今日の予定：よく寝ること
Today's plan: To sleep very well.
Vocabulary:
*Note: in this case, こと is optional. A more literal translation might be "sleeping well" where the noun ending -ing corresponds with こと .
Is こと confusing for you?
If so, you aren't alone. こと isn't a concrete, easy-to-understand word. But by learning the following two usages, we should be able to clear up some of the confusion.
Using こと
As mentioned previously, こと has two main usages. After explaining those with examples, we'll look at a few idiomatic phrases which use こと.
1) こと as an intangible thing
In this case, こと and もの (thing) are similar. もの deals with concrete things and こと deals with intangible things.
Examples
Example #1: こと as an intangible thing
いい ことを 教えて あげる よ。
good | こと intangible thing | teach | give | (emphatic ender)
I'll tell you something good.
In this case, the こと isn't something you can touch or hold.
Example #2: こと as an intangible thing
おもしろい ことが あったよ。
interesting | こと intangible thing | there was
I found something interesting.
Again, this is intangible. However, if you wanted to receive something interesting, you could use もの:
おいしい ものを たべたい。
I'd like to eat something delicious (a physical thing).
２) こと as a nominalizer
A nominalizer simply means こと (as well as の) can change the preceding verb or phrase into a noun phrase. This allows you to use a verb/phrase as if it were a noun. The image at the top of this page is of this sort.
Examples
Example #1: こと as a Nominalizer
漢字を 読む ことは 難しい。
kanji | (direct object marker) | to read | こと nominalizer | difficult
Reading kanji is difficult.
「漢字を読む」 is a complete sentence in itself. But you can't directly say doing that is "difficult." If you change it into a noun phrase, however, you can.
Example #2: こと as a Nominalizer
学校を やめる ことを 考えています。
school | (direct object marker) | to quit | こと nominalizer | thinking
I'm thinking of quitting school.
Idiomatic Usages of こと
Here are a few expressions that would be good to memorize.
ことがある - have done
This is used to show someone has experience doing something.
Format:
- Make the verb into the past form
- Add ことがある・あります
ことがある - have done
日本に 行った ことが あります。
Japan | to | went | こと (experience) | have
I've been to Japan.
ことができる - can; able to do (something)
This is used to show something is possible.
Format:
- Plain verb form
- Add ことができる・できます
ことができる - can; able to do (something)
日本語を 話す ことが できます。
Japanese (language) | (direct object marker) | to speak | こと |able to
I can speak Japanese.
