Meaning & Usage
✨ Basic Meaning
Indicates that something was very close to happening or is very close to being completed/occurring.
🎯 Primary Function
To express the state of being “almost” or “nearly” at a certain point, often highlighting a narrow margin or imminence.
📋 Grammar Structure
もう少しで + [Predicate (Verb, Adjective, Noun + だ/です)]
🎭 Usage Contexts
Formal Situations
Can be used, but the surrounding sentence structure may become more formal.
Informal Situations
Very common in daily conversation.
Written Language
Used in narratives, diaries, and informal writing.
Spoken Language
Highly frequent in spoken Japanese.
💡 Common Applications
Expressing a “near miss” or narrowly avoided negative event.
Used to describe situations where a negative outcome was very close to happening but ultimately didn’t, often followed by a predicate like 「〜ところだった」.
Example: もう少しで遅刻するところだった。 (I almost came late.)
Indicating something is on the verge of completion or occurrence.
Used to describe a state where an event or task is very close to being finished or about to start/happen.
Example: レポートはもう少しで完成します。 (The report will be finished very soon / is almost complete.)
Describing a situation where something nearly reached a certain state or capacity.
Used for things like places becoming full, reaching a limit, etc.
Example: 会議室はもう少しで満員になりそうだった。 (The conference room was almost full.)
Frequency
High in spoken Japanese, moderate in written forms.
Difficulty
Medium (Understanding the nuance and common pairings like ところだった).
Example Sentences
急いでいたので、もう少しで電車に乗り遅れるところだった。
Because I was in a hurry, I almost missed the train.
危なかった！もう少しで車にぶつかるところだったよ。
That was dangerous! I almost hit the car.
彼女の誕生日プレゼント、もう少しで買い忘れるところでした。
I almost forgot to buy her birthday present.
Notes & Nuances
📌 Important Points
Frequent pairing with 〜ところだった
When talking about a past event that was very close to happening but did not, 「もう少しで〜ところだった」 is a very common and natural structure.
Example: もう少しで間に合わないところだった。 (I almost didn’t make it on time.)
Followed by various predicates
Can precede verbs (in various tenses/forms), adjectives, or even nouns/states.
Example: もう少しで完成 (noun/state), もう少しで終わる (verb), もう少しで暖かくなる (adjective).
⚠️ Common Mistakes
❌ Using it for things that are not close to happening.
✅ Use it only when the event/state is truly imminent or was narrowly avoided.
「明日、もう少しで旅行に行きます」 is unnatural if the trip is definitely happening tomorrow; use 「明日、旅行に行きます」. 「もう少しで」 implies a degree of uncertainty or proximity.
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🏛️ Cultural Context
Politeness Level: Neutral. The politeness is determined by the verb ending and other surrounding language.
Social Situations: Used widely in everyday conversation when sharing experiences or describing current situations.
Regional Variations: Standard Japanese. No significant regional variations in meaning or structure.
🔍 Subtle Differences
もう少しで vs. あとちょっとで
Both mean “almost,” but 「あとちょっとで」 emphasizes the small remaining quantity/time/distance, while 「もう少しで」 emphasizes the state of being close to the threshold or event.
When to use: Often interchangeable, but 「あとちょっとで」 might feel slightly more concrete when referring to physical distance or quantity. 「もう少しで」 is more general and frequently used with abstract states or events.
もう少しで vs. そうだ
「そうだ」 (looks like/seems like) is based on external appearance or inference. 「もう少しで」 is about the actual proximity to the event/state.
When to use: They can be used together (e.g., もう少しで満員になりそうだ). Use 「そうだ」 when inferring from appearance; use 「もう少しで」 to state the proximity regardless of appearance.
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📝 Conjugation Notes
「もう少しで」 itself does not conjugate. The predicate following it conjugates according to tense, form, etc.
🔊 Pronunciation Tips
Pronounced “mou sukoshi de”. Pay attention to the pitch accent on すこし.
🧠 Memory Tips
Break it down: もう (more) + 少し (a little) + で (at/with). Think “with just a little bit more [effort/time/distance], it will happen/it almost happened.” Visualize a finish line that is only “a little bit more” away.
Vocabulary List
電車
densha
train
乗り遅れる
noriokureru
to miss (a train, etc.)
急ぐ
isogu
to hurry
危ない
abunai
dangerous
ぶつかる
butsukaru
to hit, to collide
誕生日
tanjoubi
birthday
プレゼント
present, gift
Kanji List
少し
すこし
a little
電車
でんしゃ
train
乗
の
to ride
遅
おく
late
急
いそ
to hurry
危
あぶ
dangerous
車
くるま
car
誕生日
たんじょうび
birthday
買
か
to buy
忘
わす
to forget
完成
かんせい
completion
Practice Exercises
雨が降り出し、＿＿＿濡れるところだった。
A. もう少しで
B. あまりにも
C. たぶん
D. ちょうど
このプロジェクトは＿＿＿完成だ。
A. いつか
B. もう少しで
C. めったに
D. もしも
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