Let’s learn Japanese with Mei Misaki’s quote from Another.
CONTENTS
Video
Mei Misaki’s Quote
Japanese: 気をつけたほうがいいよ。もう始まってるかもしれない。
Romaji: kiotsuketa hō ga ii yo. mō hajimatteru kamoshirenai.
English: You’d better be careful. It may have already begun.
Analysis
気をつけたほうがいいよ
A verb ta-form followed by ほうがいい means “had better” or “should do something” used when making suggestions or giving advise. 気をつけた is the ta-form of 気をつける meaning “watch out” or “be careful” so 気をつけたほうがいい means “You’d better be careful”.
The sentence ending particle よ is used when telling something the speaker thinks the listener should know so it’s often used when giving advice.
もう始まってるかもしれない
もう means “already”.
始まってる is the shortened form of 始まっている. A verb te-form followed by いる often used with もう means “have already done”. It’s used when actions have already been done before a specific point in time. So in this case with もう始まってる the action “始まる” has been done before the moment they start talking which is the present. So もう始まってる means “it has already begun”.
かもしれない means “may” or “might”.
Examples
Verb Ta-Form + ほうがいい (had better, should)
冷めるから、今食べたほうがいいよ。
sameru kara, ima tabeta hō ga ii yo.
It’s going to get cold so you’d better eat now.
いじめられたこと、先生に言ったほうがいいと思うよ。
ijimerareta koto, sensei ni itta hō ga ii to omou yo.
I think you should tell the teacher about being bullied.
クーラーをつけるより、窓を開けたほうがいいよ。
kūrā o tsukeru yori, mado o aketa hō ga ii yo.
You should open the window rather than turning on the air conditioning.
- Verb nai-form + ほうがいい means “had better not” or “should not”
台風の時は、外に出ないほうがいいよ。
taifū no toki wa, soto ni denai hō ga ii yo.
During a typhoon, you shouldn’t go out.
- Verb dictionary-form + ほうがいい can also be used when simply comparing actions without giving advice.
家にいるより外で遊ぶほうがいい。
ie ni iru yori soto de asobu hō ga ii.
I’d rather play outside than staying home.
もう + Verb Te-Form + いる (have already done)
家に着く頃にはもう暗くなっているだろう。
ie ni tsuku koro niwa mō kuraku natte iru darō.
By the time I get home, it will be already dark.
私が着いたとき、彼はもう亡くなっていた。
watashi ga tsuita toki, kare wa mō nakunatte ita.
When I arrived, he had already passed away.
いただきますと言う前に、子供達はもう食べ始めていた。
itadakimasu to iu mae ni, kodomotachi wa mō tabehajimete ita.
Before saying “itadakimasu”, the kids had already started eating.
Plain Form + かもしれない (may, might)
verb + かもしれない
渋滞しているから遅れるかもしれない。
jūtai shiteiru kara okureru kamoshirenai.
The traffic is busy so I might be late.
i-adjective + かもしれない
醤油入れすぎちゃった。ちょっとしょっぱいかもしれない。
shōyu iresugi chatta. chotto shoppai kamoshirenai.
I accidentally put in too much soy sauce. It might be a little salty.
na-adjective + かもしれない
ストレスでお腹を壊したの？意外と繊細かもしれないね。
sutoresu de onaka o kowashita no? igai to sensai kamoshirenai ne.
You got an upset stomach because of stress? You may be more sensitive than I thought.
noun + かもしれない
最近体調が悪い。五月病かもしれない。
saikin taichō ga warui. gogatsu-byō kamoshirenai.
I’ve been feeling sick recently. It might be a May sickness.
*五月病 (May sickness) – depression that often occurs among freshmen or new employees after the long holiday in May.
In casual speech, しれない is often omitted.
やばい、ちょっと太ったかも。
yabai, chotto futotta kamo.
Oh no, I might have gained a bit of weight.
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