JLPT N4 Grammar: そうになる – To Become Likely to Do / Almost Do

📘 Meaning & Usage

そうになる is used to express that something is about to happen or is on the verge of happening. It implies that a certain situation or action is about to occur, but hasn’t quite reached the point yet.

This construction is commonly used in the following situations:

1. Indicating an action that is about to happen: “I almost…”
2. Expressing a change in state, often in relation to a condition or behavior.

Structure:

• Verb (dictionary form) + そうになる

In this structure, the verb in its dictionary form (root form) is followed by そうになる, which adds the meaning of “almost” or “nearly” in relation to the action. This can describe actions or events that were very close to happening, but not quite.

💡 Example Sentences

• 忘れそうになった。
  I almost forgot.
• 寝そうになったが、テレビを見ていた。
  I almost fell asleep, but I was watching TV.
• 事故にあいそうになった。
  I almost got into an accident.
• 帰りそうになったけど、まだ仕事が終わっていない。
  I almost went home, but my work isn’t finished yet.

📝 Grammar Notes

• そうになる often expresses that the action was almost completed but for some reason did not fully happen. It emphasizes the closeness to completion or change.
• The structure is commonly used when describing actions that were on the verge of happening, especially when they are unexpected or unintentional.
• Be cautious about using this construction with verbs that indicate things that don’t involve physical actions or reactions (like “understand” or “think”).
• Similar expressions: そうになる can be contrasted with ようになる, which expresses a change to a habitual or ongoing state, rather than a near-action.

📝 Practice Exercises

1. Fill in the blanks with そうになる

1. 私は もうすぐ ________。
2. 友達と話していて、寝 ________。
3. 急いで歩いていたので、転び ________。

✔ Sample Answers:

• 私は もうすぐ 忘れそうになった。
• 友達と話していて、寝そうになった。
• 急いで歩いていたので、転びそうになった。

2. Translate into Japanese

1. I almost missed the train.
2. He almost cried.
3. We almost ran out of gas.

✔ Sample Answers:

• 電車を乗り遅れそうになった。
• 彼は泣きそうになった。
• ガソリンが切れそうになった。

📚 Vocabulary List

• 忘れる（わすれる） – to forget
• 寝る（ねる） – to sleep
• 事故（じこ） – accident
• 帰る（かえる） – to go home
• 急ぐ（いそぐ） – to hurry
• 転ぶ（ころぶ） – to fall
• ガソリン – gasoline

🈷 Kanji List

• 忘（わす） – forget
• 寝（ね） – sleep
• 事故（じこ） – accident
• 急（いそ） – hurry
• 転（ころ） – fall

🔗 Related Grammar

• 〜ようになる – to change into a state of being able to do something (shows change)
• 〜ことになる – to be decided, to end up (shows result)
• 〜そうだ – it looks like, hearsay (can describe outward appearance or reported speech)

🧠 Summary

• Meaning: To become likely to do / almost do (describes a state close to completion)
• Usage: Describes actions or situations that were about to happen but didn’t
• Level: JLPT N4