N4 Grammar · Test 50

The correct answer is 1 (しない). The pattern V-ない ほうがいい means 'it is better not to do V.' Here, むりをしないほうがいい means 'it is better not to push yourself.' The verb is conjugated to its ない-form (しない) and directly modifies ほう.

• 2しなくて is the て-form of しない. 〜なくてほうがいい is ungrammatical; なくて is used for reasons/causes, not for this comparative-advice pattern.
• 3しないで is the negative て-form. While しないで is used in '〜ないでください' (please don't), the pattern ほうがいい requires the plain ない-form, not ないで.
• 4せず is the formal negative ず-form. 〜ずほうがいい is ungrammatical; ず is used in 〜ずに (without doing) patterns.

• むり（無理） — overdoing it, pushing oneself
• 〜ほうがいい — it is better to...

The correct answer is 2 (書き). The intended sentence is じゅぎょうで手紙の書き方を習いました — 'In class we learned how to write letters.' The pattern V-ます stem + 方 (かた) means 'way of doing V': 書き方 (かきかた) = 'how to write.' The stem 書き attaches to 方. Note: the stem as transcribed appears to have the blank and の swapped (see issues).

• 1書か is the ない-form stem (書かない). 書か方 is not a valid word; the correct compound uses the ます-stem 書き.
• 3書く is the dictionary form. 書く方 is not grammatical as a compound noun meaning 'how to write.'
• 4書いた is the past tense. 書いた方 is not a valid compound for 'how to write.'

• 書き方（かきかた） — how to write, way of writing
• 習ならう — to learn (from someone)

The correct answer is 2 (聞き). The suffix 〜たがる attaches to the V-ます stem to express 'shows signs of wanting to do V' (used for third-person subjects). 聞きたがる means 'wants to listen / shows signs of wanting to hear.' The stem is 聞き.

• 1聞く is the dictionary form. 〜たがる does not attach to the dictionary form; it requires the ます-stem (聞き).
• 3聞いた is the past tense. 〜たがる does not attach to the past form.
• 4聞け is the potential/imperative form. 〜たがる does not attach to this form.

• 〜たがる — to show signs of wanting to (third-person desire)
• こわい話（こわいはなし） — scary story

The pattern らしい (seems/apparently) attaches to the plain (辞書形) form of verbs. Since the sentence refers to a future event (来年 = next year), the dictionary form する is correct: するらしい = 'it seems they will (marry)'.

• 2した is the past plain form. したらしい would mean 'it seems they married (already)', which contradicts 来年 (next year).
• 3しよう is the volitional form ('let's ~'). It cannot be followed by らしい.
• 4します is the polite (ます) form. らしい attaches to the plain form, not the polite form, so しますらしい is ungrammatical.

• けっこんする — to marry / to get married
• らしい — seems to; apparently (attaches to plain form)

The pattern いつ〜ても means 'no matter when one ~s'. It requires the て-form of the verb. 行って is the て-form of 行く, giving いつ行っても = 'no matter when you go'.

• 1行く is the dictionary form. いつ行くも is ungrammatical; the て-form is required before も.
• 2行け is the imperative form. いつ行けも is ungrammatical.
• 3行こう is the volitional form. いつ行こうも is ungrammatical.

• びじゅつかん — art museum
• 行いく — to go
• 〜ても — even if / no matter (how/when/where) one ~s

を marks the direct object of the verb とられた ('was taken'). さいふをとられた = '(I) had my wallet taken / my wallet was taken.' This is a passive sentence with the wallet as the object.

• 1の would make 'someone's wallet,' but the structure だれかに…とられた requires the wallet to be the object marked by を, not a possessor link.
• 2に marks the agent of the passive (だれかに already fills that role); a second に before とられた is ungrammatical.
• 3か is a question/listing particle and cannot mark the object of とられた.

• だれか — someone
• 財布さいふ — wallet
• 取とる — to take; (passive とられる) to be taken

～なくてもかまいません is a fixed pattern meaning 'it is fine if you don't…; you don't have to…'. 持って来なくてもかまいません = 'You don't have to bring (a camera).' ても attaches to the negative なく form.

• 1では does not form the correct conditional/concessive with なく; 'なくではかまいません' is ungrammatical.
• 2でも after なく would mean 'even if not…,' but the set phrase is なくてもかまいません, not なくでも.
• 3ては does not attach to なく in this pattern; 'なくてはかまいません' is not the target expression (ては would instead relate to obligation patterns like なくてはいけない).

• カメラ — camera
• 持って来る（もってくる） — to bring (something)
• 構かまう — to mind, to care; (～てもかまいません) it's fine to…/it doesn't matter if…

という means 'called/named' and links a name to a noun: カトレアという店 = 'a shop called Cattleya.' と quotes the name before いう.

• 2が would mark a subject, but 'カトレアがいう店' would mean 'the shop that Cattleya says,' treating カトレア as a person speaking — not the intended 'a shop called Cattleya.'
• 3に is a location/destination/indirect-object marker and cannot form the 'called' expression.
• 4を is a direct-object marker; 'カトレアをいう店' is ungrammatical for the 'called' meaning.

• カトレア — Cattleya (name, here of a shop)
• 店みせ — shop, store
• という — called/named (links a name to a noun)
• 知しっている — to know

でも attaches to question words like どこ to mean 'anywhere/everywhere.' どこでもねられます means 'I can sleep anywhere.' This is a common N4-level pattern: question word + でも = every/any.

• 1など means 'things like' and is used to give non-exhaustive examples. どこなど doesn't fit here — it would mean 'places like where,' which is unnatural.
• 3か after a question word makes an indefinite pronoun: どこか = 'somewhere.' While 'I can sleep somewhere' is grammatically possible, it would normally need a particle like で (どこかで). Without it, the sentence is incomplete, and でも is the intended natural answer.
• 4は is the topic marker. どこはねられます is ungrammatical/nonsensical here — it would try to make 'where' a topic, which doesn't work with this verb.

• どこでも — anywhere, everywhere
• ねる（寝る）（ねる） — to sleep
• 〜られる — potential/can (do)

で marks the means, method, or material used to perform an action. 大きい字で書いてください means 'Please write in/with bigger characters.' The character size/type is the means of writing, so で is correct.

• 2が marks the subject of a verb or the thing desired. 字が書いてください is ungrammatical — 書いてください is a request directed at a listener, so there is no subject role for 字 to fill with が.
• 3か is a question marker or uncertainty marker. 大きい字か書いてください makes no sense grammatically.
• 4や means 'and' (non-exhaustive list). 大きい字や書いてください is ungrammatical — や needs to connect two nouns, but here it would sit between a noun and a verb.

• 字（じ） — character, letter
• 〜で — by means of, with (marks tool/method/material)
• 書かいてください — please write (〜てください = request)