Complete Irodori Elementary 2 Grammar (A2/B1)

という introduces a name or definition. Do not confuse it with ということ, which nominalizes a clause. っていう is casual. Register: という is neutral; っていう is casual.

ばかり means 'just' in the sense of time. Do not confuse it with ところ, which means 'just about to' or 'in the middle of'. Register: ～たばかりです is polite; ～たばかりだ is casual.

V-ていました describes a past continuous or habitual state. Do not confuse it with V-ました, which is a simple past action. Register: ～ていました is polite; ～てた is casual.

それ and そこ refer to something already mentioned in the conversation. Do not confuse them with これ/ここ (near speaker) or あれ/あそこ (far from both). Register is neutral.

て simply links, から gives a reason, けど contrasts. Do not confuse から (because) with から (from). Register: て is neutral; から and けど are used in both polite and casual speech, but けど is more casual.

Do not confuse N1はN2が with N1はN2です. The former describes a part or attribute, while the latter equates two nouns. The particle が marks the specific characteristic being described. This pattern works with other attributes like 背せが高たかい (tall) or 目めが大おおきい (big eyes).

V-ている can describe both an action in progress (e.g., コピーをしている人ひと) and a state (e.g., 帽子ぼうしをかぶっている人ひと). Do not confuse it with V-た人ひと, which describes a completed action. Register: ている is neutral; てる is casual.

よ asserts new information, while ね seeks agreement. Do not overuse よ as it can sound forceful. Register: よ is used in both polite and casual speech.

し implies there are other reasons not mentioned. だし is used after ナ-adjectives and nouns, while し is used after イ-adjectives and verbs. Do not confuse し with から (because), which gives a single reason. Register: し is neutral.

ので is softer and more polite than から. から is more direct. Use ので when giving a personal reason or when you want to sound polite. Do not use ので with commands or invitations; から is more natural there. Register: ので is neutral to polite; から is neutral to casual.

よね is used when you are fairly sure but want confirmation. ね alone is softer. よ alone asserts. Do not use よね when you have no idea; use か？. Register: よね is used in both polite and casual speech.

で here marks the means or choice. Do not confuse with the location particle で. Register: Nでお願ねがいします is polite; Nで. is casual.

のは nominalizes the preceding clause. Do not confuse with のが, which is used with 好すき, 上手じょうず, etc. Register: neutral.

Very common in conversation. It sounds natural when giving recommendations or suggestions.

V-ないで is made from the nai-form + で. Example: つけない → つけないで.

More casual than てはだめです. Often used in conversation. For stronger tone, add よ.

Very important in cooking instructions and daily routines.

けど is common in casual speech. が sounds more formal and polite.

Particle Change: In a normal sentence (N を V), the particle changes to (N が V-potential). Example: 日本語にほんごを話はなします → 日本語にほんごが話はなせます.

For Na-adjectives and Nouns, remember to include 'da' (e.g., きれいだ + って).

Commonly used with the potential form: あそべるところ (a place where you can play).

This is the standard way to ask for recommendations or directions.

This form is stronger than 'V-ru to ii' and suggests that something bad might happen if the advice is ignored.

つもりです is more concrete than たいです. たい expresses desire, while つもり expresses a decided plan.

Common feeling words: よかった, 楽たのしかった, ざんねんでした, かんどうしました.

Very common in travel reports. You can list two or more reasons.

The verb form changes the timing meaning. Be careful with past vs non-past.

2人にんで means 'the two of us' (including me).

You can use もし at the beginning for hypothetical situations. Works with verbs, nouns, and adjectives.

In announcements, the subject is usually the event, not the person organizing it.

Different from potential used for possibility in a location (covered in Lesson 5). This focuses on personal ability.

まだ can also be used with positive verbs to mean 'still' (see next grammar point). Remember: もう+past = already done; もう+non-past = soon (もう行いきます = I'll go soon). Don't mix them up!

This まだ is the opposite of もう (already done). Compare: もう食たべました = already ate; まだ食たべています = still eating. Useful when checking event status or someone's ongoing action.

This is an embedded question, not a direct quote. Word order stays as statement, not question inversion. Practice with どこにありますか → どこにあるかわかりますか？ (Do you know where it is?)

んですか is conversational and seeks an explanation, not just a yes/no answer. You often use it when you notice something and want to know more (e.g., どうしたんですか？ = 'What happened?').

しか always carries a feeling of 'less than expected' – often disappointment or surprise. Compare with だけ (neutral). For zero quantity, use 何なにも __ ない, だれも __ ない etc.

だけ is neutral – it simply says 'only' without implying judgment. Use しか __ ない when you want to express that something is insufficient. Also, だけ can be combined with particles (だけは, だけに, etc.).

たりして at the end is casual and implies 'things like that' without listing everything. It softens the statement and is very common in casual conversation.

なくちゃ is a contraction of なくては. In very casual speech, you can drop ならない and just say ___なくちゃ (e.g., 行いかなくちゃ = 'I gotta go').

This is called 'らぬきことば' and is very common in conversation, though considered non-standard in formal writing. You'll hear it all the time in daily life.

This pattern is great for describing trends or common practices. 人にんが多おおい shows majority; 人にんもいる adds an extra group. You can also use 人にんもすくなくない ('not a few people') for 'many people'.

Cannot be used with state verbs (いる, ある) or negatives. It describes two intentional actions done at the same time by the same person. For 'while' with different subjects, use 間まに or ているとき.

Very common in the pattern 人にんによって (depends on the person). In formal writing, により is used. For 'depending on the situation', use ばあいによって.

Compare with ___たらいいですか？ which seeks personal advice (e.g., where to stay on a trip). ___ばいいですか？ is for asking about established customs, like what to wear to a wedding or funeral.

Use ___てはいけません for rules and official situations (e.g., 'No smoking'). Use ___ちゃだめ for light warnings to friends (e.g., 'Don't touch that, it'll break').

This is one of the most common casual obligation forms. Others include ___なきゃ (from なければ). While ___なくちゃ is friendly, avoid it in formal writing or with superiors.

Cannot use intentional verbs like はたらく. Use the potential form instead: はたらけるように (so that I can work). This pattern is common in giving instructions so that anyone can understand.

This passive focuses on the receiver's experience. Common verbs: 言いわれる (to be told), よばれる (to be called), しかられる (to be scolded). Compare with Lesson 7's event-passive (e.g., コンサートがひらかれる).

Women often use の？ in casual speech, but men may say んだ？ instead. The intonation rises for a question. Very common in manga and daily conversation among friends.

Compare with ___なくちゃ: both are casual, but ___なきゃ is even shorter and more colloquial. In very fast speech, it can sound like ' __ なきゃ'. Use with people you're close to.

___てみる = 'try doing'. Adding てもいいですか？ makes it a polite request for permission. In casual speech, you can say ___てみてもいい？.

すぎる can be positive or negative depending on context. Often softened with ちょっと or すこし (a little too __ ).

Very common in shopping: 大おおきいの = 'a larger one', あかいの = 'the red one'. You can also use this pattern with colors, sizes, styles, etc.

This is the 'suffering passive' – something bad happens to your possession. The doer can be added with に (e.g., どろぼうにぬすまれた).

かも is a very common casual shortening. In speech, you'll often hear ___かもね / ___かもしれない. It expresses uncertainty, not high probability.

___てしまう has two meanings: 1) regret/mistake, 2) complete an action (with a sense of finality). In casual speech, ちゃう/じゃう is very common.

Don't confuse with ___までに (by a deadline). ___まで means 'until' – the action/state continues right up to that point. Also works with nouns: 来週らいしゅうまで = until next week.

___やすい can also mean 'tends to' (e.g., こわれやすい = fragile/breaks easily). In the ease sense, it's often used with tools, products, or tasks. ___にくい is great for complaints!

When comparing more than two items, use どれ or どの.__ In answers, use ___のほうが.__ You can drop the second と in casual speech.

This is the standard way to say 'A is more __ than B'. Word order is flexible: N2 のほうが N1 より + adjective. Also common in recommendations: ___のほうがいいです (it's better to __ ).

This is the neutral, descriptive passive — no suffering nuance. Very common in news, signs, and official announcements. In casual speech, によって is often omitted.

Compare with V-ています: まどがひらいています = the window is open (no agent focus). まどがひらけてあります = the window has been opened (by someone) and remains open. Use てある when you want to highlight that the state is the result of intentional action.

だけじゃなくて is conversational; in writing, だけでなく is preferred. This pattern also works for clauses: 日本にっぽんに行いくだけじゃなくて、韓国かんこくにも行いきます.

なら is different from たら/ば/と. It is used when the condition is assumed or when picking up a topic the listener just mentioned. Example: 図書館としょかんに行いくなら、この本ほんをかえしてきて下ください.

For nouns, use でも: どこでも = anywhere, だれでも = anyone. For verbs, use ___ても. Both express 'no matter __' or 'even if __'. This is a very flexible and useful pattern.

This turns adjectives into adverbs. Exception: いい (good) becomes よく, not いく. Also, some adjectives like 多おおい cannot be used this way (use たくさん instead).

Don't confuse ___ために (purpose) with ___ように (purpose/situation change). Also, ため can mean 'because of' when followed by に: じこのためにおくれた (was late due to an accident).

まま can be used with nouns + の (靴くつのまま = with shoes on) or with negative verbs (食たべないまま = without eating). It always implies an unchanged state, often contrary to expectation.

This のに is different from the contrastive のに (although). It expresses purpose/evaluation. Common in product reviews and recommendations. Example: かんきょうにいい (good for the environment) → ごみをへらすのにいい (good for reducing waste).

These forms are very strong and are used in emergencies, sports, or by superiors to subordinates. In daily life, soften with ___て下ください or ___ないで下ください. Also note: くれる → くれ (give me) is a common exception.

Softer and more indirect than ___ないで下ください. Often used in public announcements, workplace rules, and polite requests. You can also use ようにおねがいします in very formal situations.

Often used with age, injury, or changing circumstances. Compare: できません = cannot (current state), できなくなります = become unable (change). The positive counterpart is V-られるようになります.

Often paired with interrogative words (どこでも, だれでも, いつでも) to mean 'no matter where/who/when'. Also used to soften refusals: 高たかくても買かいません = Even if it's expensive, I won't buy it.

For yes/no questions embedded in a sentence. For wh-questions (who, what, where), use か alone: どこにあるか教おしえて下ください. かどうか is specifically for 'whether or not'.

This pattern focuses on acquiring ability over time. For sudden realizations (e.g., 'I can see Mt. Fuji!'), use ___られる！ or ___える！ instead. Also, note the らぬきことば in casual speech: 食たべられる → 食たべれるようになった.

Unlike ___ようにする (make an effort to do), ___ようになる is an objective change. It often follows verbs like おもう, かんじる, 好すき, 嫌きらい, or daily actions. For negative habits, use ___なくなりました.

This is the opposite of ___るようになりました. Use it when a past habit or state has ended. Can also be used with adjectives: 高たかくなくなりました (it's no longer expensive).

___ようとおもう is for immediate decisions; ___ようとおもっている is for ongoing plans. Casual: ___ようかな (I think I'll __ ). Compare with ___つもり (stronger intention).

Cannot be used with non-volitional verbs (e.g., わかる, できる). For those, use ___ように. ために also means 'for the sake of' with people: 家族かぞくのためにはたらく.

Be careful not to overuse ___てあげる when the receiver is superior; it can sound arrogant. In such cases, use ___ましょうか？ or humble expressions. Also used for offering help: てつだってあげましょうか？

Focuses on the receiver's gratitude. Often used to politely acknowledge someone's favor: ___てもらってありがとうございます. For requests: ___てもらえますか？ / ___ていただけませんか？

くれる always implies the action is directed toward the speaker or someone close to the speaker. Very common in requests: ___てくれませんか？ (Can you do __ ?). Also used to express gratitude: ___てくれてありがとう.