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N4

Plain Form Review for Reading

Review short-form verbs, adjectives, and copula patterns so learners can read casual narration, quotations, and noun-modifying clauses with confidence.

Identify plain present, past, and negative forms across verbs, adjectives, and nouns.Recognize plain forms inside quotations and noun-modifying clauses.Use plain-form chunks to follow longer N4 reading sentences.
Guided study

Why plain form matters in reading

Polite endings like です and ます are common in beginner lessons, but real reading quickly introduces plain form. Diaries, dialogue, quoted thoughts, and noun-modifying clauses all use short forms.

田中さんは今日は行かない。

Tanaka is not going today.

行かない is the plain negative form of 行く.

この本は面白い。

This book is interesting.

い-adjectives do not need です in plain style.

明日は雨だと思う。

I think it will rain tomorrow.

Plain form commonly appears before と思う.

Practice guides for this lesson

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N4 Japanese grammar lessons

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Japanese grammar practice

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Japanese grammar lessons

Use the Japanese grammar lessons guide to connect this lesson with related reading practice.

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