Describing impressions

1. Vocabulary List

2. Grammar & Sentences

Expressing Impressions (〜そう): Used to describe how someone else appears to be feeling based on their outward appearance.

Conjugation Rule (i-adjectives): Remove the final 〜い and add 〜そうです.

• うれしい → うれしそうです (Looks glad)
• さびしい → さびしそうです (Looks lonely)

Past Tense Impressions: Change です to でした.

• Example: れんさんは今日さびしそうでした。(Ren-san wa kyou sabishi sou deshita.) — "Ren looked lonely today."

3. Learning Context

• Observation vs. Direct Feeling: Unlike previous lessons, you are now describing the feelings of others using visual cues rather than your own internal state.
• Nuance: In Japanese, you generally avoid saying "彼は悲しいです" (He is sad) because you cannot truly know someone else's heart — 〜そう is used instead to mean "He looks sad."
• Performance: Achieved 94% (+15 Stars) on this Busuu activity.

4. Progress Tracker