Grammar › Tendency & Manner
がち — “tends to, prone to”
Describes a recurring, usually undesirable, tendency
がち attaches to a verb's ます-stem or directly to certain nouns to describe a habitual tendency, almost always toward something negative or unwanted — 忘れがち (tends to forget), 病気がち (sickly, prone to illness). It usually appears as 〜がちだ or, modifying a noun, 〜がちな.
How to form it
| Pattern | Example |
|---|---|
| Verb stem + がち | 予定を忘れがちです — I tend to forget plans |
| Noun + がち | 曇りがちな天気 — weather with a tendency toward cloudiness |
Example sentences
| Japanese | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 最近、寝坊しがちです。 | さいきん、ねぼうしがちです。 saikin、neboushigachidesu。 | Lately I've been prone to oversleeping. |
| 彼は約束を忘れがちだ。 | かれはやくそくをわすれがちだ。 karehayakusokuwowasuregachida。 | He tends to forget promises. |
| この時期は曇りがちです。 | このじきはくもりがちです。 konojikihakumorigachidesu。 | This time of year tends to be cloudy. |
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Watch out
がち almost always carries a negative shade — 上手になりがち sounds odd; save it for lapses, illness, bad weather, and similar undesirable patterns.