Learn JLPT N5 Minna no Nihongo Lesson 21

Lesson 21 introduces common ways to express thoughts, report what someone says, and make polite predictions. The main patterns are: 〜とおもいます (I think / I guess), 〜といいます／〜といいました (someone says / said), and 〜でしょう？ (isn’t it? / probably). These patterns use the futsuu-kei (plain form) of verbs, adjectives, and nouns when they are quoted.

1) 「〜とおもいます」 — “I think / I guess”

Use [futsuu-kei] + とおもいます to state your opinion or express a guess. When you are stating an opinion, the sentence before とおもいます usually expresses a judgment; when making a prediction, the same pattern works with words like たぶん (probably).

Examples (hiragana):

「あした　あめがふると　おもいます。」 — I think it will rain tomorrow.

「あのほんは　おもしろいと　おもいます。」 — I think that book is interesting.

「いいえ、たぶん　しらないと　おもいます。」 — No, I think (he) probably does not know.

Notes:

Use the plain form before とおもいます (e.g., いく, たべる, こない).

For negative judgments, use the negative plain form before とおもいます (e.g., しらないとおもいます) to indicate that you think something is not the case.

2) 「〜といいます／〜といいました」 — “(Someone) says / said ~”

Use [futsuu-kei] + といいます to report what someone says (direct or indirect quotation). For past reporting, use 〜といいました. This pattern reports words or statements and is commonly used in news, conversation reports, or quoting others.

Examples (hiragana):

「かれは『あしたいく』と　いいます。」 — He says, “I will go tomorrow.”

「せんせいは『しゅくだいをだしなさい』と　いいました。」 — The teacher said, “Hand in the homework.”

「みんなは『たのしかった』と　いいました。」 — Everyone said, “It was fun.”

Notes:

Quoted content uses the plain form inside the quote. You can use quotation marks or simply place と after the plain clause.

To summarize what someone said without exact quoting, you can also use the plain clause + と + いう expressions.

3) 「〜でしょう？」 — “probably / isn’t it?”

〜でしょう is used to express probability or to ask for confirmation. It is softer than a direct statement and can turn a sentence into a polite guess or expectation. When you expect agreement, you can add a rising intonation (…でしょう？).

Examples (hiragana):

「あしたは　あたたかいでしょう。」 — It will probably be warm tomorrow.

「これで　だいじょうぶでしょう？」 — This will be okay, right?

「かれは　いそがしいでしょう。」 — He is probably busy.

Notes:

Use the plain or polite form before でしょう depending on register, but the meaning (probability/confirmation) remains.

でしょう is softer than a direct assertion and useful in polite conversation when you are not certain.