Comparison13 pagesJLPT N5 to N3

Spoken short forms: てる, とく, ちゃう, なきゃ, って

In conversation, long endings get shorter: ている becomes てる, and てしまう becomes ちゃう. A short form means what its full form means, so once you hear which full form it is, you know the grammar already. Only the setting changes: short forms are for talk and for messages, and a report or a notice keeps the full ones.

What you hear	In full	What it means
食たべてる	食たべている	Is doing; is in a state
持もってく	持もっていく	Take with you
食たべとく	食たべておく	Do in advance; leave as is
食たべちゃう	食たべてしまう	End up doing; finish it all
食たべちゃいけない, 食たべちゃだめ	食たべてはいけない	Must not
食たべなくちゃ, 食たべなきゃ	食たべなくてはいけない, 食たべなければならない	Must; have to
肉にくじゃない	肉にくではない	Is not
じゃあ	では	Well then
食たべるんだ, 食たべるんです	食たべるのだ, 食たべるのです	Explaining: "the thing is…"
食たべるんで	食たべるので	Because; so
食たべるって言いう	食たべると言いう	Say that…
青あお空ぞらっていうカフェ	青あお空ぞらというカフェ	Called
食たべたって	食たべても	Even if
食たべるかも	食たべるかもしれない	Might; maybe
食たべたとこ	食たべたところだ	Have just done
わかんない	わからない	Don't know; don't understand
何なにしてんの	何なにしているの	What are you doing?
そりゃ	それは	That…; "well, …"

A verb whose て-form ends in で, like 飲のむ, gives 飲のんでる, 飲のんどく, 飲のんじゃう, 飲のんじゃいけない and 飲のんだって.

てる and てく: the い drops

Full pageているN5

てる is ている with the い dropped, and in conversation that is how it usually comes out. The い drops from the past, negative and polite forms too: 食たべてた, 食たべてない, 食たべてます. ていく often loses its い the same way.

今いま、何なにしてる？

What are you doing now?

傘かさ、持もってく？

Are you taking an umbrella?

とく・どく: ておく

Full pageておく・とくN4

とく is ておく, and どく is でおく: you do something now and leave it done because it will be useful later, or you leave a thing as it is. It takes the endings おく takes: 買かっといた, 買かっといて, 買かっとこう. With family, friends and colleagues ておく usually shrinks.

それ、私わたしがやっとくよ。

I'll take care of that.

ドアは開あけといて。あとで荷に物もつを運はこぶから。

Leave the door open. We'll be moving the luggage later.

会かい議ぎ室しつ、予よ約やくしときますね。

I'll book the meeting room.

To a colleague: short form, with ます.

ちゃう・じゃう: てしまう

Full pageてしまう・ちゃうN4

ちゃう is てしまう, and じゃう is でしまう: something is done and can't be undone, most often something you wish hadn't happened. The て does not stay: 食たべちゃった, not 食たべてちゃった. In casual talk the short one is what people mostly say.

鍵かぎを家いえに忘わすれちゃった。

I accidentally left my key at home.

もう八はち時じだ。学がっ校こうに遅おくれちゃう。

It's already eight. I'm going to be late for school.

ちゃいけない・ちゃだめ: てはいけない

Full pageてはいけない・ちゃいけないN5

ちゃいけない is "must not": ちゃ is ては, and じゃ is では. だめ, the everyday word for "no good", can stand in for いけない. ちゃだめ is what parents say to children and friends say to each other.

赤あか信しん号ごうで道みちを渡わたっちゃいけないよ。

You can't cross the road when the light is red.

危あぶないから、触さわっちゃだめ。

Don't touch it; it's dangerous.

なくちゃ・なきゃ: なくては, なければ

Full pageなければならない・なくちゃ・なきゃN5

なくちゃ is なくては and なきゃ is なければ: "if I don't". The rest of "must", いけない or ならない, is often left off, because everyone knows how it finishes. Said like that, it is mostly about yourself: something you just remembered, or why you are leaving.

もう八はち時じだ。急いそがなきゃ。

It's already eight. I have to hurry.

牛ぎゅう乳にゅうがない。帰かえりに買かわなくちゃ。

We're out of milk. I have to buy some on the way home.

Three kinds of ちゃ

ちゃ and じゃ turn up in three different endings. What follows, and a ない in front, tell you which one you heard.

ごめん、牛ぎゅう乳にゅうを全ぜん部ぶ飲のんじゃった。

Sorry, I drank all the milk.

飲のんでしまった: all gone, and sorry about it.

薬くすりを一いち度どに全ぜん部ぶ飲のんじゃいけない。

You must not take all the medicine at once.

飲のんではいけない: taking it is no good.

この薬くすりは毎まい日にち飲のまなくちゃいけないよ。

You have to take this medicine every day.

飲のまなくてはいけない: not taking it is no good.

じゃない and じゃあ: では

Full pageだ・ですN5 では・じゃあ・それでは・それじゃN5

じゃ is the spoken では. じゃない is the everyday "is not", in polite speech too (じゃないです), and じゃあ is the では that means "well then". Writing and formal speech keep では.

ここは出で口ぐちじゃない。

This is not the exit.

じゃあ、これをください。

I'll take this one, then.

In a shop, once you have decided.

んです, んだ, んで: の

Full pageんですN5

ん is の said quickly. んです gives a reason; with friends it is んだ, and in writing のです and のだ. The same ん turns ので into んで.

すみません、肉にくは食たべないんです。

Sorry, I do not eat meat.

明日あした早はやいんで、先さきに帰かえるね。

I've got an early start tomorrow, so I'm heading home before you.

もの・もんN3

もの becomes もん the same way. At the end of a sentence it gives your reason as a defense, and it sounds sulky or childish, often on purpose.

そんなに怒おこらないでよ。知しらなかったんだもん。

Don't be so angry. I didn't know.

って: と and という

Full pageってN5 というN5

って is the spoken と: it marks what someone said, thought or wrote. Without a verb of saying, って by itself usually means "he says" or "I hear". という, "called", shrinks to っていう or just って.

兄あには明日あした帰かえるって言いってた。

My older brother said he would come home tomorrow.

言いってた is 言いっていた.

田た中なかさんは来こないって。

Tanaka says he isn't coming.

『月つきへの道みち』っていう映えい画が、見みた？

Have you seen a film called The Road to the Moon?

After a noun, って also brings something up, so that you can ask about it or say what you think of it. This って is close to は.

「定てい食しょく」って何なんですか。

What is a "teishoku"?

この町まちって、夜よるは静しずかだね。

This town is quiet at night, isn't it?

たって・だって: ても, でも

Full pageたってN3

たって is how ても comes out in casual speech: "even if", and after a question word "no matter". The た isn't past. After a noun, でも becomes だって.

雨あめが降ふったって、試し合あいは予よ定ていどおりやるよ。

Even if it rains, we'll play the match as scheduled.

何なん度ど読よんだって、この説せつ明めいじゃ分わからないよ。

No matter how many times you read it, this explanation won't make sense.

子こどもだって、それくらい分わかるよ。

Even a child understands that much.

かも and とこ: かもしれない, ところ

Full pageかもしれないN4

With friends かもしれない shrinks to かも, and ところ often to とこ.

鍵かぎ、家いえに忘わすれたかも。

I might have left my keys at home.

今いま、家いえを出でたとこ。

I've just left the house.

わかんない and してんの: ら and る become ん

Full pageわかんない・してんのN3

In casual speech, ら before ない and る before の often come out as ん: わからない becomes わかんない, and 何なにしてるの becomes 何なにしてんの.

ごめん、わかんない。

Sorry, I don't know.

今いま、何なにしてんの？

What are you doing now?

それは gets shorter too, to そりゃ.

そりゃそうだ。

Well, of course.

How casual each one is

Some short forms are everyday in polite conversation too: てる, じゃない, じゃあ, んです and って. とく and ちゃう take ます and still sound friendly: right for a colleague, a little too relaxed for a customer. The rest are mostly for friends and family, and for talking to yourself.

すみません、また間ま違ちがえちゃいました。

Sorry, I got it wrong again.

To a colleague.

そろそろ帰かえらなきゃ。

I've got to be going.

To a friend.

そろそろ帰かえらなければなりません。

I have to be going.

To a teacher or a host. To a friend it sounds like reading out a rule.

Easily misread: ないと, だって, じゃない

ないとN4

An unfinished sentence, not a short form: "if I don't…", with the rest left unsaid. It is used just like なきゃ.

もう電でん車しゃが出でる。行いかないと。

The train is about to leave. I have to go.

だって・んだってN3

Not always the spoken でも. At the start of a sentence だって is "but" or "because" in your own defense. At the end, んだって is "I heard".

だって、まだ晩ばんご飯はんを食たべてるんだよ。

But I'm still eating dinner.

じゃない・じゃないかN4

After a verb, casual じゃない isn't "is not": you think something is so, and want the other person to see it. With friends it is often じゃん.

だから言いったじゃん。

See, I told you.