare with ようだ: ようだ (learned at N4) is a guess from clues, "it seems ~", and is probably true: 雨あめが 降ふったようだ (it really rained). かのようだ is a comparison: it is not actually so (or the speaker doesn't think so), it just looks that way: 雨あめが 降ふったかの ようだ (it didn't really rain).

• 町まちが 生いきて いるかの ようだ。 — The whole street seems to have come alive.
• まるで 夢ゆめを 見みて いるかの ようだ。 — It's just like a dream.
• 熊太くまたは 何なにも なかったかの ように 寝ねて いる。 — Kumata sleeps as if nothing had happened.
• 熊太くまたは 全部ぜんぶ 知しって いるかの ように 話はなす。 — Kumata talks as if he knew everything.
• この 絵えは まるで 写真しゃしんで あるかの ようだ。 — This painting is just like a photograph. (The である version is more written style.)

Grammar 3 / 3: ものがある

Noun-modifying form + ものがある = there's something ~ about it, it makes you feel ~: the speaker senses a certain quality in a person, work, or thing. この絵えには 心こころを 動うごかす ものが ある = This painting has something that moves the heart.

• Form: noun-modifying form + ものがある: Verbs use the dictionary form: 動うごかす ものが ある. い-adjectives attach directly: さびしい ものが ある. な-adjectives add な: 特別とくべつな ものが ある.
• Meaning: there's something ~ about it, it makes you feel ~: You sense a certain quality in a person, a work, or an experience. Often "〇〇には〜ものが ある". The speaker is giving a personal impression, often admiration, but it can also be a deep feeling such as loneliness or heaviness (さびしい ものが ある).
• Words that often go with it: Before it, you usually find words of feeling or evaluation: すごい、さびしい、つらい、特別とくべつな、心こころを 動うごかす、重おもい (carrying real weight).
• Don't mix it up with "a real thing": 冷蔵庫れいぞうこに 食たべる ものが ある = There's something to eat in the fridge (a real thing). This sentence is perfectly correct, but it's not today's pattern. In the ものがある pattern, もの is an invisible "quality". It's also different from ものだ ("it's natural that ~"): ものだ states a general truth, while ものがある gives your feeling about this person or thing in front of you.

• この 絵えには 心こころを 動うごかす ものが ある。 — This painting has something that moves the heart.
• 毎日まいにち 一人ひとりで 食たべるのは、さびしい ものが ある。 — Eating alone every day carries a loneliness I can't quite explain.
• この 町まちの 古ふるい 店みせの 味あじには、特別とくべつな ものが ある。 — The taste of the old shops on this street has something special.
• 熊太くまたの バイトの 量りょうには、すごい ものが ある。 — The amount of part-time work Kumata does is really amazing.
• 五十年ごじゅうねんの 約束やくそくには、重おもい ものが ある。 — A fifty-year promise really carries weight.