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JLPT N4 grammar comparison

〜そうだ (appearance) "looks like / seems about to" vs 〜そうだ (hearsay) "I hear that / they say"

By Nihongo PathUpdated

The difference

From the 〜そうだ (appearance) "looks like / seems about to" lesson

〜そうだ (hearsay) "I hear that / they say": Attaches to the plain form (降るそうだ) and means "I hear". Appearance そうだ attaches to the stem (降りそうだ).

From the 〜そうだ (hearsay) "I hear that / they say" lesson

〜そうだ (appearance) "looks like / seems about to": Attaches to the stem and means "looks like". Hearsay そうだ attaches to the plain form.

Side by side

〜そうだ (appearance) "looks like / seems about to"

sou da (youtai) · JLPT N4

Meaning
Judgement from direct visual impression: "looks (delicious)", "about to (fall)".
Formation
V-ます stem + そうだ: 降りそうだ, 落ちそうだ, 泣きそうだい-adjective (drop い) + そうだ: おいしそうだ, 高そうだ; いい → よさそうだ; ない → なさそうだな-adjective stem + そうだ: 元気そうだ, 暇そうだNegative: verbs 〜そうもない / そうにない; adjectives 〜くなさそう / 〜じゃなさそうBefore a noun: 〜そうな N; as an adverb: 〜そうに

  1. 雨が降りそうです。

    あめが ふりそうです。

    It looks like it's going to rain.

  2. 彼は元気そうに見えました。

    かれは げんきそうに みえました。

    He looked well.

Full lesson on 〜そうだ (appearance) "looks like / seems about to"

〜そうだ (hearsay) "I hear that / they say"

sou da (denbun) · JLPT N4

Meaning
Reporting information obtained from someone else or another source.
Formation
V-plain + そうだ: 降るそうだ, 降ったそうだ, 降らないそうだい-adjective + そうだ: おいしいそうだ, 高かったそうだな-adjective + だそうだ: 元気だそうだNoun + だそうだ: 学生だそうだSource: 〜によると / 〜の話では … そうだ

  1. 天気予報によると、明日は雪が降るそうです。

    てんきよほうによると、あしたは ゆきが ふるそうです。

    According to the forecast, it will snow tomorrow.

  2. 田中さんは来月結婚するそうだ。

    たなかさんは らいげつ けっこんするそうだ。

    I hear Tanaka is getting married next month.

Full lesson on 〜そうだ (hearsay) "I hear that / they say"

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between 〜そうだ (appearance) "looks like / seems about to" and 〜そうだ (hearsay) "I hear that / they say"?

Attaches to the plain form (降るそうだ) and means "I hear". Appearance そうだ attaches to the stem (降りそうだ).

When do you use 〜そうだ (hearsay) "I hear that / they say" instead of 〜そうだ (appearance) "looks like / seems about to"?

Attaches to the stem and means "looks like". Hearsay そうだ attaches to the plain form.