In this Topic, we’re going to learn how to set the scene, give examples, and smoothly express our needs. In N5, we learned how to make basic, blunt sentences with some essential natural flourishes, such as sentence ending particles. In N4, we are expanding not just what we can express but how we can express ourselves. In the Topics for Lesson 8, we will focus on greasing the wheels of conversation to make things sound much smoother.

In this Topic specifically, we will learn how to use たら to set up a situation, and how to use 他(ほか)に and 例(たと)えば as conversational signposts. We will also learn how to control our intensity with そんなに, and how to express necessity with 必要(ひつよう).

In the Details section, we will focus on bringing these things together, to make smooth, natural Japanese.

This Topic covers a smattering of useful conversational tools, so let’s think about how we can apply them in natural conversation.

Flow Rider

When we’re speaking Japanese, we don’t want to just blast out simple sentences. We want to join our thoughts together so that there is a logical flow to what we are saying. With 他(ほか)に, 例(たと)えば, and そんなに we can do this. In fact, a lot of the grammar we will learn from N4 onwards is about having finer control over the flow of conversation and how we express ourselves.

The Scene is Set

As mentioned in the grammar explanation, たら is often translated to ‘if’, but it frequently will have a meaning closer to ‘when’. As such, it is extremely useful for connecting thoughts in a more complicated way than the basic て form.

We will revisit たら in more detail in another Topic coming up in Lesson 8. It is an extremely common and useful pattern which we’ll see frequently as we continue learning Japanese!

The Mother of All Invention

We have just learned two ways to talk about ‘needs’. We have が必要(ひつよう) with nouns and 必要(ひつよう)がある with verbs. But, we also already know words and phrases like ほしい ‘want’, 要(い)る ‘need’, and なくてはならない ‘must (do)’. How do these all fit together and what exactly is different about them?

First, let’s look at examples with nouns. We can use ほしい, 必要(ひつよう)or 要(い)る. ほしい focuses on simple desire. 必要(ひつよう) focuses on objective necessity. 要(い)る also focuses on ‘need’, but it is less stiff sounding and more common in conversation.

Next, let’s look at examples with verbs. The pattern 必要(ひつよう)がある tells us there is an objective necessity. It is all about something being necessary for something else. We have previously learned patterns like なくてはならない ‘must (do)’. These differ from 必要(ひつよう)がある as they are not about necessity but rules or obligations. Although there are times when the two may overlap, there are also times when it may sound unnatural to use one of these in place of another. 必要(ひつよう)がある is a bit rarer and used more often when talking about formal or logical necessity in an objective sense.

And just for the sake of completion, we should mention that we do also have the てほしい pattern, but this is for talking about wanting someone else to do something, not yourself.