〜たほうがいい
In this lesson, you will learn an expression 〜たほうがいい which is used to say that it is better to do, or not to do. It is an useful expression that will allow you to tell people that they better do something or better not do something.
At the end of this lesson, you will be able to use 〜たほうがいい to give advice.
〜たほうがいい is an expression that is used to say that a certain action would be better to do than others. It uses the た-form of verbs, and ほうがいい which means 'it is better to'. To make it in the negative (it is better not to do), we use the ない-form of verbs, ないほうがいい.
Verb (た) + ほうがいい (です)
Verb (ない) + ほうがいい (です)
はやくねたほうがいいです。
Hayaku neta hou ga ii desu.
It is better to go sleep early.
コーヒーをのみすぎないほうがいいですよ。
Koohii o nomisuginai hou ga ii desu yo.
It is better not to overdo with coffee.
日本にすみたいなら、日本語をべんきょうしたほうがいいよ！
Nihon ni sumitai nara, nihongo o benkyou shita hou ga ii yo!
If you want to live in Japan, you better study Japanese!
コートーをきずにそとででたら、かぜをひかないほうがいいよ！
Kootoo o kizu ni soto de detara, kaze o hikanai hou ga ii yo!
If you go outside without wearing a coat, you better not catch a cold!
わたしにきいたほうがいい。
Watashi ni kiita hou ga ii.
You better listen to me.
きをつけたほうがいいよ。あぶないから。
Ki o tsuketa hou ga ii yo. Abunai kara.
You better be careful. It's dangerous.
ほうがいい with adjectives and nouns
ほうがいい can also work with adjectives and nouns.
Adjective い + ほうがいい
Adjective な (without な) + ほうがいい
Noun + のほうがいい
しずかほうがいいです。
Shizuka hou ga ii desu.
Quiet is better. (I prefer quiet)
りんごのほうがいい。
Ringo no hou ga ii.
Apples are better. (I prefer apples)
バナナとりんご、どっちがいい？
Banana to ringo, docchi ga ii?
Banana or apple, which one do you want?
バナナのほうがいい。
Banana no hou ga ii.
Banana is better. (I prefer bananas)