N4 · Unit 9
Lesson 33Resulting states and completion
Describe a current resulting state and an action that has finished or produced an unintended result.
What you learn
Describe a current resulting state and an action that has finished or produced an unintended result.
Learning points
- Intransitive and transitive verbs
- Resulting states
- Completion and unintended results
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
自動詞て + います ・ 動詞て + しまいます / しまいました ・ 動詞ます語幹 / い形容詞語幹 / な形容詞 + そうですBeginner explanation
Some verbs describe a change happening to a thing itself, such as a door opening or a light going out. With these intransitive verbs, 〜ています often describes the state left after the change. 〜てしまいます can mark complete finishing or convey regret or an unintended result. Stem＋そうです describes what something looks likely to do from visible evidence; it is different from Lesson 32's plain-form＋そうです for hearsay.
Understand these sentences first
- ドアが 開いて います。doa ga aite imasu
The door is open.
- 大切な かぎを なくして しまいました。taisetsu na kagi o nakushite shimaimashita
I unfortunately lost an important key.
- この 本は もう 読んで しまいました。kono hon wa mō yonde shimaimashita
I have already finished reading this book.
- 空が 暗いです。雨が 降りそうです。sora ga kurai desu. ame ga furisō desu
The sky is dark. It looks like it is going to rain.
Core vocabulary
- 開きますあきますopen; intransitive
- 開けますあけますopen something
- 消えますきえますgo out; disappear
- 消しますけしますturn off; extinguish
- 壊れますこわれますbreak; intransitive
- 壊しますこわしますbreak something
- 掛かりますかかりますhang; intransitive
- 掛けますかけますhang something
Grammar, one point at a time
An intransitive verb presents a change in a thing; a transitive verb presents someone acting on it
Nが + 自動詞／人が Nを + 他動詞Intransitives commonly mark the changing thing with が; transitives mark the object acted on with を. Do not choose only from an English translation such as open or close.
Examples
- ドアが 開きました。The door opened.
- 係員が ドアを 開けました。A staff member opened the door.
A change-of-state intransitive + ています describes the resulting state
自動詞て + います消えています focuses on the current state of being off, while 消えました focuses on the change when the light went out.
Examples
- 部屋の 電気が 消えています。The room light is off.
- トランクが 開いています。The boot is open.
てしまいます can mark an unwanted, regrettable, or hard-to-reverse result
Vて + しまいます／しまいましたRegret comes from context; the pattern does not itself mean sorry. Identify the actor, intention, and effect from the sentence and context.
Examples
- 大切な かぎを なくしてしまいました。I unfortunately lost an important key.
- 遅刻してしまいました。I ended up being late.
てしまう can also simply mark complete finishing
Vて + しまうIntentional completion need not be negative. Whether it means finish it all or unfortunately did it depends on intention, attitude, and consequence.
Examples
- この 本は もう 読んでしまいました。I have already finished this book.
- 宿題を してしまってから、遊びます。I will play after finishing my homework.
Appearance そうです describes how something looks or what seems likely from visible evidence
Vます語幹／Aい語幹／Aな + そうですIt differs from Lesson 32's plain-form hearsay そう. 雨が降りそう predicts from the sky; 雨が降るそうです reports information.
Examples
- この ケーキは おいしそうです。This cake looks delicious.
- 雨が 降りそうです。It looks likely to rain.
Appearance そう becomes そうな before a noun and そうに before a verb
そうな + N／そうに + VNegative appearance often uses そうではありません; a verb unlikely to occur uses そうにありません. いい becomes よさそう and ない becomes なさそう.
Examples
- 楽しそうな 子供たちchildren who look happy
- 子供たちは 楽しそうに 遊んでいます。The children are playing happily.
- 今日は 会議が なさそうです。It looks as though there is no meeting today.
Expressions and situations
Intransitives foreground a change or result; transitives foreground an actor's choice
新しい企画が決まりました states that a plan was settled; 企画を決めました draws attention to who decided it. The choice must not conceal responsibility.
- 会議が 始まります。The meeting is starting.
かしら expresses a wondering question or self-talk, but need not be learned as women-only
It remains associated with softer and often feminine-coded speech, but actual use depends on age, region, persona, and context. Beginners can use かな first.
- みんなは もう 着いているかしら。I wonder whether everyone has arrived.
それにしても accepts a premise and says reality still exceeds expectations
It is not a simple but. First accept crowded or late as expected, then say the actual degree is still surprising.
- 忙しい時期です。それにしても、今日は 人が 多いですね。It is a busy period, but even so there are unusually many people today.
お久しぶりです greets someone not seen for some time
久しぶり is more casual and お久しぶりです more polite. It is not for a first meeting, and there is no fixed minimum interval.
- お久しぶりです。お元気でしたか。Long time no see. Have you been well?
相変わらず means still the same compared with before
It can be positive or negative. 相変わらずですね without shared context can sound critical, so name what has remained the same.
- 相変わらず 元気そうですね。You look as energetic as ever.
お元気そうで、何よりです expresses relief that an acquaintance looks well
It suggests prior concern about the person's wellbeing, so it fits a reunion or good news, not casual health assessment of a stranger.
- お元気そうで、何よりです。I am very glad to see you looking well.
Hotel room types, services, and charges must be checked against the actual booking
Single, twin, double, and suite are common labels but do not guarantee area, bed width, or occupancy. Tipping is generally not expected in Japanese restaurants, taxis, or hotels, though special services should be checked.
- チェックインの 時間と 料金を 確認します。I will confirm check-in time and charges.
Long periods of immobility during travel can raise venous-blood-clot risk for some people
CDC says the overall travel-related clot risk is usually small, but depends on trip duration and individual factors. People with prior clots, recent surgery, pregnancy, cancer, or other risks should seek professional advice before travel. The course does not prescribe personal prevention or medication.
- 長時間の 移動の 前に、自分の リスクを 確認します。I will check my own risk before a long journey.
Airline mileage earning, expiry, and redemption vary by airline, route, date, cabin, and availability
The textbook's Narita–Beijing distance and 20,000-point round-trip award are historical examples. JAL says required miles can vary by itinerary and seat availability; ANA uses zones, seasons, and cabin classes. Check the airline's current booking page before redemption.
- 必要な マイル数は 予約の 前に 確認します。I will confirm the required miles before booking.
What you should be able to do
- Build が and を sentences from 12 common intransitive-transitive pairs.
- Distinguish a completed change in the ta-form from a resulting state in ています.
- Use intention and consequence to decide whether てしまう marks regret or completion.
- Form appearance そう correctly with verbs, i-adjectives, na-adjectives, いい, and ない.
- Distinguish hearsay 降るそうです from appearance 降りそうです.
- Complete an original airport-to-hotel task checking luggage state, room type, charges, health risk, and mileage terms.
Culture and real use
Three current boundaries for airports and hotels: health is individual, tipping is contextual, and miles follow current rules
The textbook uses economy-class syndrome for long-flight risk; modern public-health information uses terms such as deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism more precisely. CDC says overall travel-related clot risk is usually small but relates to prolonged immobility and personal risk factors. Higher-risk travelers should seek professional advice before travel; the course does not prescribe medication or compression stockings. JNTO says tips are generally not expected in Japanese restaurants, taxis, and hotels, though specific cases such as private guides can differ. Airline mileage is not a fixed conversion: JAL and ANA state that required miles depend on route, date or season, cabin, availability, and current rules, so the textbook's old distances and points are historical reading only.
- 長距離の 移動の 前に、自分の リスクを 確認します。I will check my own risk before long-distance travel.
- チップが 必要か、サービスの 説明を 確認します。I will check the service information to see whether a tip applies.
- 特典航空券の 必要マイルを 検索します。I will check the miles required for an award ticket.