Lesson 26
Base 3 + hou ga ii
This one is used for "should do," "had better do," "would rather do." Actually, the hou means "way" or "method," and ii means "good" or "better," so when you use hou ga ii you are literally saying "...way is good/better."
Examples:
- Kanojo ni denwa suru hou ga ii. (I/we should call her.)
- Watashitachi wa sukoshi yasumu hou ga ii. (We had better rest a little.)
- Anata wa motto nihongo o benkyou suru hou ga ii. (You should study Japanese more.)
Hou ga ii is especially fitting when expressing a preferred choice or method:
- Kyou densha de iku hou ga ii. (It would be better to go by train today.)
- Raishuu suru hou ga ii. (It would be better to do it next week.)
- Ato de taberu hou ga ii. (It would be better to eat later.)
When showing personal preference, you can skip the verb and use hou ga ii right after a noun with no:
- Yakiniku no hou ga ii. (I'd rather have a barbeque.)
- Inu no hou ga ii. (I'd rather get a dog.)
- Hawaii no hou ga ii. (I'd rather go to Hawaii.)
As with most verb endings, and according to the grammar books, desu can be added to hou ga ii to make it more polite, but, frankly, I have yet to actually hear hou ga ii desu in daily conversation. When you hear it, the sentence will usually end with hou ga ii, which makes it easier to catch than many other endings.
If there is any confusion between hou ga ii and hazu, which was covered in the last lesson, just remember that hou ga ii is generally active: should do, prefer; while hazu is more passive: should be, should happen.
Word Check
kanojo: she, her
denwa suru: to call (someone) on a telephone
sukoshi: a little
yasumu: to rest
motto: more
nihongo: the Japanese language
benkyou suru: to study
kyou: today
densha: train
suru: to do
ato de: later
taberu: to eat
yakiniku: Japanese-style grilled meat and vegetables
inu: dog
(Verbs are shown in their plain form.)
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