N3Chapter 52Unit 3 · Purpose, Cause, and Evidence

Appearance, Inference, and Reports

Learning objectives

  • Separate visual そうだ from hearsay そうだ.
  • Choose ようだ, みたいだ, and らしい by evidence and register.
  • Express logical expectation and strong inference with はず and に違いない.
N3 context
Intermediate Japanese carefully separates direct appearance, an inference from evidence, information received from a source, and the speaker’s own degree of certainty.
Vocabulary語彙
6 terms

  • 予報

    noun

    よほう

    forecast

  • 様子

    noun

    ようす

    appearance; situation

  • 情報

    noun

    じょうほう

    information

  • 確実

    adj

    かくじつ

    certain; reliable

  • 判断する

    verb

    はんだんする

    to judge

  • 噂

    noun

    うわさ

    rumour

Pattern contrast使い分け

What is the source?

ます-stem／adj stem + そうだ

direct appearance

looks as though

A direct impression from appearance. Negative forms include なさそう and そうにない.

空が暗くて、雨が降りそうだ。

The sky is dark; it looks as though it will rain.

plain form + そうだ

hearsay

I hear that

Reports information without asserting direct evidence. だ remains before そうだ after nouns and な-adjectives.

予報によると、今夜は雪が降るそうだ。

According to the forecast, it will snow tonight.

plain + ようだ／みたいだ

inference

it appears; it seems

Inference from evidence. ようだ is neutral/written; みたいだ is conversational.

電気がついている。まだ誰かいるようだ。

The lights are on. It seems someone is still there.

plain + らしい

indirect

apparently; characteristically

Often reports indirect information; with a noun it can also mean 'typical of'.

田中さんは来月退職するらしい。

Apparently, Mr Tanaka will retire next month.
Pattern contrast使い分け

How certain is the speaker?

plain + はずだ

reasoned expectation

should be; is expected to

The expectation follows from a schedule, fact, promise, or other logical basis.

メールを送ったので、もう届いているはずだ。

I sent the email, so it should have arrived by now.

plain + に違いない

strong inference

must be; no doubt

A strong speaker inference. It is confident, but still an inference rather than verified fact.

足跡がある。誰かがここを通ったに違いない。

There are footprints. Someone must have passed here.

The two そうだ patterns connect differently

おいしそうだ is a visual judgement and drops the adjective’s final い. おいしいそうだ reports that somebody said it is delicious. Do not mix their formations.

Guided practice練習

State the information source as precisely as possible.

  1. 1.You see a child rubbing their eyes and infer they are sleepy.

  2. 2.A notice says the museum will close next month.

  3. 3.The train left on time, so expect it to arrive by six.
Reading practice読解

A missing parcel

message exchange

Target: 3 minutes
配達記録によると、荷物は昨日の午後に届いたそうです。しかし、玄関の前にも宅配ボックスにもありません。隣の部屋の前に似た箱が置いてあるので、配達員が部屋番号を間違えたのかもしれません。箱の大きさから見て、私の荷物に違いありませんが、勝手に持ってくるわけにはいきません。まず隣の人に確認するつもりです。
配達記録（はいたつきろく）
delivery record
勝手に（かってに）
without permission
  1. Which information is reported rather than directly observed?
  2. Why does the writer strongly think the neighbouring box is theirs?
Listening rehearsal聴解

Will the shop be open?

Listen for expectation and indirect information.

Listen before opening the transcript.
  1. Why does the speaker expect the shop to be open?
Key takeawaysまとめ
  • 1Stem + そうだ describes appearance; plain + そうだ reports hearsay.
  • 2ようだ and conversational みたいだ infer from evidence; らしい often conveys indirect information.
  • 3はず is a reasoned expectation; に違いない is the speaker's strong inference.

Knowledge Check

Practice quiz
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この料理は辛＿＿。見ただけで汗が出てきた。