Lesson 59: おいしそう・降るそうです

N4 · Lesson 59 · 18 min — What you see and what you hear both use そう in Japanese. The difference is what comes before it.

This lesson has two そう that look exactly the same but mean different things. One is "I see it." The other is "I heard it." The secret is what comes before そう. Is it a stem (i-adjective without い, verb without ます, na-adjective as it is)? Or a full plain form (Lesson 44)? Let's read the comic first!

After this lesson, you can:

• Use "stem + そうです" for what you see: おいしそうです (It looks tasty), 雨あめが 降ふりそうです (It looks like rain)
• Use "plain form + そうです" to pass on news you heard: あした 雨あめが 降ふるそうです (I hear it will rain tomorrow)
• Look at what comes before そう to tell "looks like" from "I hear". For na-adjectives and nouns, "I hear" always needs だ.

Yakiimo and Lanterns

Last lesson, Mr. Kuma tried to talk about the photo, and Neko-sensei interrupted him again. It's November. Rin meets Kumata, who has a part-time job at a roasted sweet potato stand in front of the shrine. (やきいも = roasted sweet potato; むかし = long ago; ちょうちん = lantern; いっぱい = a lot)

For what you see, use "stem + そう". For news you heard, use "plain form + そうだ". Next lesson: the daughter of that old shop, a big eater?

Words for this lesson: autumn Yanaka, weather and news

• やきいも (yakiimo): roasted sweet potato
• 甘あまい (amai): sweet
• 神社じんじゃ (jinja): shrine
• 祭まつり (matsuri): festival
• ちょうちん (chōchin): paper lantern
• むかし (mukashi): long ago
• いっぱい (ippai): a lot, full of
• 降ふる (furu): to fall (rain, snow)
• 雪ゆき (yuki): snow
• 落おちる (ochiru): to fall down, to drop
• 天気予報てんきよほう (tenki yohō): weather forecast
• ニュース (nyūsu): news (TV, online)
• 人気にんき (ninki): popular, popularity
• 有名ゆうめい (yūmei): famous
• ねむい (nemui): sleepy

Grammar 1 / 2: Looks like 〜

Stem + そうだ: you judge by looks, "looks like 〜". With verbs, "looks like it's about to 〜".

• What is そうだ ①?: You see how something looks and make your own judgment: "looks like 〜". You haven't eaten it → おいしそう. You look at the teacher's face → 先生せんせいは ねむそうです (The teacher looks sleepy). Use そうです in polite speech and そうだ with friends. Often people just say そう: わあ、おいしそう!
• How to attach to adjectives: For i-adjectives, drop い: おいしい→おいしそう. For na-adjectives, add そう directly: ひま→ひまそう. Exception: いい→よさそう (looks good).
• Verbs: about to 〜: Use the ます-stem (drop ます): 降ふります→降ふりそう, 落おちます→落おちそう. It means "from what I see, it's about to 〜": 荷物にもつが 落おちそうです! (The bag is about to fall!)
• Before a noun: そうな: そう works like a na-adjective. Add な before a noun: おいしそうな やきいも (a tasty-looking sweet potato), 高たかそうな 店みせ (an expensive-looking shop).

• この ケーキ、おいしそうですね。 — This cake looks so yummy!
• あ、雨あめが 降ふりそうです。 — Oh, it looks like rain.
• 先生せんせいは きょう ひまそうですね。 — The teacher looks free today.
• 荷物にもつが 落おちそうです！ — The bag is about to fall!
• この 店みせ、よさそうですね。 — This shop looks nice.
• おいしそうな やきいもですね。 — What a tasty-looking roasted sweet potato.

Grammar 2 / 2: I hear 〜

Plain form + そうだ: pass on news you heard or read, "I hear 〜"

• What is そうだ ②?: You didn't see or judge it yourself. You heard or read it from other people, the news, or the weather forecast, and you pass it on: "I hear 〜." People often say the source first: ニュースで 見みました。／くまたくんが 言いいました。
• How to attach: plain form + そうだ: Verbs: 降ふる／降ふらない／降ふった + そうです. Keep the い of i-adjectives: おいしい／寒さむかった + そうです. Keep the tense and the positive or negative of the original news, and put it before そう.
• Na-adjectives and nouns: keep だ: 有名ゆうめいだそうです, 人気にんきだそうです, 学生がくせいだそうです. Without だ, it is no longer "I hear." 有名ゆうめいそう sounds like "looks famous," and 学生がくせいそう is wrong. For the past: 有名ゆうめいだったそうです.
• How to tell the two そう apart: Look before そう. An i-adjective without い or a verb ます-stem (おいし・降ふり) = "looks." For na-adjectives, check for だ (ひまそう = looks free; ひまだそう = I hear he's free). A full plain form (おいしい・降ふる・ひまだ) = "I hear." おいしそう (looks tasty) vs おいしいそう (I hear it's tasty): one い makes a big difference!

• あした 雨あめが 降ふるそうです。 — I hear it will rain tomorrow.
• この 店みせの ラーメンは おいしいそうです。 — I hear the ramen at this shop is delicious.
• むかし、この 町まちで 大おおきい 祭まつりが あったそうです。 — I hear this town had a huge festival long ago. (A festival is an event, so use で for the place.)
• あの 神社じんじゃは とても 有名ゆうめいだそうです。 — I hear that shrine is very famous.
• ニュースで 見みました。京都きょうとは きのう 寒さむかったそうです。 — I saw it on the news. I hear it was cold in Kyoto yesterday.
• くまたくんは きょう 学校がっこうに 来こないそうです。 — I hear Kumata isn't coming to school today.