～そうだ

N4

～そうだ

~sou da

Looks like / Seems

N4

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Explanation

The ～そうだ grammar point is used to describe the appearance or feeling of something based on what is observed or inferred. It can be translated as 'looks like', 'seems', or 'appears' in English.

Structure

Pattern
Verb-ますstem + そうだ, い-Adjective (without い) + そうだ, な-Adjective + そうだ
Verb-ますstemThe stem of the verb without the -ます ending.
Examples: 降りる -> 降り + そうだ
い-Adjective (without い)An い-adjective minus its final い character.
Examples: 楽しい -> 楽し + そうだ
な-AdjectiveA な-adjective with そう added directly.
Examples: きれい -> きれい + そうだ

Examples

Example 1
その花はとてもきれいそうだ。
Sono hana wa totemo kirei sou da.
That flower looks very beautiful.
Breakdown
tokengloss
そのthat
花flower
はtopic marker
とてもvery
きれいbeautiful
そうだlooks like
Example 2
彼は疲れそうだ。
Kare wa tsukare sou da.
He looks tired.
Breakdown
tokengloss
彼he
はtopic marker
疲れtired
そうだlooks like
Example 3
この本は面白そうだ。
Kono hon wa omoshiro sou da.
This book looks interesting.
Breakdown
tokengloss
このthis
本book
はtopic marker
面白interesting
そうだlooks like
Example 4
雨が降りそうだ。
Ame ga furi sou da.
It looks like it's going to rain.
Breakdown
tokengloss
雨rain
がsubject marker
降りto fall (used for rain)
そうだlooks like

Related Grammar

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