Complete JLPT N4 Grammar Form Guide: Every Pattern, Organized by Function

The N4 adds roughly 120 new grammar patterns on top of N5. Most guides list them alphabetically, which is nearly useless for learning. This guide organizes them by function — what you're trying to say — because that's how your brain actually retrieves grammar in conversation and how the JLPT frames its questions.

Prerequisite: solid N5 grammar, especially the て, ない, and た forms. If those are shaky, review the Complete N5 Grammar Guide first.

The N4 Grammar Map

1. Plain Form: The Gateway to Everything

At N4 you must convert any verb, adjective, or noun between polite and plain style. Plain form is not just "casual speech" — it is the building block for nearly every advanced pattern.

Common mistake: Adding だ to い-adjectives in plain form. 高いだ ✗ — い-adjectives stand alone: 高い ✓.

1.1 ～と思う (I think that…)

The clause before と思う must be in plain form.

明日は雨が降ると思います。
"I think it will rain tomorrow."

この映画はあまり面白くないと思う。
"I don't think this movie is very interesting."

Common mistake: と思う expresses your opinion. For a third person's ongoing opinion, use と思っている: 彼は日本に行きたいと思っています。

1.2 ～と言う / ～と言っていた (said that…)

田中さんは来週来ると言っていました。
"Tanaka said he would come next week."

Exam tip: と言っていました (not と言いました) is the natural way to report what someone told you — the JLPT tests this nuance.

2. Possibility and Ability

2.1 Potential form (～られる / ～える)

私は漢字が少し読めます。
"I can read a little kanji."

Common mistakes:

• The object usually switches from を to が: 日本語が話せます。
• In casual modern speech, 食べれる (ら抜き, "dropped ra") is common — but it is wrong on the JLPT. Always 食べられる on the exam.

2.2 ～ことができる

The formal equivalent of the potential form.

ここで切符を買うことができます。
"You can buy tickets here."

Use the dictionary form + ことができる. It sounds more formal/written than the potential form; both can be correct answers, so watch what the question is testing.

2.3 ～かもしれない (might)

彼はもう帰ったかもしれません。
"He might have already gone home."

Attaches to plain form (but drop だ after nouns and な-adjectives: 学生かもしれない).

2.4 ～でしょう (probably)

明日は晴れるでしょう。
"It will probably be sunny tomorrow." (Classic weather-forecast Japanese.)

Nuance ladder: でしょう (fairly confident) > かもしれない (50% or less). The JLPT tests this difference in context questions.

3. Obligation, Permission, Prohibition

You met these at N5; N4 adds the shorter spoken variants and tests them harder.

レポートは金曜日までに出さなければなりません。
"You must submit the report by Friday."

Common mistake: までに vs まで. までに = deadline ("by"); まで = continuous ("until"). 金曜日まで働きます (I'll work until Friday) vs 金曜日までに出します (I'll submit it by Friday). This pair appears constantly at N4.

4. Giving and Receiving: あげる・くれる・もらう

This is the N4 topic learners fear most, because English has only "give" and "receive" while Japanese encodes direction relative to the speaker.

The last two sentences describe the same event from different viewpoints.

4.1 ～てあげる / ～てくれる / ～てもらう (doing favors)

Attach these to the て form to express who benefits from an action:

先生が漢字を教えてくれました。
"The teacher (kindly) taught me kanji." (action toward me → くれる)

友達に宿題を手伝ってもらいました。
"I had my friend help me with homework." (I received the favor → もらう)

おばあさんの荷物を持ってあげました。
"I carried the old lady's bags (for her)."

Common mistakes:

• Using あげる toward yourself. 教えてあげました can never mean someone taught you.
• Forgetting that くれる takes が on the giver: 友達がくれた.
• ～てあげる can sound condescending toward superiors — the exam may test politeness appropriateness.

Study tip: Draw arrows. くれる arrows always point at you. もらう sentences start from the receiver. Five minutes of arrow-drawing beats an hour of re-reading definitions.

5. The Four Conditionals: たら, ば, と, なら

The JLPT N4's signature topic. All four translate as "if/when," but they are not interchangeable.

5.1 ～たら

日本に行ったら、京都を見たいです。
"When/if I go to Japan, I want to see Kyoto."

たら is the safest choice and allows requests, suggestions, and volitional statements in the result clause.

5.2 ～ば

Formation: Group 1 verbs change う-row → え-row + ば (行く → 行けば); い-adjectives → ければ (安い → 安ければ).

安ければ、買います。
"If it's cheap, I'll buy it."

5.3 ～と

このボタンを押すと、切符が出ます。
"When you press this button, a ticket comes out."

Hard rule (and favorite JLPT trap): the clause after と cannot contain requests, invitations, commands, or intentions. 春になると、行きましょう ✗ → 春になったら、行きましょう ✓.

5.4 ～なら

京都に行くなら、新幹線が便利ですよ。
"If you're going to Kyoto, the bullet train is convenient."

なら responds to something just said or known. Unique property: the なら-clause action can happen after the main clause (here, taking the train happens before arriving in Kyoto).

Study tip: When in doubt on the exam, eliminate と first (check for requests/intentions after it), then check whether the sentence responds to context (なら).

6. Intentions, Plans, Volition

6.1 Volitional form (～よう / ～おう)

今晩は早く寝よう。 — "I'll go to bed early tonight." (casual "let's/I shall")

6.2 ～(よ)うと思う (I'm thinking of…)

夏休みに北海道へ行こうと思っています。
"I'm thinking of going to Hokkaido during summer vacation."

～と思っています suggests a plan you've held for a while; ～と思います is a decision forming now.

6.3 ～つもりだ (intend to)

来年、日本に留学するつもりです。
"I intend to study abroad in Japan next year."

Negative: 行かないつもりです (I intend not to go) — stronger than 行くつもりはありません.

6.4 ～予定だ (scheduled to)

会議は三時に始まる予定です。
"The meeting is scheduled to start at three."

Nuance: つもり = personal intention; 予定 = fixed schedule (often decided by others).

7. Appearance, Hearsay, Inference: そう・よう・らしい

Another N4 signature cluster.

7.1 ～そうだ (looks like) — visual guess

Attach to the ます-stem or adjective stem:

このケーキはおいしそうですね。 — "This cake looks delicious."
雨が降りそうです。 — "It looks like it's about to rain."

Special forms: いい → よさそう; ない → なさそう.

7.2 ～そうだ (I heard that) — hearsay

Same word, totally different grammar: attaches to plain form.

ニュースによると、台風が来るそうです。
"According to the news, a typhoon is coming."

The classic exam trap:

One character (り vs る) flips the meaning. Expect this on your exam.

7.3 ～ようだ / ～みたいだ (seems, like)

Inference from evidence; みたい is the casual equivalent.

誰もいないようです。 — "It seems nobody is here."
彼は子供みたいですね。 — "He's like a child, isn't he?"

7.4 ～らしい (apparently / typical of)

あの店は有名らしいです。 — "Apparently that shop is famous." (hearsay-ish inference)
今日は春らしい天気です。 — "Today's weather is typically spring-like."

8. Change and Decisions

8.1 ～くなる / ～になる (become)

日本語が上手になりましたね。 — "Your Japanese has gotten good!"
最近、寒くなりました。 — "It's gotten cold recently."

い-adjectives: 〜く + なる. な-adjectives and nouns: 〜に + なる.

8.2 ～ことにする (decide to) vs ～ことになる (it's been decided)

毎日運動することにしました。 — "I decided to exercise every day." (my choice)
大阪に転勤することになりました。 — "It's been decided I'll transfer to Osaka." (decided around/for me)

Cultural note: Japanese speakers often use ことになりました even for personal decisions (like marriage announcements) to sound modest. The JLPT tests the literal grammar, but knowing the nuance helps with reading questions.

8.3 ～ようにする / ～ようになる

毎日漢字を勉強するようにしています。 — "I make an effort to study kanji every day."
日本語が話せるようになりました。 — "I've become able to speak Japanese."

ようになる pairs beautifully with the potential form to express progress — a very common N4 sentence shape.

9. Advice, Experience, Degree

9.1 ～たほうがいい / ～ないほうがいい (you should / shouldn't)

薬を飲んだほうがいいですよ。 — "You should take medicine."
無理しないほうがいいです。 — "You shouldn't push yourself."

Common mistake: Positive advice uses the た form (飲んだほうがいい), but negative advice uses the ない form (飲まないほうがいい) — not 飲まなかったほうがいい.

9.2 ～すぎる (too much)

昨日飲みすぎました。 — "I drank too much yesterday."
この問題は難しすぎます。 — "This problem is too difficult."

Attaches to the ます-stem or adjective stem (難し + すぎる).

9.3 ～やすい / ～にくい (easy to / hard to)

この本は読みやすいです。 — "This book is easy to read."
その名前は覚えにくいです。 — "That name is hard to remember."

9.4 ～ばかり (just did / nothing but)

昼ご飯を食べたばかりです。 — "I just ate lunch."
弟はゲームばかりしています。 — "My little brother does nothing but play games."

10. Passive and Causative (N4 Introduction)

The N4 introduces these; the N3 tests them deeply. Full conjugation tables are in our Verb Conjugation Master Guide.

10.1 Passive ～られる

先生にほめられました。 — "I was praised by the teacher."
電車で足を踏まれました。 — "My foot got stepped on in the train." (the "suffering passive" — it happened to me)

10.2 Causative ～させる

母は弟に野菜を食べさせました。 — "Mom made my little brother eat vegetables."
すみませんが、今日は早く帰らせてください。 — "I'm sorry, but please let me go home early today."

～させてください ("please let me…") is one of the most useful real-world phrases in this entire guide.

N4 Grammar Cheat Sheet

How to Study N4 Grammar

1. Master plain form first. Eighty percent of N4 patterns attach to plain form. If conversion isn't automatic, everything else collapses.
2. Learn the conditionals as a system, not four separate items. Make one comparison page and add example sentences as you meet them.
3. Drill そう vs そう until it hurts. Write five "looks like" and five "I heard" sentences about your week.
4. Use arrows for giving/receiving. Direction is everything.
5. Read short native material. NHK News Web Easy uses N4 grammar constantly. Pair it with our N4 notes and N4 vocabulary list.
6. Test under time pressure with timed practice sets and sharpen your ears with N4 listening practice.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many grammar points are on the JLPT N4?

Roughly 120 patterns beyond N5, for a cumulative total of about 200. This guide covers all the functions that recur on real exams.

What is the hardest N4 grammar topic?

Survey any classroom and you'll hear the same three answers: the four conditionals (たら・ば・と・なら), giving/receiving verbs, and the two meanings of そうだ. Give those triple study time.

How long does N4 grammar take to learn?

With consistent daily study, 3–4 months after finishing N5 material. Total time from zero to N4 is typically 6–10 months (around 300–600 study hours).

Is N4 enough to work in Japan?

For most jobs, no — employers typically ask for N2. But N4 is enough for daily life, and some manual/service roles accept it. See our JLPT Study Roadmap for the full path.

Should I learn plain form or polite form first?

You learned polite (ます) form at N5; N4 is when plain form becomes essential. Learn it as a conversion skill — every polite sentence should be instantly convertible in your head.

What's the difference between つもり and 予定?

つもり is your personal intention; 予定 is a fixed arrangement or schedule, often decided externally. 結婚するつもりです (I intend to marry) vs 三時に着く予定です (scheduled to arrive at three).

Summary and Next Steps

N4 grammar gives you the tools of real communication: plain form (the key that unlocks everything), potential and volitional forms, the four conditionals, giving/receiving verbs, and the appearance/hearsay cluster. Organize your study by function, drill the high-trap pairs (そう/そう, までに/まで, たら/と), and read simple native material early.

Continue on NihongoDoya:

• Review fundamentals: Complete N5 Grammar Guide
• Step up: Complete JLPT N3 Grammar Guide
• Conjugation deep dive: Verb Conjugation Master Guide
• Practice: N4 notes · N4 vocabulary · N4 listening · Mock tests