そう

Look like, Appear, Seem, Have a feeling that

彼女かのじょは毎日まいにち走はしっていそうだ。

She seems like she runs every day.

Explanation

「そう」 has 2 uses

1Looks …

After an adjective stem: a judgment from how something looks: 「おいしそう」 looks tasty, 「嬉しそう」 looks happy.

これは正ただしそうだ。

This seems correct.

あの店員てんいんは丁寧ていねいそうだ。

That clerk seems polite.

2Looks like it will

After a verb's ます stem: something looks about to happen: 「雨が降りそうだ」 it looks like rain, 「ボタンが取れそう」 the button is about to come off.

雪ゆきが降ふりそうです。

It looks like it is going to snow.

彼女かのじょは毎日まいにち走はしっていそうだ。

She seems like she runs every day.

Mixed up with

'Looks like' 「そう」 attaches to the stem: 「おいしそう」, 「降りそう」. 'I hear that' 「そうだ」 attaches to the plain form: 「おいしいそうだ」, 「降るそうだ」. The forms are different.

It is not used for things you can plainly see to be true, since nothing needs guessing.

Negatives: adjectives 「おいしくなさそう」; verbs 「降りそうにない」, 「降りそうもない」.

Easily confused withみたい・そう: the difference ›

Examples

1Looks …

あの店員てんいんは丁寧ていねいそうだ。
That clerk seems polite.
これは正ただしそうだ。
This seems correct.
先生せんせいの仕事しごとは難むずかしそうです。
The job of being a teacher looks difficult.
今日きょうの宿題しゅくだいは簡単かんたんそうだ。
Today's homework looks easy.
その食たべ物ものは食たべやすそう。
That food looks easy to eat.
この教科書きょうかしょはとても難むずかしそうです。
This textbook seems very difficult.
けっこう難むずかしいけど、大丈夫だいじょうぶそうですか？
It is pretty hard, does it look like you'll be okay?
あのレストランの寿司すしは美味おいしそうです。
That restaurant's sushi looks delicious.
あの遊園地ゆうえんちのジェットコースターは楽たのしくなさそうです。
That amusement park's rollercoaster doesn't seem fun.
彼かれの部屋へやは汚きたなくなさそうだ。
His room doesn't seem messy.
あの車くるまは小ちいさくて便利べんりじゃなさそう。
That car is small and seems inconvenient.

2Looks like it will

晩ばんご飯はんでニンニクを食たべたら、口くちが臭くさくなりそうです。
If I eat garlic at dinner, I have a feeling that my breath will become stinky.
雪ゆきが降ふりそうです。
It looks like it is going to snow.
アメリカには大おおきいハンバーガーがありそうですね。
It would seem that there are big hamburgers in America.
あなたの小ちいさい車くるまでもこの駐車場ちゅうしゃじょうに入はいらなそうです。
Even your small car doesn't look like it will fit in the parking spot.
「二人ふたりはすぐ仲直なかなおりできそうですか？」「はい、大丈夫だいじょうぶだと思おもいます。」
'Do you think the two of them will make up soon?' 'Yes, I think they'll be fine.'
彼かれはもうイギリスに帰かえらなそうだ。
It appears that he is not going back to England.
明日あしたは朝あさから雨あめが降ふりそうだ。
It seems like it is going to start raining tomorrow morning.
空そらが暗くらくなってきた。雨あめが降ふりそうだ。
The sky's getting dark. It looks like rain.

そう

Explanation

1Looks …

2Looks like it will

Mixed up with

Examples

Tested 11 times in past papers