Japanese Grammar: ～そうもない / ～そうにない (Very Unlikely to…)

By /
Japanese Grammar: ～そうもない / ～そうにない (Very Unlikely to…)
Meaning & Usage

✨ Basic Meaning

‘Very unlikely to happen’ or ‘No sign of happening.’

🎯 Primary Function

To express a subjective judgment that an event is extremely unlikely to occur based on external appearances.

📋 Grammar Structure

Verb (Masu-stem) + そうもない / そうにない
Not applicable. (Rarely used with I-adjectives).
Not applicable. (Rarely used with Na-adjectives).
Not applicable. (This is already a negative structure).

🎭 Usage Contexts

🏢 Formal Situations

Used in business reports or formal speech when discussing outlooks and possibilities.

😊 Informal Situations

Commonly used to express personal doubt or fatigue regarding a situation.

✍️ Written Language

Used in novels and essays to describe a bleak or unchanging atmosphere.

🗣️ Spoken Language

Highly common in daily speech to vent frustration about things not progressing.

💡 Common Applications

Expressing low probability
Used when you feel that something is nearly impossible based on the current situation.
Example: できそうにない (Doesn’t look like I can do it)
Predicting weather or natural phenomena
Often used for rain or snow when the conditions don’t change.
Example: やみそうにない (Doesn’t look like it will stop)
Social/Work expectations
Used to describe deadlines or tasks that seem endless.
Example: 終わりそうもない (No sign of finishing)
📊
Frequency
Frequent in both daily conversation and writing.
🎚️
Difficulty
JLPT N3 (Intermediate)
Tag:

Related Kanji

JLPT N3 Kanji List

Related Vocabulary

JLPT N3 Vocabulary List
Example Sentences
Example #1
この仕事は今日中に終わりそうもない。
Furigana: このしごとはきょうじゅうにおわりそうもない。
Romaji: Kono shigoto wa kyoujuu ni owarisou mo nai.
English: It doesn’t look like this work will be finished within today.
Example #2
雨はやみそうにない。
Furigana: あめはやみそうにない。
Romaji: Ame wa yamisou ni nai.
English: The rain shows no signs of stopping.
Example #3
彼は私の話を聞いてくれそうもない。
Furigana: かれはわたしのはなしをきいてくれそうもない。
Romaji: Kare wa watashi no hanashi o kiite kuresou mo nai.
English: It doesn’t seem like he is willing to listen to what I have to say.
Example #4
宝くじなんて当たりそうにない。
Furigana: たからくじなんてあたりそうにない。
Romaji: Takarakuji nante atarisou ni nai.
English: There is no way I’m going to win the lottery.
Example #5
そんな高いもの、買えそうにない。
Furigana: そんなたかいもの、かえそうにない。
Romaji: Sonna takai mono, kaesou ni nai.
English: I don’t think I can afford to buy such an expensive thing.
Example #6
景気はすぐには回復しそうもない。
Furigana: けいきはすぐにはかいふくしそうもない。
Romaji: Keiki wa sugu ni wa kaifukushisou mo nai.
English: It doesn’t look like the economy will recover anytime soon.
Example #7
このブームはまだ終わりそうにない。
Furigana: このブームはまだおわりそうにない。
Romaji: Kono buumu wa mada owarisou ni nai.
English: It seems this trend isn’t going to end yet.
Example #8
その試験には合格できそうもない。
Furigana: そのしけんにはごうかくできそうもない。
Romaji: Sono shiken ni wa goukakudesou mo nai.
English: It doesn’t feel like I’ll be able to pass that exam.
Example #9
犯人はまだ捕まりそうにない。
Furigana: はんにんはまだつかまりそうにない。
Romaji: Hannin wa mada tsukama risou ni nai.
English: It doesn’t look like the criminal will be caught yet.
Example #10
彼女の怒りはしばらく解けそうもない。
Furigana: かのじょのいかりはしばらくとけそうもない。
Romaji: Kanojo no ikari wa shibaraku tokesou mo nai.
English: It doesn’t seem like her anger will subside for a while.
Notes & Nuances

📌 Important Points

Emphasis with ‘mo’
‘Mo’ adds emphasis, suggesting ‘not even a chance’ or ‘absolutely no sign’.
Example: できそうもない (Deki-sou mo nai)
Subjective judgment based on appearance
The speaker is judging based on what they see right now (e.g., looking at the dark sky).
Example: 雨はやみそうにない。

⚠️ Common Mistakes

❌ 終わるそうにない (Owaru-sou ni nai)
✅ 終わりそうにない (Owari-sou ni nai)
You must use the Masu-stem, not the dictionary form.
❌ できそうない (Deki-sou nai)
✅ できそうにない (Deki-sou ni nai)
The particle ‘ni’ or ‘mo’ must be placed between ‘sou’ and ‘nai’.

🏛️ Cultural Context

Politeness Level: Neutral-polite. It can be made more polite by changing ‘nai’ to ‘arimasen’ (e.g., sou ni arimasen).
Social Situations: Used when managing expectations (e.g., telling a boss a task won’t be finished).
Regional Variations: Standard Japanese. No significant regional variations.

🔍 Subtle Differences

～そうにない vs ～そうもない
‘Mo’ is more emphatic and indicates a stronger feeling of impossibility than ‘ni’.
When to use: Use ‘mo’ when you want to emphasize that something is completely out of the question.
～そうにない vs ～ないだろう
‘Sou ni nai’ is based on visual/situational evidence; ‘nai darou’ is a general guess.
When to use: Use ‘sou ni nai’ when you are looking at the situation directly.

📝 Conjugation Notes

Always attach to the Masu-stem of the verb. If using potential forms, use the stem of the potential verb (e.g., dekiru -> deki).

🔊 Pronunciation Tips

Focus on the slight pause or emphasis on the ‘mo’ or ‘ni’ to convey your level of certainty.

🧠 Memory Tips

Think of ‘Sou’ as ‘Appearance/Look’ and ‘Nai’ as ‘No’. So it literally means ‘The appearance of [verb] is not there’. The ‘ni’ or ‘mo’ acts as a bridge.

Other Grammar

Related Posts

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Scroll to Top