Hey guys, welcome to today.s online Japanese lesson on ので。We are really excited to be teaching such a fundamental lesson for you lovely people this time and we know it’s going to be super beneficial. We will be splitting down today’s lesson into the following segments.
- What is the meaning of ので and how is it different from から？
- How do i use ので in a sentence?
- Example sentences using ので
- Mastering ので with a simple yet effective technique
- A short summary of ので
Following this really easy to understand structure should help ensure that you learn ので in the most effective way possible. So grab your coffee and notebook and let’s jump right into today’s fundamental Japanese lesson.
Contents
What is the meaning of ので and how is it different from から？
We look at the meaning of the work ので and how not to confuse it with the similar phrase “から”
In Japanese ので can be translated into because. Now if you have ever studied から before you might be thinking, hang on, doesn’t から also mean because too? Well if you are thinking that, you are right, they both mean because. There is however a slight difference between the meaning of each because that we are going to go over now.
In Japanese ので is firstly seen as a bit more polite than から for expressing “because”. The second is that while から is used for the reason or cause of the speakers doing, ので is used to reason when the situation is out of there control.
For example:
If you were at work and wanted to tell your family that you were busy and couldn’t see them. You would use “Node” as the situation of being at work is out of your hands. If you used から in that situation it would be seen as more selfish and a little rude.
Let’s now look at how to create sentences with ので and the structure behind it all.
How do i use ので in a sentence?
Let’s look at the grammar behind ので so you can start building sentences.
Depending on what comes before ので the way you use it is slightly different so please refer to the table below.
| Verb | ＋ので after plain form verb | たべるTaberu | たべるのでTaberu Node |
| Na Adjective | +Na な ＋ので | かんたんKantan | かんたんなのでKantan na node |
| I Adjective | ＋ので | むずかしいMuzukashii | むずかしいのでMuzukashii na node |
| Noun | +Na な ＋ので | きょうKyou | きょうなのでKyou na node |
Now, when using ので with verbs you can also conjugate the very before ので to come up with different meanings like so:
| たべるので | Taberu Node | Because i will eat |
| たべないので | Tabenai Node | Because i didn’t eat |
| たべたので | Tabeta Node | Because i ate |
| たべたいので | Tabetai Node | Because i want to eat |
In english we would fist state the conclusion and then the reason in this type of sentence, for example:
Im studying because i want to graduate
Conclusion reason
In Japanese when using ので this is swapped around so the reason is at the beginning of the sentence and the conclusion is at the end.
卒業したいので勉強しています
Sotsyugyou shitai node benkyou shite imasu
Because i want to graduate, Im studying
Reason Conclusion
This is a great way for you to remember how to use today;s grammar but it will feel very unnatural at first. You must create as many example sentences as you possibly can to allow the pattern to become more familiar.
Let’s now look at some great example sentences for you to get stuck into.
Example sentences using ので
Learning through example sentences
Here are some great example sentences for you to have a look at. Pay close attention to the fact that most of the reasons within these sentences are out of the speakers control and thus ので is used rather than から.
ちょっとあついので、まどをあけてもいいですか。
chotto atsui node, mado o aketemo ii desu ka.
It's a bit hot, so is it ok to open the window?
あたまがいたいので、くすりをください。
atama ga itai no de, kusuri o kudasai.
I have a headache, so please give me some medicine.
あめがふっていたので、たいかいがちゅうしになりました。
ame ga futteita node, taikai ga chuushi ni narimashita.
Because of the rain, the tournament was cancelled.
As you can see mastering the ので form is going to be a really effective piece of grammar to further your Japanese ability.
We are now going to look at a really cool technique to help you master this unfamiliar pattern.
Mastering ので with a simple yet effective technique
Putting the lesson into practice
You are going to want to get much more familiar with the whole reason / conclusion pattern. As this is the opposite way round in english it is going to take a small amount of training to make the switch naturally. This means you are going to need to write as many example sentences as you can.
Make sure that you are always checking back to see if you have the reason first and then the conclusion as this will be the key to success with this grammar point.
If you do this over the next 3 days you will have it locked in in no time.
A short summary of ので
Let’s review
- Remember that ので is used to explain a reason that is out of your control and is more polite than から
- Depending on what comes before ので the grammar will be slightly different.
- The reason comes first in Japanese and then the conclusion.
- Remember to employ today’s technique to hammer down on the new pattern that won’t be too natural in English.
There we have it guys, we really hope that you have enjoyed today’s online Japanese lesson from Bondlingo and took a lot of vital new info away from us today. If you have any comments or suggestions as to what you would like to see next please let us know.
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