Meaning & Usage
✨ Basic Meaning
ものだ is a versatile grammatical pattern attached to verbs and adjectives to express various nuances, including general truths, strong recollection, emotion, and gentle advice/suggestion.
🎯 Primary Function
To express what is considered natural, common, or expected (general truth/norm); to express strong feelings or recollections of the past; to offer gentle advice or express strong emotion.
📋 Grammar Structure
Plain form of verb + ものだ / ものではない
い-adjective plain form + ものだ / ものではない
な-adjective plain form + なものだ / なものではない
Noun + なものだ / なものではない Past tense (for recollection): Verb た-form + ものだ
🎭 Usage Contexts
Formal Situations
Can be used in slightly formal contexts, especially when expressing general truths or norms.
Informal Situations
Commonly used in informal conversation, especially for expressing recollection, emotion, and softer advice.
Written Language
Used in essays, articles, and formal writing to express general truths or add emotional depth.
Spoken Language
Very common in everyday conversation across its various meanings.
💡 Common Applications
Expressing General Truths, Norms, or Common Sense
Used to state something that is widely accepted as true, a common behavior, or a natural state of affairs. It implies “it is natural that…” or “it is common that…”.
Example: 人は誰でも年を取るものだ。(It is natural for everyone to grow old.)
Expressing Strong Recollection or Nostalgia (たものだ)
Used with the past tense (たものだ) to express a strong memory or nostalgic feeling about something that was a regular occurrence or state in the past.
Example: 学生の頃はよく図書館に行ったものだ。(When I was a student, I used to go to the library often [with nostalgia].)
Expressing Strong Feeling or Emotion
Used to express admiration, surprise, dismay, or other strong feelings about a situation or fact. Often used with exclamatory particles like ね, なあ, etc.
Example: 本当に月日が経つのは早いものだね。(Truly, how fast the days and months pass!)
Frequency
Fairly common, particularly in spoken Japanese and less formal writing.
Difficulty
Intermediate to Advanced (N2) due to its multiple meanings and nuances.
Example Sentences
若い時は無理がきくものだ。
It is natural that you can push yourself when you are young.
子供の頃は夏になると毎日川で泳いだものだ。
When I was a child, I used to swim in the river every day in the summer.
こんなに素晴らしい景色があるなんて、驚いたものだ。
How surprising it is that there is such a wonderful view here!
Notes & Nuances
📌 Important Points
Multiple Meanings
ものだ has several distinct uses: expressing general truth/norm, strong recollection (たものだ), strong emotion, and gentle advice. The meaning is determined by context and conjugation.
Example: ① 人は忘れるものだ。(General truth: People tend to forget.) ② 学生時代はよく遊んだものだ。(Recollection: I used to play a lot when I was a student.) ③ 君も大きくなったものだ。(Emotion: How big you’ve gotten!)
Conjugation with Adjectives and Nouns
Remember to add な before ものだ when attaching it to plain な-adjectives and nouns.
Example: 静かなものだ (It is quiet [general truth]), 便利なものだ (It is convenient [general truth]), 子供なものだ (He is a child [explaining a behavior based on being a child]).
⚠️ Common Mistakes
❌ Using simple た instead of たものだ for nostalgic recollection.
✅ Use Verb た + ものだ.
Simple た states a past fact. たものだ adds the nuance of strong, often nostalgic, recollection of a past habit or state.
❌ Forgetting な before ものだ with な-adjectives or nouns.
✅ Use な-adjective plain + なものだ or Noun + なものだ.
ものだ acts like a noun phrase, so な is required to connect it to a な-adjective or noun.
🏛️ Cultural Context
Politeness Level: Varies depending on usage. General truth/recollection can be neutral. Advice can sound slightly preachy or like a gentle reminder. Emotion is often informal.
Social Situations: Used widely in casual conversation. Advice usage is common when teaching younger people or gently correcting peers. General truths appear in various contexts, including formal discussions.
Regional Variations: Standard usage; no significant regional variations for the grammar pattern itself.
🔍 Subtle Differences
ものだ vs. べきだ
べきだ expresses a stronger sense of obligation or strong recommendation (“must do”, “should definitely do”). ものだ (advice) expresses a gentler suggestion or what is considered good practice (“should do”, “it is advisable to do”).
When to use: Use べきだ for strong obligation (e.g., laws, rules, moral imperatives). Use ものだ for softer advice based on general wisdom, common sense, or politeness.
ものだ (recollection) vs. Verb た
た simply states a past action/state. たものだ adds a nuance of strong, often nostalgic, recollection of a past *habit* or *repeated action/state*.
When to use: Use た for general past events. Use たものだ when you want to convey a feeling of nostalgia or vivid memory about past regular occurrences.
ものだ vs. ことだ
Both can express advice/recommendation. ことだ often suggests the *best* or *important* thing to do in a specific situation. ものだ suggests what is generally considered correct or common practice.
When to use: ことだ is often used for advice about what is essential or the best course of action (e.g., 「まずは医者に行くことだ」 – The first thing you should do is go to a doctor). ものだ is more about general norms or expected behavior.
📝 Conjugation Notes
Verb: Plain form + ものだ (present/future), た-form + ものだ (past/recollection) い-adjective: Plain form + ものだ な-adjective: Plain form + なものだ Noun: + なものだ
🔊 Pronunciation Tips
もの (mono) is pronounced like “mo-no”. だ (da) is pronounced like “da”. The entire phrase ものだ (monoda) is pronounced smoothly.
🧠 Memory Tips
Think of もの (mono) as representing “a thing,” “a fact,” or “the essence of something.” ものだ then means “it is the nature of things that…” or “it is a fact that…” This helps connect the pattern to expressing general truths and norms. For recollection (たものだ), link it to thinking back on “things (もの) that happened” in the past (た).
Vocabulary List
人間
ningen
human being
間違いを犯す
machigai o okasu
to make a mistake
子供の頃
kodomo no koro
childhood
公園
kouen
park
遊ぶ
asobu
to play
月日
tsukihi
days and months; time
経つ
to pass (of time)
Kanji List
人間
にんげん
human being
間違い
まちがい
mistake
犯す
おかす
to commit (a crime), to make (a mistake)
子供
こども
child
頃
ころ
time, when
公園
こうえん
park
遊ぶ
あそぶ
to play
月日
つきひ
days and months, time
経つ
たつ
to pass (of time)
周り
まわり
surroundings
人
ひと
person
Practice Exercises
Select the sentence using ものだ to express a general truth or norm.
A. 子供の頃、よくこの歌を歌ったものだ。
B. 人は皆、いつか死ぬものだ。
C. 君も随分変わったものだね。
D. 疲れた時は休むものだよ。
Which sentence uses たものだ to express nostalgic recollection?
A. 昔の電話は大きかったものだ。
B. そんなことをするものではない。
C. あの映画は本当に面白かったものだ。
D. 仕事の後にはビールを飲むものだ。
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