Conversational Japanese Quiz: Presenting Near Future Plans

What this quiz covers

This quiz focuses on Presenting Near Future Plans, giving you a quick way to practice the rules, question types, and explanations that matter most for Conversational Japanese.

How to use this quiz

Try each quiz question before looking at the correct answer. Use the explanations to review missed ideas, then come back to similar questions until the pattern feels familiar.

Question 1

1. The suggestion is valid because 「するつもりです」 more explicitly signals personal intention for a near-future plan, while plain 「します」 can sometimes be read as a habitual or general statement rather than a specific upcoming plan. (correct answer)
2. The suggestion is incorrect because plain present tense 「します」 is always more natural than 「するつもりです」 for near-future plans, and replacing it would make the sentence sound overly formal and unnatural in spoken Japanese.
3. The suggestion is incorrect because 「するつもりです」 can only be used for plans that involve at least one other person, whereas this plan describes only the speaker doing solo jogging.
4. The suggestion is unnecessary because when a sentence already contains a clear future time expression like 「明日の朝」, adding 「つもりです」 makes the sentence redundant and should be avoided in presentational Japanese.

Question 2

1. Message 2, because it provides the most vivid and detailed description of a specific location and includes a personal reaction.
2. Message 3, because expressing a desire to visit a specific place is the clearest way to present a future-oriented plan in Japanese.
3. Message 4, because the conditional structure shows careful planning by acknowledging that future events depend on available time.
4. Message 1, because it states a specific near-future time (来月), a destination (京都), a purpose (旅行), companions, and a means of transport, forming a complete near-future plan. (correct answer)

Question 3

1. The second sentence is grammatically incorrect because 「予約は先週しました」 mixes a noun phrase with a past-tense verb in a way that is not acceptable in formal Japanese writing.
2. The second sentence is problematic because it repeats the word 「予約」 which was already implied by 「レストランで夕食を食べる予定」, creating unnecessary redundancy in the message.
3. The second sentence should be removed because mentioning a reservation implies the plan might be cancelled, which creates ambiguity about whether the near-future plan is definite.
4. The second sentence shifts the focus to a past action (making the reservation last week), which moves away from the near-future plan and introduces past-tense information that is tangential to presenting what will happen. (correct answer)

Question 4

1. The student is recounting a memorable past event involving a friend at a movie theater in Shibuya, including what they ate afterward.
2. The student is presenting near-future plans that include a specific day, location, activity, and a follow-up plan with another activity and place. (correct answer)
3. The student is making a general statement about habits, explaining how they typically spend Saturdays going to movies and restaurants in Shibuya.
4. The student is expressing a wish or dream about going to Shibuya someday, using polite language to describe an imagined future scenario.

Question 5

1. 明日の午後、駅の近くの図書館で勉強するつもりです。静かな場所が好きだから、よく図書館に行きます。
2. 明日の午後、駅の近くの図書館で勉強する予定です。 (correct answer)
3. 明日、図書館で勉強しました。駅の近くにある図書館はとても静かです。
4. 明日の午後、駅の近くの図書館で勉強したいです。でも、時間があるかどうかわかりません。

Question 6

1. The message lacks a specific place name, making it impossible for the listener to understand where the activity will happen.
2. The message uses 「今週末」 incorrectly, as this expression cannot be used when describing shopping activities in Japanese.
3. The message shifts from expressing a past intention to stating the action has already been completed, so it no longer describes a future plan at all. (correct answer)
4. The message is too long for a short prepared message and should only contain one clause about time and one clause about place.

Question 7

1. 土曜日に横浜へ行く予定です。横浜はとても有名な港町です。
2. 今度の土曜日の午前10時ごろに、横浜へ行く予定です。 (correct answer)
3. 土曜日に横浜へ行く予定でしたが、やめることにしました。
4. 土曜日に横浜へ行く予定です。去年も横浜へ行きました。

Question 8

1. 「するつもりです」 is most appropriate because 「つもり」 expresses stronger personal determination than 「予定」, and attending a coach-scheduled practice requires the speaker to show firm personal commitment to the activity.
2. 「する予定です」 is most appropriate because 「予定」 refers to a plan that has been arranged or scheduled, often by an external party, which fits an officially scheduled practice session better than a personal intention marker. (correct answer)
3. 「するつもりです」 is most appropriate because 「つもり」 is used whenever a specific time and place are mentioned, making it the correct choice when both 午後3時 and 体育館 are included in the sentence.
4. Either ending is equally appropriate because 「つもりです」 and 「予定です」 are fully interchangeable for any near-future activity that has a specific scheduled time and location.

Question 9

1. The student uses 「つもりです」 twice, which shows the ability to apply a near-future plan structure consistently across multiple clauses and confirms that each activity is a personal intention rather than an externally scheduled event.
2. The student specifies the department store basement (デパートの地下) as a sub-location within Ginza, which provides a highly precise place detail that goes beyond naming only the general destination.
3. The student provides a sequential structure (まず…その後で) that organizes multiple planned activities within the same outing, adding depth by showing the order and content of the near-future plans beyond just a single activity. (correct answer)
4. The student includes their mother as a companion, which adds an important interpersonal detail and demonstrates the ability to incorporate information about who will participate alongside the time, place, and activity.

Question 10

1. 今度の日曜日、家族と一緒に上野公園へ花見に行く予定です。 (correct answer)
2. 先週の日曜日、家族と上野公園で花見をしました。
3. 今度の日曜日、一人で上野公園に行って花見をするつもりはありません。
4. 今度の日曜日、家族と一緒に上野公園へ花見に行きたいと思っています。