JapaneseJLPT
JLPT N3 grammar · Chapter 12

～そうもない・～そうにない

Something shows little sign of happening

You’ll be able to judge from the situation that an event is very unlikely to occur.

Illustration of the scene described by With these thick clouds, there is almost no chance that it will clear up today.
Read it first

この厚あつい雲くもでは、今日きょうは晴はれそうにもありません。

kono atsui kumo de wa, kyou wa haresou ni mo arimasen.

What do you think this sentence means?

With these thick clouds, there is almost no chance that it will clear up today.

Why it means that

Judge that an event is very unlikely to happen

～そうもない (or ～そうにない, politely ～そうもありません / ～そうにありません) attaches to a verb stem to express that an event shows almost no possibility or sign of occurring based on present observation.

Examples

宿題しゅくだいが多おおくて、今夜こんやは寝ねられそうにない。

shukudai ga ookute, kon'ya wa neraresou ni nai.

I have so much homework that I probably won’t get to sleep tonight.

この問題もんだいは難むずかしくて、解とけそうもない。

kono mondai wa muzukashikute, tokesou mo nai.

This problem is so hard that I don’t think I can solve it.

How it is built

Attach そうもない to a verb stem

Take the verb stem (ます-form without ます) and attach そうもない or そうにない.

verb stem+そうもない／そうにない
Example

仕事しごとが山積やまづみで、定時ていじには終おわりそうもない。

shigoto ga yamazumi de, teiji ni wa owarisou mo nai.

With work piled up, there’s little chance I’ll finish on time.

Compare

～そうもない vs ～ないそうだ

With the verb stem, ～そうもない is your own judgment from what you see. After the plain negative form (止まない), ～そうだ only passes on what you heard.

  • stem + そうもない, looks unlikely to

    雨あめは止やみそうもない。

    ame wa yamisou mo nai.

    The rain doesn’t look like it will stop.

    The speaker judges this from the sky.

  • plain ない-form + そうだ, I hear it won’t

    雨あめは止やまないそうだ。

    ame wa yamanai sou da.

    I hear the rain won’t stop.

    Reports information from someone else, such as a forecast.

Examples

この荷物にもつは重おもすぎて、一人ひとりでは運はこべそうもない。

kono nimotsu wa omosugite, hitori de wa hakobe sou mo nai.

This luggage is too heavy; there’s no way I can carry it alone.

赤あかちゃんがまだ泣ないている。しばらく寝ねそうにない。

akachan ga mada naite iru. shibaraku ne sou ni nai.

The baby is still crying. It doesn’t look like they’ll fall asleep for a while.

申もうし訳わけありませんが、部品ぶひんが届とどかないので、今週中こんしゅうちゅうには直なおりそうにありません。

moushiwake arimasen ga, buhin ga todokanai node, konshuuchuu ni wa naori sou ni arimasen.

I’m sorry, but the parts haven’t arrived, so it’s unlikely to be fixed this week.

7 more examples in the grammar path — free for a limited time.