Japanese Intermediate Japanese Language Skills Syllabus

Intermediate Japanese Language Skills syllabus — full chapter and topic list

Expand any chapter to see its topics and sub-topics. This is the whole examinable outline for Intermediate Japanese Language Skills in Japanese, not a summary of it.

1. 1

   Advanced Grammar

   2 topics

   • Complex Sentence Structures
   • Advanced Verb Forms
2. 2

   Expanding Vocabulary

   2 topics

   • Specialized Vocabulary
   • Idiomatic Expressions

Intermediate Japanese Language Skills flashcards for Japanese

24 of 51 cards from the Intermediate Japanese Language Skills deck — real questions with worked answers.

1. What is the function of the conjunction particle が (ga) when used to connect two clauses, as in "日本語は難しいですが、面白いです"?

   It joins two clauses with a contrastive or mildly adversative meaning ("but/although"). Here it links "Japanese is difficult" and "it is interesting." It softens the transition and can also be a neutral connector ("and").

2. How do you form a relative (adjectival) clause modifying a noun in Japanese, and where does it go?

   Place the modifying clause, ending in a plain (dictionary/plain-past) form, directly BEFORE the noun. Example: 私が買った本 ("the book that I bought") — the clause 私が買った precedes 本, with no relative pronoun.

3. What does the conditional ~ば (ba) form express, and how is it made from a る-verb like 食べる?

   It expresses a general/hypothetical condition ("if..."). For 食べる, drop る and add れば → 食べれば. For u-verbs, change the final -u to -e and add ば (書く→書けば).

4. Compare the four Japanese conditionals と, ば, たら, and なら by their core nuance.

   と: automatic/natural consequence (always results). ば: general hypothetical, emphasis on the condition. たら: "when/if" a specific completed event, most versatile in speech. なら: contextual "if it's the case that / speaking of," often responding to given information.

5. What is the て-form used for in complex sentences, and give two of its clause-linking functions.

   The て-form links clauses. Functions include: (1) sequential actions ("do X and then Y"): 起きて、朝ご飯を食べた; (2) cause/reason: 遅れて、すみません ("I'm late, so sorry"). It can also express means or simultaneous state.

6. How is the passive voice formed for る-verbs and う-verbs in Japanese?

   る-verbs: drop る, add られる (食べる→食べられる). う-verbs: change final -u to -a and add れる (書く→書かれる; 読む→読まれる). Verbs with う ending → わ (買う→買われる).

7. What is the "suffering/adversative passive" in Japanese, and give an example.

   A passive construction implying the subject was negatively affected by an action, even by an intransitive verb. Example: 雨に降られた ("I was rained on / suffered from the rain falling"). The affected person is marked with は/が and the agent with に.

8. How do you form the causative ("make/let someone do") for る-verbs and う-verbs?

   る-verbs: drop る, add させる (食べる→食べさせる). う-verbs: change -u to -a, add せる (書く→書かせる; 行く→行かせる). It means to make or let someone do the action.

9. What does the causative-passive form express, and how is it built from 待つ (to wait)?

   It expresses being made to do something (often unwillingly). 待つ→待たせられる or contracted 待たされる ("to be made to wait"). Formed by combining causative せる + passive られる, often contracted to される for う-verbs.

10. What is the difference between the potential forms 食べられる and 食べれる (ら抜き言葉)?

    食べられる is the standard potential ("can eat"). 食べれる is "ら-nuki" (ら-dropped) colloquial speech, common in casual conversation but considered nonstandard in formal writing. For る-verbs, standard potential = drop る + られる.

11. How do the honorific (尊敬語) and humble (謙譲語) forms of する and 行く/来る/いる differ?

    する: honorific なさる, humble いたす. 行く/来る/いる: honorific いらっしゃる; 行く/来る humble 参る, いる humble おる. Honorific elevates the other person; humble lowers oneself to show respect.

12. What is the ~ておく (te-oku) construction used for?

    It expresses doing something in advance/preparation, or leaving something in a state. Example: ビールを買っておく ("buy beer in advance"). Colloquially contracts to ~とく (買っとく).

13. What does the auxiliary ~てしまう convey, and what is its casual contraction?

    It conveys completion of an action or regret/unintended result. Example: 宿題をやってしまった ("finished the homework" or "unfortunately did it"). Casual contractions: ~ちゃう (てしまう→ちゃう) and ~じゃう (でしまう→じゃう).

14. Distinguish the giving/receiving verbs あげる, くれる, and もらう.

    あげる: I/subject give to someone else (outward). くれる: someone gives to me/my in-group (inward). もらう: I/subject receive from someone. In-group (うち) vs out-group (そと) perspective determines choice.

15. What extra nuance do ~てあげる, ~てくれる, and ~てもらう add when attached to a verb?

    They add the benefactive sense of doing a favor. ~てあげる: do something for someone. ~てくれる: someone does something for me. ~てもらう: I have/get someone do something for me (I benefit).

16. What is the volitional form (e.g., 行こう, 食べよう) and one of its uses beyond "let's"?

    The volitional expresses "let's do" or one's own intention. う-verbs: -u→-ou (行く→行こう). る-verbs: drop る+よう (食べる→食べよう). Beyond "let's," ~と思う (行こうと思う) expresses "I'm thinking of doing / intend to."

17. What does the pattern ~ようとする express?

    It expresses an attempt or being on the verge of doing something. Example: 出かけようとしたとき、電話が鳴った ("just as I was about to go out, the phone rang"). Formed with volitional + とする.

18. Explain the difference between ~ている and ~てある in describing states.

    ~ている: ongoing action or resultant state (窓が開いている – window is open, intransitive). ~てある: a state resulting from an intentional action (窓が開けてある – window has been [deliberately] opened, transitive). ~てある implies someone did it on purpose.

19. What does the expression ~はずだ mean, and how does it differ from ~べきだ?

    ~はずだ = "it should/ought to be (the case)" — logical expectation/certainty. ~べきだ = "should/ought to (do)" — obligation/moral duty. はず is about expectation, べき is about duty.

20. What nuance does ~わけだ / ~わけではない carry?

    ~わけだ expresses a natural conclusion drawn from context ("that's why / no wonder"). ~わけではない means "it doesn't necessarily mean that / it's not that" — a partial negation. わけ conveys reasoning or logical consequence.

21. Distinguish ~そうだ (hearsay) from ~そうだ (appearance/conjecture) by their attachment.

    Hearsay: attaches to plain form (雨が降るそうだ – "I hear it will rain"). Appearance: attaches to verb stem/adjective stem (雨が降りそうだ – "it looks like it will rain"; 美味しそう – "looks tasty"). Attachment rule distinguishes them.

22. Compare the evidential markers ~らしい, ~ようだ, and ~みたいだ.

    ~らしい: hearsay/reasonable inference from external info ("seems, apparently"). ~ようだ: inference from direct/personal evidence, more formal ("appears"). ~みたいだ: same as ようだ but colloquial. らしい is more secondhand; ようだ/みたい are firsthand-based.

23. What does the pattern ~ば～ほど express? Give an example.

    It expresses "the more X, the more Y." Example: 練習すればするほど上手になる ("the more you practice, the better you get"). Structure: conditional ば-form + dictionary form + ほど.

24. What is the meaning and structure of ~ながら as a clause connector?

    Verb-stem + ながら expresses two simultaneous actions by the same subject ("while doing"). Example: 音楽を聞きながら勉強する ("study while listening to music"). It can also mean "although" (残念ながら – regrettably).

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