Minna no Nihongo - Unit 25 Overview

Minna no Nihongo - Unit 25 Overview

In Unit 25, you will explore how to describe conditions and hypothetical situations using ～ば form, express purpose with ために, and indicate whether or not something is easy or hard to do with ～やすい / ～にくい. You will also practice using verbs to express habitual actions or preparations. This unit helps to develop more sophisticated ways of explaining actions, especially in conditional and purpose-related contexts.

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1. Vocabulary (たんご)

Here’s some useful vocabulary to help describe conditions, purposes, and ease or difficulty of actions:

• つきます (tsukimasu) – to arrive
• りゅうがくします (ryuugakushimasu) – to study abroad
• とります (torimasu) – to grow old
• たります (tarimasu) – to be enough
• いなか (inaka) – countryside
• おく (oku) – interior, inner part
• てんきん (tenkin) – job transfer
• こと (koto) – thing, matter
• ひま (hima) – free time
• がんばります (ganbarimasu) – to do one's best
• いろいろ (iroiro) – various
• もし (moshi) – if
• いくら (ikura) – how much, no matter how much

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2. Grammar Points (ぶんぽう)

A. Conditional Sentences Using ～ば

～ば is another conditional form used to describe hypothetical situations or "if" conditions. It’s often used for suggestions, advice, or when considering certain outcomes based on specific conditions.

1. Structure:

   • Verb (ば-form) + [result].
   • Examples:
     • おかねが あれば、くるまを かいます。
       (If I have money, I will buy a car.)
     • じかんが あれば、しごとを てつだってください。
       (If you have time, please help with the work.)

2. Forming the ば Form:

   • For る-verbs, change the る to れば.
     (e.g., たべる → たべれば)
   • For う-verbs, change the う sound to the え sound and add ば.
     (e.g., かう → かえば)
   • For い-adjectives, drop the final い and add ければ.
     (e.g., たかい → たかければ)

3. Usage:

   • ～ば is used when discussing outcomes that will follow if certain conditions are met.
   • Examples:
     • もし あした てんきが よければ、さんぽに いきましょう。
       (If the weather is good tomorrow, let's go for a walk.)
     • がんばれば、JLPTに ごうかくします。
       (If you try hard, you'll pass the JLPT.)

B. Expressing Purpose Using ために

When you want to express the purpose or reason for doing something, you can use ために. This phrase explains the intention or goal behind an action.

1. Structure:

   • Verb (plain form) + ために
     (In order to [verb].)
   • Noun + のために
     (For the sake of [noun].)
   • Examples:
     • にほんごを べんきょうするために、にほんに いきます。
       (I will go to Japan in order to study Japanese.)
     • こどもの ために、あたらしい くるまを かいました。
       (I bought a new car for the sake of my children.)

2. Usage:

   • ために is used to indicate the purpose or reason for an action, typically followed by an intention to achieve something.
   • Examples:
     • じぶんの ために、もっと けんこうてきな せいかつを したいです。
       (I want to live a healthier lifestyle for my own sake.)
     • かれは りゅうがくするために、たくさん べんきょうしています。
       (He is studying hard to study abroad.)

C. Describing Ease and Difficulty Using ～やすい / ～にくい

To describe whether something is easy or hard to do, you can use the endings ～やすい (easy to) and ～にくい (hard to).

1. Structure:

   • Verb (ます-form stem) + やすい
     (Easy to [verb].)
   • Verb (ます-form stem) + にくい
     (Hard to [verb].)
   • Examples:
     • このペンは かきやすいです。
       (This pen is easy to write with.)
     • このドアは あけにくいです。
       (This door is hard to open.)

2. Usage:

   • ～やすい is used when something is easy to perform or achieve, while ～にくい is used for things that are difficult to do.
   • Examples:
     • このほんは わかりやすいです。
       (This book is easy to understand.)
     • かのじょの なまえは おぼえにくいです。
       (Her name is hard to remember.)

D. Habitual Actions Using [Verb] + ことがあります

To talk about actions that you do occasionally or habits that happen from time to time, use [Verb in dictionary form] + ことがあります.

1. Structure:

   • Verb (dictionary form) + ことがあります。
     (There are times when I [verb].)
   • Examples:
     • しゅうまつは ときどき ともだちに あうことがあります。
       (On weekends, I sometimes meet my friends.)
     • たべすぎることがあります。
       (There are times when I overeat.)

2. Usage:

   • ことがあります expresses that something happens occasionally, rather than frequently.
   • Examples:
     • あめの ひには あるくことが あります。
       (Sometimes I walk on rainy days.)
     • ひるごはんを ぬくことが あります。
       (There are times when I skip lunch.)

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3. Example Sentences

1. じかんが あれば、うみに いきます。
   (If I have time, I will go to the beach.)

2. にほんごを はなすために、まいにち れんしゅうします。
   (I practice every day to speak Japanese.)

3. この パンは たべやすいです。
   (This bread is easy to eat.)

4. あした、しごとに いくことがあります。
   (There are times when I go to work tomorrow.)

5. くすりを のめば、かぜが なおります。
   (If you take medicine, your cold will get better.)

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4. Practice Sentences

• しけんが おわれば、あそびに いきます。
  (If the exam ends, I will go out to play.)

• うんどうするために、まいあさ 5じに おきます。
  (I wake up at 5 a.m. every morning in order to exercise.)

• この きっさてんは いごこちが よくて、べんきょうしやすいです。
  (This café is comfortable, so it’s easy to study here.)

• あしたは じてんしゃで かいしゃに いくことが あります。
  (There are times when I go to work by bike tomorrow.)

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5. Summary

In Unit 25, you learned how to express conditions and hypothetical situations using ～ば, express purposes with ために, and describe the ease or difficulty of actions using ～やすい / ～にくい. You also learned how to talk about occasional or habitual actions with ことがあります. These grammatical structures allow you to discuss intentions, conditions, and your experiences more fluently and naturally in Japanese.