N4 · Unit 7
Lesson 26Treat an action as a thing
Talk about whether doing something is practical and express stronger or weaker predictions.
What you learn
Talk about whether doing something is practical and express stronger or weaker predictions.
Learning points
- Nominalized actions
- Probability and prediction
- Forgetting an action
Why this lesson comes now
This lesson connects what you can already say to a new way of expressing it. Hear the key sentences, understand the structure, then use it in a real situation.
Your next step
Listen to the key sentences, understand the pattern, finish the examples and vocabulary, then continue to the next lesson.
Open the interactive lessonCore pattern
普通形 + のは / のが / のを ・ 普通形 + でしょう / かもしれませんBeginner explanation
First add の after a plain form so that doing something becomes an event you can evaluate, like, perceive, or forget. 〜のは presents it for evaluation, 〜のが marks it as the target of preference or skill, and 〜のを passes it to the following verb. こと also nominalizes an action, especially for general facts, decisions, or communicated content. Then use でしょう or かもしれません for a more or less confident prediction.
Understand these sentences first
- 日本語を 話すのは 楽しいです。nihongo o hanasu no wa tanoshii desu
Speaking Japanese is enjoyable.
- 朝 走るのは 気持ちが いいです。asa hashiru no wa kimochi ga ii desu
Running in the morning feels good.
- ドアを 閉めるのを 忘れました。doa o shimeru no o wasuremashita
I forgot to close the door.
- 午後は 雨が 降るかもしれません。gogo wa ame ga furu kamo shiremasen
It may rain this afternoon.
Core vocabulary
- 閉めますしめますclose
- 忘れますわすれますforget
- 走りますはしりますrun
- 午後ごごafternoon
- 雨あめrain
- 天気てんきweather
- 楽しいたのしいenjoyable
- 難しいむずかしいdifficult
Grammar, one point at a time
Plain form + の nominalizes an action; のは can mark it as an evaluation topic
普通形 + のは + AですTreat doing something as one unit, then mark it with は and evaluate it. Present affirmative nouns and na-adjectives take なの, though this lesson mainly uses verb clauses.
Examples
- 自転車に 二人で 乗るのは 危ないです。Riding double on a bicycle is dangerous.
- 朝 走るのは 気持ちが いいです。Running in the morning feels good.
- 予定を 変えるのは 大変です。Changing the plan is difficult.
のが marks a nominalized action as the target of preference, ability, or skill
普通形 + のが + 好き／嫌い／上手／下手The target of preference or skill normally takes が; use は when contrasting or topicalizing that target. Do not treat のが as one fixed word.
Examples
- 絵を かくのが 好きです。I like drawing.
- 人前で 話すのが 苦手です。I am not good at speaking in public.
- 歌うのは 好きですが、踊るのは 苦手です。I like singing but am not good at dancing.
のを makes a nominalized event the object of seeing, hearing, forgetting, stopping, and similar verbs
普通形 + のを + Vの commonly nominalizes a concrete perceived, assisted, or prevented action. The particle を belongs to the outer verb, not the inner clause.
Examples
- 手紙を 出すのを 忘れました。I forgot to mail the letter.
- 担当者が 説明するのを 聞きました。I heard the person in charge explain.
- 子供が 道を 渡るのを 手伝いました。I helped a child cross the road.
Both の and こと nominalize, but the following verb and level of abstraction constrain the choice
普通形 + の／ことこと commonly handles general facts, rules, decisions, and communicated content. の commonly handles immediate perception and concrete assisted or prevented actions. Some pairings are conventional rather than freely interchangeable: content with 伝える or 知らせる often takes こと, while perceiving an event with 見る or 聞く often takes の.
Examples
- 会議が 延期になったことを 伝えました。I reported that the meeting was postponed.
- 電車が 出るのを 見ました。I saw the train leave.
- 毎日 運動することは 大切です。Exercising every day is important.
Plain form + でしょう gives a reasonably supported prediction
普通形 + でしょう／だろうVerbs and i-adjectives use plain form; present affirmative nouns and na-adjectives omit だ. It often combines with たぶん. It has no fixed numerical probability; context, intonation, and evidence affect confidence. The plain counterpart is だろう.
Examples
- 明日の 朝は 大雨に なるでしょう。It will probably rain heavily tomorrow morning.
- 彼は たぶん 知らないでしょう。He probably does not know.
- 会議は もう 終わっただろう。The meeting has probably ended.
Plain form + かもしれません presents a real possibility, usually with lower confidence
普通形 + かもしれません／かもしれないPresent affirmative nouns and na-adjectives omit だ. It often combines with もしかしたら. It does not encode a fixed fifty-percent probability; the speaker simply does not rule the possibility out. The plain form is かもしれない.
Examples
- 今日は 来ないかもしれません。They may not come today.
- カードを 落としたかもしれません。I may have dropped my card.
- 来週は 暇かもしれません。I may be free next week.
Expressions and situations
もしかしたら signals that what follows is only a lower-confidence possibility
It commonly pairs with かもしれません or ではありませんか. It is not evidence and should not be used to spread an unverified serious allegation.
- もしかしたら、今日は 休みかもしれません。Perhaps today is a day off.
それで links a natural result or shows understanding after hearing a reason
The following clause is usually an actual or natural result, not a command, request, or strong personal judgment. After hearing a reason, それで〜んですね means I see, so that explains it.
- 電車が 止まりました。それで、遅れました。The train stopped, so I was late.
- 今日は セールです。— それで 人が 多いんですね。There is a sale today. — That explains the crowd.
だから introduces a more direct conclusion, judgment, command, or advice
It advances the speaker's conclusion more directly than それで and can precede 急いでください or 来ないでしょう. ですから is more formal.
- もうすぐ 始まります。だから、急いでください。It starts soon, so please hurry.
- 仕事が あります。だから、来ないでしょう。They have work, so they probably will not come.
つい means doing something unintentionally, often with regret or concern
It is not merely doing something suddenly. The speaker usually knows the action was undesirable but did it without sufficient control or by habit.
- 安かったので、つい 買いすぎました。It was cheap, so I ended up buying too much.
- 緊張して、つい あいさつを 忘れました。I was nervous and accidentally forgot the greeting.
Handshakes, bows, and contact-free greetings depend on context, shared practice, and personal boundaries
Do not infer a mandatory gesture from nationality. At a first meeting, begin with words and observe. Return a hand only when offered or bow at a suitable distance. Physical contact should respect health, religion, culture, and personal choice.
- はじめまして。よろしく お願いします。Nice to meet you.
- 握手で いいですか。Is a handshake all right?
あいさつ回り means visiting relevant people in turn after a posting, move, or handover
Whether visits, appointments, business cards, or online greetings are appropriate depends on workplace and community rules. Do not turn one textbook business practice into a universal obligation.
- 着任後、関係部署へ あいさつ回りを します。After taking up the post, I will visit the relevant departments.
- 先に 訪問が 必要かどうか 確認します。I will first check whether a visit is needed.
Workplace greetings are not one-to-one translations; speaker, listener, and timing matter
お疲れ様でした can acknowledge shared work and, in a polite form, can be addressed to a superior. The Agency for Cultural Affairs advises avoiding ご苦労様でした toward a superior. When uncertain, ありがとうございます conveys thanks clearly.
- お先に 失礼します。— お疲れ様でした。Excuse me for leaving first. — Thank you for your work.
- ご対応 ありがとうございました。Thank you for handling that.
Japanese conjecture forms have no fixed percentages; evidence and responsibility matter more
でしょう is usually more confident than かもしれません, but neither maps to a universal number. Weather, safety, medical, legal, and financial decisions require reliable sources rather than grammar alone.
- 雨が 降るでしょう。It will probably rain.
- 雨が 降るかもしれません。It may rain.
防ぎます means preventing an undesirable result; its object is what is prevented
Common collocations include 事故を防ぐ, 感染を防ぐ, and ミスを防ぐ. Do not use 防ぐ for every kind of protection; 守る often protects a person or thing.
- 確認して ミスを 防ぎます。We check to prevent mistakes.
- 子供の 安全を 守ります。We protect children's safety.
What you should be able to do
- Use のは, のが, and のを for evaluation, preference, and forgetting or perception, explaining the outer particle.
- Judge whether の and こと can alternate in ten verb pairings and mark constraints with 伝える, 知らせる, 見る, and 手伝う.
- Attach verbs, adjectives, and nouns to でしょう and かもしれません, removing だ from present affirmative nouns and na-adjectives.
- Choose でしょう or かもしれません by evidence strength without inventing numerical percentages.
- Distinguish それで from だから by testing whether the following clause can be a command, request, or prediction.
- Complete an original arrival greeting: check organizational practice, choose contact or contact-free gestures, exchange necessary information, and use suitable workplace greetings.
Culture and real use
Meeting and workplace greetings: follow context and relationship, not nationality stereotypes
There is no hard rule that people of one nationality must use one greeting gesture. The Japan Foundation includes handshakes in cultural learning, but real practice also depends on workplace custom, relationship, health, religion, and personal boundaries. Begin with words, observe the other person, and establish mutual comfort before physical contact. Workplace formulas also differ: the Agency for Cultural Affairs explains that 御苦労様 mainly acknowledges work done for one's side and is generally unsuitable toward a superior, while お疲れ様でした can be exchanged after shared work and used politely to a superior. When uncertain, a specific statement of thanks is often clearer than a formula. Whether あいさつ回り requires appointments, visits, cards, or online greetings follows actual workplace and community rules.
- はじめまして。よろしく お願いします。Nice to meet you.
- 握手で いいですか。Is a handshake all right?
- ご対応 ありがとうございました。Thank you for handling that.