LEARN + JAPANESE / Note 104 JLPT N5
Better To, Better Not To (ほうがいい)
ほうがいい attaches after a verb’s plain past た-form for a recommendation, “it’d be better to,” or after the plain negative ない-form for the opposite, “it’d be better not to.”
You'd better rest a little.
You'd better not work until late.
In Real Life
The positive form always uses the past た-form, even though the advice is about the future, 休んだほうがいい, never 休むほうがいい. The negative form uses the plain ない-form as normal, しないほうがいい, no past tense involved there.
I think it'd be better to cook for yourself as much as possible.
I think it'd be better not to eat late at night.
In Real Life
と思います softens ほうがいい even further, turning a recommendation into “I think it’d be better,” which reads as a personal opinion rather than a directive, useful whenever you’re giving advice to someone you don’t want to sound bossy toward.
Vocabulary
| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| to apologize | |
| to worry | |
| cold things | |
| as much as possible | |
| elevator | |
| sugar | |
| to throw away | |
| to call, summon | |
| to teach, tell | |
| advice | |
| to suggest | |
| to choose | |
| to overdo it, push oneself too hard | |
| to calm down | |
| healthy | |
| habit | |
| to reconsider | |
| to improve | |
| to see how things go | |
| without hesitation |