Posted inN3 Grammar

Mastering V-masu stem + かける: The “Just About To” Grammar in Japanese (JLPT N3)

Posted inN3 Grammar
Japanese Grammar Template
Meaning & Usage

✨ Basic Meaning

V-masu stem + かける indicates that an action has started but is not completed. It conveys being “on the verge of,” “just about to,” or “in the middle of” doing something, often with the implication that the action was interrupted or left unfinished.

🎯 Primary Function

To express an action that is incomplete or only partially done.

📋 Grammar Structure

動詞のマス形 + かける Verb (masu stem) + かける Example: 読む (よむ) -> 読みます (よみます) -> 読み (よみ) + かける -> 読みかける (よみかける)

🎭 Usage Contexts

🏢 Formal Situations

Can be used, but slightly less common than in informal settings. The tone is often reportive or descriptive.

😊 Informal Situations

Very common to describe everyday actions that were interrupted or left unfinished.

✍️ Written Language

Found in descriptive writing, novels, articles to convey incomplete actions or states.

🗣️ Spoken Language

Widely used in daily conversation.

💡 Common Applications

Describing food partially eaten
Used with the masu stem of 食べる (taberu) to indicate food that has been started but not finished.
Example: 食べかけのケーキ (tabekake no keeki) – a half-eaten cake
Describing reading an unfinished book
Used with the masu stem of 読む (yomu) to describe a book that is being read but is not yet complete.
Example: 読みかけの本 (yomikake no hon) – a half-read book
Describing being on the verge of saying something
Used with the masu stem of 言う (iu) when someone starts to speak but is interrupted or stops.
Example: 言いかけたけどやめた (iikaketa kedo yameta) – I started to say it, but stopped.
📊
Frequency
Moderately frequent, especially the V-masu stem + かける form.
🎚️
Difficulty
Intermediate (N3). Understanding the nuances of incomplete action is key.
Example Sentences
昨日買った本を読みかけたけど、眠くて途中でやめた。
I started reading the book I bought yesterday, but I got sleepy and stopped halfway through.
彼は何か言いかけたが、結局何も言わなかった。
He started to say something, but in the end, he didn’t say anything.
食べかけのケーキがテーブルの上に置いてあるよ。
There’s a half-eaten cake left on the table.
Notes & Nuances

📌 Important Points

It implies the action is incomplete.
The action was started, but it did not reach completion. It’s not about the start *itself* (like 始める), but the state of being partially done or on the verge of completion.
Example: 本を読み始めた (Hon o yomihajimeta) – I started reading the book (focus on the start). 本を読みかけた (Hon o yomikaketa) – I started reading the book *but didn’t finish* (focus on the incompleteness).
Can be used as a noun (V-masu stem + かけ)
Often, the V-masu stem + かけ form acts as a noun or modifies a noun, referring to the state of being partially done.
Example: 飲みかけのコーヒー (nomikake no koohii) – a half-drunk coffee やりかけの仕事 (yarikake no shigoto) – unfinished work

⚠️ Common Mistakes

❌ Using かける for actions that were completed quickly after starting.
✅ かける implies the action was interrupted or explicitly left unfinished. For actions that just started and finished, other expressions might be better.
The nuance is “incomplete,” not just “beginning.”
❌ undefined
✅ undefined
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🏛️ Cultural Context

Politeness Level: Neutral. It describes a state or action.
Social Situations: Used widely in casual conversation.
Regional Variations: Standard usage across Japan.

🔍 Subtle Differences

V-masu stem + 始める vs. V-masu stem + かける
始める focuses on the *start* of the action. かける focuses on the state of being *partially done* or *interrupted*.
When to use: Use 始める when you want to emphasize the beginning. Use かける when you want to emphasize that the action is not finished, or was interrupted shortly after starting.
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📝 Conjugation Notes

Attaches to the *masu stem* of the verb.

🔊 Pronunciation Tips

かける (kakeru) is pronounced with the standard stress on the first syllable (か).

🧠 Memory Tips

Think of the verb 掛ける (かける) meaning “to hang” or “to apply”. The action is “hanging” or “applied” but not fully settled or finished.

Practice Exercises
Translate: “The student was about to ask a question, but hesitated.”
A) 学生は質問を終えたが、ためらった。
B) 学生は質問を始めかけたが、ためらった。
C) 学生は質問を言いかけたが、ためらった。
D) 学生は質問を終わらせたが、ためらった。
Fill in the blank: テーブルの上に（＿＿＿＿）ジュースが置いてある。
A) 飲んだ
B) 飲みかけの
C) 飲む
D) 飲み終わった
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