All JLPT grammar
N2

~がち

Express a tendency for something, usually undesirable, to happen easily or often; 'tend to', 'be prone to'.

At a glance

~がち means "tend to ~" or "often ~". It is usually used for undesirable things that happen easily or often, without anyone intending them.

Verb (ます-stem) + がち
Noun + がち

冬ふゆは風邪かぜをひきがちです。 I tend to catch colds in winter.


How to form it

The verb stem is the ます-form without ます. For う-verbs, change the final u-sound to i. For る-verbs, drop る.

Type Dictionary form Stem + がち
う-verb 休やすむ 休やすみ 休やすみがち
る-verb 忘わすれる 忘わすれ 忘わすれがち
する 遅刻ちこくする 遅刻ちこくし 遅刻ちこくしがち
Noun 病気びょうき 病気びょうきがち

がち itself conjugates like a な-adjective:

Form Example
Polite 忘わすれがちです
Casual 忘わすれがちだ
Past 忘わすれがちでした / 忘わすれがちだった
Before a noun 忘わすれがちなこと
With なる 遅おくれがちになる

Examples

  • 彼かれは風邪かぜを引ひきがちです。

    He tends to catch colds easily.

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The rest of the lesson

When to use it, common mistakes, nuances and a quick check, with spaced repetition to make it stick.

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