Chapter 10 — Additional Modality: べき, はず, つもり (Expanded)

This chapter covers three modality expressions that you first encountered in earlier stages but that require deeper treatment at the N3 level. べきだ ("ought to, should") expresses moral or logical obligation. はずだ ("should be, is expected to") expresses the speaker's confident expectation based on reasoning. つもり ("intend to") expresses the speaker's intention. All three have expanded forms and negative variants that appear frequently in N3-level reading and listening.

These expressions belong to the broader category of sentence-ending modality — the speaker's attitude toward the proposition. Together with the わけ, もの, and こと patterns from Chapters 7-9, they form the core toolkit for understanding how Japanese speakers frame their statements as obligations, expectations, intentions, conclusions, and truths.

10.1 べきだ — "Ought To, Should"

べきだ expresses a strong sense of obligation or moral duty. It is stronger than ほうがいい ("it would be better to"), stronger than ことだ (Chapter 9, advice based on experience), and roughly equivalent to the English "ought to" or "should" when used in a moral or principled sense.

Formation

Verb (dictionary form) + べきだ

The one exception is する, which can become either するべきだ or すべきだ. The contracted form すべきだ is more common in formal writing.

For nouns and な-adjectives, use であるべきだ: 教師は公平であるべきだ ("A teacher ought to be fair"). This form is common in formal writing and argument.

Examples

学生は　勉強すべきだ。 "Students ought to study."

自分の　意見は　はっきり　言うべきだ。 "You should state your opinion clearly."

この問題について、もっと　真剣に　考えるべきだ。 "We ought to think about this problem more seriously."

間違えたら、すぐに　謝るべきだ。 "If you make a mistake, you should apologize immediately."

環境問題に　ついて、もっと　知るべきだ。 "We should know more about environmental issues."

Negative: べきではない

The negative form べきではない expresses "should not" — moral or principled objection to an action.

そんなことを　言うべきではない。 "You shouldn't say things like that."

他人の　秘密を　勝手に　話すべきではない。 "You shouldn't share other people's secrets without permission."

まだ　諦めるべきではない。 "You shouldn't give up yet."

結果が　出る前に　判断すべきではない。 "You shouldn't judge before the results come in."

べきだ vs ほうがいい vs ことだ vs なければならない

Understanding where べきだ fits in the obligation spectrum is important:

野菜を　食べたほうがいい。 "You should eat vegetables." (Practical health advice)

野菜を　食べるべきだ。 "You ought to eat vegetables." (Principled — it's the right thing to do)

野菜を　食べなければならない。 "You must eat vegetables." (Rule or medical necessity)

べきだ is appropriate when the speaker wants to appeal to principle, duty, or moral standards. It is not appropriate for trivial suggestions.

べきだった — "should have"

The past form べきだった expresses regret that something was not done:

もっと　早く　病院に　行くべきだった。 "I should have gone to the hospital sooner."

あの時、正直に　話すべきだった。 "I should have been honest at that time."

もっと　勉強すべきだったと　後悔している。 "I regret that I should have studied more."

10.2 べき — Prenominal Use

べき can directly modify a noun, functioning as an adjective meaning "worthy of," "that should be," or "noteworthy." This usage is common in formal writing, news, and academic contexts.

Formation

Verb (dictionary form) + べき + Noun

Examples

注目すべき問題 "a problem worth paying attention to" / "a noteworthy problem"

知るべきこと "things one should know"

改善すべき点 "points that should be improved"

尊敬すべき人物 "a person worthy of respect"

読むべき本 "a book one should read"

議論すべきテーマ "a topic that should be discussed"

In full sentences

これは　注目すべき問題だ。 "This is a noteworthy problem."

彼女は　尊敬すべき人物だと　思う。 "I think she is a person worthy of respect."

この本には、学生が　知るべきことが　たくさん　書いてある。 "This book contains many things that students should know."

まだ　議論すべきテーマが　残っている。 "Topics that should be discussed still remain."

Register note

Prenominal べき is distinctly formal. In casual conversation, you would rephrase:

注目すべき問題 → 注目したほうがいい問題 (casual) 読むべき本 → 読んだほうがいい本 (casual)

The prenominal form is characteristic of news articles, reports, essays, and formal presentations.

10.3 はずだ — Expanded

You learned はずだ in Stage 2 as an expression of confident expectation: "it should be" or "it's supposed to be." At the N3 level, you need to handle two additional forms: はずがない ("there's no way") and はずだった ("was supposed to," but the expectation was wrong).

Review: はずだ — confident expectation

はずだ expresses that the speaker is logically confident about something based on information, reasoning, or evidence. It is not a guess — it is a reasoned expectation.

Formation

Examples

彼は　三時に　来る　はずだ。 "He should come at three." (I have reason to expect this)

このレストランは　おいしい　はずだ。評判が　いいから。 "This restaurant should be good. It has a good reputation."

明日は　休みの　はずだ。 "Tomorrow should be a day off." (According to the schedule)

はずがない — "There's no way"

はずがない expresses the speaker's confident denial that something could be the case, based on their knowledge or reasoning. It is similar in meaning to わけがない (Chapter 7) but is based on expectation rather than logical impossibility.

Formation

Same as はずだ, replacing だ with がない:

Examples

彼が　嘘を　つく　はずがない。 "There's no way he would lie." (Based on my knowledge of him)

こんなに　簡単な　はずがない。何か　間違っているだろう。 "It can't be this easy. Something must be wrong."

あの人が　犯人の　はずがない。 "There's no way that person is the culprit."

昨日　送ったのに、まだ　届いていない　はずがない。 "I sent it yesterday, so there's no way it hasn't arrived yet."

彼女が　そんなことを　知らない　はずがない。 "There's no way she doesn't know about something like that."

はずがない vs わけがない — revisited

In practice, they often overlap. はずがない tends to feel slightly more personal (based on "my" knowledge), while わけがない feels more universal (based on logic anyone could follow).

はずだった — "Was supposed to"

はずだった expresses a past expectation that turned out to be wrong. The speaker expected something, but reality did not match.

Formation

Same attachment as はずだ, but with だった at the end: Plain form + はずだった

Examples

今日　届く　はずだったのに、届かなかった。 "It was supposed to arrive today, but it didn't."

簡単な　はずだったのに、とても　難しかった。 "It was supposed to be easy, but it was very difficult."

彼も　来る　はずだったが、急に　来られなくなった。 "He was supposed to come too, but suddenly he couldn't."

三時に　終わる　はずだったのに、五時まで　かかった。 "It was supposed to end at three, but it took until five."

もう　届いている　はずだったのに、まだ　届いていない。 "It should have arrived by now, but it still hasn't."

The のに pattern with はずだった

はずだった very frequently appears with のに ("even though, despite"), because the speaker is expressing disappointment that their expectation was not met:

晴れる　はずだったのに、雨が　降った。 "It was supposed to be sunny, but it rained."

This combination — はずだったのに — is one of the most natural ways to express "I expected X, but Y happened instead."

10.4 つもり — Expanded

You learned つもり in Stage 2 as an expression of intention: "I plan to" or "I intend to." At the N3 level, you need two additional forms: つもりだった ("I had intended to," but didn't) and つもりはない / つもりはなかった ("I have/had no intention of").

Review: つもりだ — intention

Formation

Examples

来年　日本に　行く　つもりだ。 "I intend to go to Japan next year."

今日は　早く　寝る　つもりだ。 "I plan to go to bed early today."

あの店には　もう　行かない　つもりだ。 "I don't intend to go to that store anymore."

つもりだった — "Had intended to" (but didn't)

つもりだった expresses a past intention that was not fulfilled. The speaker planned to do something but, for whatever reason, did not follow through. It inherently implies that the plan did not happen.

Formation

Verb (dictionary form) + つもりだった

Examples

昨日　勉強する　つもりだったが、疲れて　寝てしまった。 "I had planned to study yesterday, but I was tired and fell asleep."

週末に　掃除する　つもりだったのに、忘れていた。 "I had intended to clean on the weekend, but I forgot."

夏休みに　旅行する　つもりだったが、お金が　足りなかった。 "I had intended to travel during summer break, but I didn't have enough money."

もっと　早く　連絡する　つもりだったのに、忙しくて　できなかった。 "I had meant to contact you sooner, but I was busy and couldn't."

三十分だけ　ゲームをする　つもりだったのに、気がついたら　三時間　経っていた。 "I only intended to play games for thirty minutes, but before I knew it, three hours had passed."

つもりだった vs はずだった

Both describe expectations/plans that did not materialize, but from different angles:

行くつもりだったが、行けなかった。 "I had planned to go, but I couldn't." (My intention failed)

届くはずだったが、届かなかった。 "It was supposed to arrive, but it didn't." (My expectation was wrong)

つもりだった is about what the speaker personally intended to do. はずだった is about what the speaker expected to happen (which may involve other people or circumstances).

そんなつもりはない / そんなつもりはなかった — "I don't/didn't mean to"

This pattern denies an intention. The speaker clarifies that they did not intend a particular result or interpretation of their action. It is extremely common in apologies and misunderstanding situations.

Formation

そんな + つもりは + ない / なかった

Examples

怒らせる　つもりは　なかった。 "I didn't mean to make you angry."

そんな　つもりは　ないよ。ただ　心配しているだけだ。 "That's not my intention at all. I'm just worried about you."

批判する　つもりは　なかった。ただ　意見を　言っただけだ。 "I didn't mean to criticize. I was just stating my opinion."

邪魔する　つもりは　ありません。すぐ　帰ります。 "I don't intend to be a bother. I'll leave right away."

悪気は　なかったんです。そんな　つもりでは　なかったんです。 "I didn't mean any harm. That wasn't my intention."

つもりで — "with the intention of" / "thinking that"

つもりで can describe the mindset with which someone does something:

旅行の　つもりで　お金を　貯めている。 "I'm saving money with the intention of traveling."

冗談の　つもりで　言ったのに、怒られてしまった。 "I said it as a joke, but I got scolded."

自分では　丁寧に　話した　つもりだったが、相手は　怒っていた。 "I thought I was speaking politely, but the other person was angry."

This last example shows an important extended use: つもり can mean "I thought/believed (about my own action)" — the speaker's self-assessment, which may not match reality.

ちゃんと　説明した　つもりだったが、伝わっていなかった。 "I thought I had explained it properly, but it didn't get across."

隠していた　つもりだったが、みんな　知っていた。 "I thought I was hiding it, but everyone knew."

10.5 Reading Passage

次の文章は、就職活動中の大学生が書いた日記です。

今日は面接があった。先週からずっと準備していたから、うまくいくはずだった。でも、面接官の質問が予想と全然違っていて、うまく答えられなかった。

「あなたの弱みは何ですか」と聞かれた時、正直に答えるべきだと思って、「時々、考えすぎてしまうことです」と言った。面接官は少し笑った。悪い意味ではなかったはずだが、自信がなくなった。

帰りの電車の中で、いろいろ考えた。もっと練習するべきだった。友だちに頼んで、模擬面接をしてもらうべきだった。一人で準備したつもりだったが、やはり一人では限界がある。

母に電話したら、「落ちたと決まったわけではないでしょう。心配することはないよ」と言われた。確かにそうだ。まだ結果が出たわけではない。悲観するべきではない。

来週もう一つ面接がある。今度はもっと準備するつもりだ。前回の失敗は、次に生かすべきだ。失敗を恐れないことだ、と大学の先生も言っていた。

そうだ。怒らせるつもりはなかったのに相手が怒った時のことを思い出した。あの時は「そんなつもりはなかった」と正直に言って、わかってもらえた。面接も同じだ。完璧なはずがない。大事なのは、自分の言葉で正直に話すことだ。

明日から、面接で聞かれそうな質問を全部書き出して、それぞれの答えを考えるつもりだ。注目すべき点は、自分の経験を具体的に話すことだと、本にも書いてあった。頑張ろう。

Translation:

The following is a diary entry written by a university student in the middle of job hunting.

Today I had an interview. I had been preparing since last week, so it was supposed to go well. But the interviewer's questions were completely different from what I expected, and I couldn't answer well.

When I was asked "What is your weakness?", I thought I should answer honestly, so I said, "Sometimes I overthink things." The interviewer laughed a little. It probably wasn't meant in a bad way, but I lost confidence.

On the train home, I thought about a lot of things. I should have practiced more. I should have asked a friend to do a mock interview with me. I thought I had prepared on my own, but as expected, there are limits to what you can do alone.

When I called my mother, she said, "It's not like you've failed, right? There's no need to worry." She's right. The results aren't out yet. I shouldn't be pessimistic.

I have another interview next week. I plan to prepare more this time. I should make use of the previous failure. "Don't be afraid of failure," my professor used to say too.

That's right. I remembered the time I made someone angry even though I hadn't meant to. At that time, I honestly said "that wasn't my intention" and they understood. Interviews are the same. There's no way it'll be perfect. The important thing is to speak honestly in my own words.

Starting tomorrow, I plan to write out all the questions I might be asked in an interview and think about answers for each one. The point worth paying attention to, as the book also said, is to talk about my experiences concretely. I'll do my best.

10.6 Vocabulary List