N3 Grammar · Test 15

ように (you ni) expresses purpose or goal when the verb before it is non-volitional (e.g., potential form like 勝てる 'can win'). The sentence means 'I'll do my best so that I can win the next match.' The pattern is: (potential/non-volitional verb) + ように + (volitional action). Here, 勝てるように一生懸命がんばります = 'I'll work hard so that I can win.'

• 1ために (tame ni) also expresses purpose, but it requires a volitional verb before it (e.g., 勝つために 'in order to win'). Since the stem uses the potential form 勝てる (can win), ために is grammatically incorrect here.
• 3ことに (koto ni) does not express purpose. It might appear in patterns like ことになる (it has been decided), but it does not fit this sentence at all.
• 4みたいに (mitai ni) means 'like~' or 'as if~' and is a colloquial similarity expression. It does not express purpose and does not fit the sentence meaning.

• 勝かてる — can win (potential form of 勝つ)
• 一生懸命いっしょうけんめい — with all one's effort, very hard
• ために — in order to (used with volitional verbs)
• ように — so that~ / in order to~ (used with non-volitional/potential verbs)

The pattern V-stem + そうもない means 'unlikely to~ / doesn't seem likely to~.' The verb needed here is the potential form 買える (can buy), and its stem is 買え. So 買えそうもない = 'it seems unlikely that I'll be able to buy.' The sentence means 'With my current low salary, no matter how many years I work, it's unlikely I'll be able to buy my own house.'

• 1買い is the stem of 買う (to buy), not the potential form. 買いそうもない would mean 'unlikely to buy,' but the context is about affordability (安い給料 'low salary'), so the potential meaning 'unable to buy' is required.
• 3買う is the dictionary form. そうもない attaches to the verb stem (V-masu stem), not the dictionary form, so 買うそうもない is grammatically wrong.
• 4買える is the potential form in dictionary form. そうもない must attach to the stem (買え), not the full dictionary form 買える, so 買えるそうもない is grammatically incorrect.

• 給料きゅうりょう — salary
• 買かえる — can buy (potential form of 買う)
• 〜そうもない — unlikely to~ / doesn't seem like it will~

ことで (koto de) means 'about~ / regarding~ / on the matter of~.' 将来のことで悩んでいる = 'worrying about things regarding the future.' The particle で here indicates the topic/content of the worrying. The dialogue means: A: 'Yamada hasn't been energetic lately, has he?' B: 'Yeah. It seems he's worrying about his future.'

• 1ほうに (hou ni) means 'toward~ / in the direction of~' and does not fit here. 将来のほうに悩んでいる is not a natural Japanese expression.
• 2場合に (baai ni) means 'in the case of~ / when~' and is used for conditional situations. It does not mean 'about/regarding' and does not fit this context.
• 3ほかで (hoka de) means 'elsewhere / somewhere else.' 将来のほかで悩んでいる would mean 'worrying about something other than the future,' which contradicts the intended meaning.

• 将来しょうらい — the future
• 悩なやむ — to worry, to be troubled
• ことで — about~ / regarding~ (こと + で indicating topic/content)

って (tte) is a colloquial topic/quotation particle, equivalent to という or とは in formal speech. 田中さんってどんな人？ = 'What kind of person is Tanaka?' It introduces 田中さん as the topic about which the question どんな人 is asked. This is a very common casual conversational pattern.

• 1が (ga) is the subject marker. 田中さんがどんな人？ would imply 'What kind of person is Tanaka (as opposed to someone else)?' with strong focus on 田中さん as subject, which is unnatural in this context where you simply want to ask about Tanaka's personality.
• 2で (de) is the particle for means/location/by. 田中さんでどんな人？ is grammatically incorrect and meaningless in this context.
• 4でも (demo) means 'even~.' 田中さんでもどんな人？ would mean something like 'Even Tanaka, what kind of person?' which makes no sense in this context.

• って — colloquial topic/quotation particle (＝という/とは), 'speaking of~'
• 親切しんせつ — kind, helpful

いつか (itsuka) means 'sometime (in the future), at some point.' わたしもいつか一度行ってみたいなあ = 'I want to go sometime too.' It expresses an indefinite future point in time, which fits perfectly with the desire to visit Okinawa someday. The nuance is 'I don't know exactly when, but someday.'

• 1いつのまにか (itsu no ma ni ka) means 'before one knows it /不知不觉に.' This describes something happening without awareness, which doesn't fit the speaker's expressed desire to go.
• 2いつ (itsu) means 'when' and is an interrogative. わたしもいつ一度行ってみたい would sound like an incomplete question ('When... I want to try going once'), which is unnatural here.
• 3いつでも (itsu demo) means 'anytime / whenever.' わたしもいつでも一度行ってみたい is contradictory—'anytime' implies flexibility, but '一度' (once) and 'みたい' (want to try) suggest a vague future wish, not 'I can go anytime.' いつか is the natural choice for 'someday.'

• いつか — sometime, someday (indefinite future)
• 一度いちど — once, one time
• 〜てみたい — want to try doing~

The correct order is 3→4→2→1, giving: 来週、試合なのに ちっとも 練習に来ないで 何をやっていたんですか。The sentence means 'There's a match next week, yet you haven't come to practice at all—what have you been doing?' Speaker A is scolding someone for not practicing. なのに ('despite/even though') connects 試合 to the complaint; ちっとも ('not at all') modifies the negative 練習に来ないで; and 何をやっていたんですか asks what they've been doing instead. The ★ slot (third) is option 2 (練習に来ないで).

• 1何をやっていた belongs at the end, right before んですか, forming the question 何をやっていたんですか ('what have you been doing?'). It cannot go in the ★ (third) slot.
• 3なのに must come first, right after 試合, to express 'despite the match.' Placing it third would break the clause structure.
• 4ちっとも ('not at all') must come before the negative phrase 練習に来ないで. Placing it third would separate it from what it modifies.

• なのに — even though, despite (connects two clauses expressing contrast/complaint)
• ちっとも — not at all (used with a negative predicate)
• 練習に来ないで（れんしゅうにこないで） — without coming to practice (negative て form of 来る)

The correct order is 3→1→4→2, giving: あの美術館は曜日によって 閉まる時間 が 違うから窓口で確認したほうがいいよ。The sentence means 'That museum has different closing times depending on the day of the week, so you'd better check at the window.' よって ('depending on') follows 曜日; 閉まる時間が違う ('closing times differ') is the main clause; から ('because') gives the reason for the recommendation. The ★ slot (third) is option 4 (が).

• 1閉まる時間 ('closing time') must come after によって, forming the subject of 違う. It belongs in the second slot, not the third.
• 2違うから ('because (they) differ') must come last, right before 窓口で確認したほうがいいよ, to provide the reason. It cannot go in the third slot.
• 3によって ('depending on') must come first, right after 曜日, to form the pattern 曜日によって ('depending on the day'). It cannot go in the third slot.

• によって — depending on, by (indicates variation based on something)
• 閉まる時間（しまるじかん） — closing time
• 窓口まどぐち — ticket window / information counter

The correct order is 1→4→2→3, giving: 自分で野菜を作ってみて、おいしい野菜を育てることが どんなに 大変な ことかわかりました。The sentence means 'Having tried growing vegetables myself, I understood how difficult it is to grow delicious vegetables.' The pattern is ことがどんなに大変なことか ('how difficult it is to...'), which is a noun clause embedded as the object of わかりました. ことが nominalizes 育てる; どんなに...ことか is an embedded exclamatory structure meaning 'how (adjective) it is.' The ★ slot (third) is option 2 (大変な).

• 1ことが must come first, right after 育てる, to nominalize the verb phrase ('the act of growing'). It cannot go in the third slot.
• 3ことか must come last, right before わかりました, to close the どんなに...ことか structure. It cannot go in the third slot.
• 4どんなに ('how') must come second, before the adjective 大変な, to form the exclamatory pattern どんなに大変なことか. It cannot go in the third slot.

• ことが — the act of (nominalizer こと + が, linking to the predicate)
• どんなに — how (used in embedded exclamatory clauses)
• 大変たいへんな — difficult, hard, tough (na-adjective)
• ことか — it is...! (exclamatory ending used with どんなに)

The correct order is 4→2→1→3, giving: 少しむずかしいですから ほか の にしてほしいです。The sentence means 'I'm sorry. I like this song, but it's a bit difficult, so I'd like you to do another one.' から ('because/so') gives the reason; ほかの ('another') modifies the implied noun (song); にしてほしい ('I want you to make it / choose it') expresses the request. Together: ほかのにしてほしい = 'I want you to do/choose a different one.' The ★ slot (third) is option 1 (の).

• 2ほか must come second, right after から, to begin the phrase ほかのに ('another one'). It cannot go in the third slot.
• 3に must come last (fourth slot), right before してほしいです, to form にしてほしい ('want (you) to make it into / choose'). It cannot go in the third slot.
• 4から must come first, right after むずかしいです, to give the reason ('because it's a bit difficult'). It cannot go in the third slot.

• ほかの — another, a different (used to refer to an alternative option)
• 〜にしてほしい — I want you to make it / choose it as ~ (request pattern)
• 窓口まどぐち — (not relevant here)

The correct order is 1→4→3→2, giving: わたしは、子どもがしたい と思うことは やらせて やりたいと思っている。The sentence means 'My child recently said they want to learn piano. I think I want to let them do what they want to do.' したいと思うことは ('things (the child) wants to do') is the topic; やらせてやりたい ('want to let (them) do') uses the causative て-form やらせて plus やりたい ('want to do for (someone)'). The ★ slot (third) is option 3 (やらせて).

• 1したい must come first, right after 子どもが, to form 子どもがしたい ('the child wants to do'). It cannot go in the third slot.
• 2やりたい must come last (fourth slot), right before と思っている, to complete やらせてやりたい ('want to let (them) do'). It cannot go in the third slot.
• 4と思うことは must come second, after したい, to form したいと思うことは ('things (they) want to do' as a topic). It cannot go in the third slot.

• やらせて — letting (someone) do (causative て-form of やる)
• 〜てやりたい — want to do [something] for [someone] (familiar/benefactive)
• と思うことは（とおもうことは） — the things that (one) thinks/wants to (topic marker は)