Kare wa oosaka no hito da to omoimasu.

particle “to”

In this lesson, you will learn how to properly quote thoughts and statements in Japanese. When expressing your thoughts, you can use the word “to” to connect them with the verb “omoimasu,” which means “to think.” The word “omoimasu” is placed at the end of the sentence, creating the structure “…to omoimasu.” It’s important to note that the thoughts should be in their short forms, as this is the grammatically correct way to structure the sentence.

Steps to Quote Thoughts

  1. Formulate your thought in short form:
    • Verbs should be in their dictionary form for affirmative statements or their plain negative form for negative statements.
    • Adjectives should be in their informal (short) form.
  2. Add “to” after the thought:
    • This particle acts as a connector, similar to quotation marks in English.
  3. End with “omoimasu”:
    • This phrase translates to “I think,” completing the sentence.

…to omoimasu, …to omoimashita

Satousan wa gakusei da to omoimasu. (I think Mr. Sato is a student.)
Suzukisan wa konai to omoimasu. (I think Mr. Suzuki is not coming.)
Kyou wa ame ga huru to omoimasu. (I think it will rain today.)
Sono aidia wa ii to omoimasu. (I think that idea is good.)
Watashitachi wa shiawase da to omoimashita. (We thought we were happy.)

The thoughts are always present form, no matter what you think or thought.

Additional Points

  • The short form of verbs and adjectives is also known as the plain form. This is the form you will typically find in dictionaries.
  • Using “…to omoimasu” is polite and appropriate for most conversational contexts. It can be used to softly present your thoughts or opinions without being too direct.
  • When expressing more casual thoughts among friends or in informal settings, you might drop the “masu” ending and simply say “…to omou”.

Exercise

Questions

Put the thoughts to “omoimasu”. (The thought must be in short forms.)

  1. kare wa kimasu
  2. kare wa kimasen
  3. satousan wa gakusei desu
  4. ashita wa haremasu
  5. ano raamen wa karai desu
  6. kare wa oosaka no hito desu

Answers

  1. kare wa kuru to omoimasu
  2. kare wa konai to omoimasu
  3. satousan wa gakusei da to omoimasu
  4. ashita wa hareru to omoimasu
  5. ano raamen wa karai to omoimasu
  6. kare wa oosaka no hito da to omoimasu