JLPT-N2 Grammar げ(ge)

JLPT-N2

上野(うえの)に厳(きび)しな顔(かお)をした男(おとこ)の人(ひと)がいました。

  • There was a man with a stern face in Ueno.

 

How to use げ?

 

Used : 

  • to seem like
  • to describe the attitude, feeling, impression and appearance of the animal, including humans
  • Rather literary expression

 

Attached to : 

  • i-adjective : 厳(きび)しい – 厳(きび)し / seemingly stern
  • na-adjective :  得意(とくい) – 得意(とくい) /  seeming good at

*げ is na-adjective

 

Exception : 

  • よい – よさ/ seemingly good
  • ない – なさ/ seemingly nothing
  • ある – あり/ seemingly have

 

Attention ;

  • げ can be replaced by そう but only when そう is used for animal’s emotion

ok : 楽(たの)しそうな顔(かお) – 楽(たの)しげな顔(かお) / seemingly happy face

not ok : おいしそうなケーキ – おいしげなケーキ / seemingly delicious cake

 

Examples

 

子(こ)どもが不安(ふあん)な顔(かお)をして親(おや)を見(み)ていた。

Children were looking at their parents with anxious faces.

 

怪(あや)しな人(ひと)が近所(きんじょ)を歩(ある)いていた。

A suspicious person was walking in the neighbourhood.

 

引(ひ)っ越(こ)すのによさな家(いえ)を見(み)つけたい。

I need to find a  house seemingly nice to move into.

 

高級(こうきゅう)なお店(みせ)に、お金(かね)がなさな人(ひと)が来(き)ていた。

Someone came to an upmarket shop who didn’t seem to have a lot of money.

 

何(なに)か言(い)いたいことがありですね。

You seem to have something to say.

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