[verb (short past or negative)] + ほうがいいです
〜ほうがいいです
JLPT N5Structure
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Basic Structure
Grammar Details
Explanation
🧱 What does it mean?
Use ～ほうがいいです to give advice or recommendations, just like:
- It’s best not to…
- You’d better…
- It’s better to…
🔧 Structure:
| Form | Meaning |
|---|---|
| [Verb affirmative (short, past)] + ほうがいいです | You should / had better…, It’s better to do… |
| [Verb negative (short, present)] + ほうがいいです | You should not…, It’s better not to do… |
✅ Affirmative advice → use past tense
✅ Negative advice → use present negative
📝 Notes & Real-Life Tips
- Using 〜ほうがいい is a gentle way to give advice, but tone matters. To soften it even more:
- Add と思います (I think…)
- Use 〜かもしれません (maybe you should…)
- Don’t confuse this with suggestions for yourself — it’s generally used to advise others, though casual self-reminders are okay.
- You must use the past tense for affirmative advice even though it’s talking about the future. This is a quirk of the expression.
💬 Conversation Example:
A: 最近、体の調子が悪いんです。
(Lately, I’ve not been feeling well.)
B: もっと休んだほうがいいですよ。
(You’d better get more rest.)
Examples
早く寝たほうがいいですよ。
You’d better go to bed early.
彼と話したほうがいいと思います。
I think you should talk to him.
その問題は先生に聞いたほうがいいよ。
You’d better ask the teacher about that problem.
甘いものを食べすぎないほうがいいですよ。
It’s better not to eat too many sweets.
あの映画は見ないほうがいいよ。
You’d better not watch that movie (it’s not good).
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