All too easily: 〜ともすれば／〜ともすると
ともすれば／ともすると + clause（〜がちだ, 〜しやすい, 〜てしまう）
ともすれば／ともすると + 〜がちだ／〜やすい／〜てしまう: “all too easily tend to”, announcing a failing. A written adverb; more formal synonym: ややもすれば.
In short
ともすれば (or ともすると) is an adverb placed at the start of a clause: “all too easily, at the slightest thing, it often happens that”. It announces a tendency, almost always an undesirable one, that people easily give in to. It goes naturally with 〜がちだ, 〜しやすい, 〜てしまう, 〜かねない. Written register.
- 人はともすれば楽な方に流されがちだ。ひとはともすればらくなほうにながされがちだ。People all too easily tend to take the easy way out.
- 忙しいと、ともすれば家族との時間がおろそかになる。いそがしいと、ともすればかぞくとのじかんがおろそかになる。When you're swamped, time with your family can all too easily get neglected.
- 若者の意見は、ともすると軽く見られがちだ。わかもののいけんは、ともするとかるくみられがちだ。Young people's opinions are all too often taken lightly.
The basics
ともすれば literally means “if one does the slightest thing”: at the least slackening, a natural slope takes over again. It's the adverb of unfortunate tendencies and human failings — English “all too easily”, “at the drop of a hat”.
It goes at the start of the clause, and the sentence ends with a form expressing the tendency or risk: 〜がちだ, 〜やすい, 〜てしまう, 〜かねない.
People all too easily tend to take the easy way out.
- noun
- other
- verb
- grammatical form
- ともすれば、自分の考えだけが正しいと思い込んでしまう。ともすれば、じぶんのかんがえだけがただしいとおもいこんでしまう。You can all too easily come to believe that only your own view is right.
How to use it
It's a fixed adverb: it doesn't conjugate. ともすると is slightly more common in careful speech; ややもすれば and ややもすると are even more written synonyms.
| Adverb | Register | Typical sentence ending |
|---|---|---|
| ともすれば | written | 〜がちだ, 〜てしまう |
| ともすると | written, careful speech | 〜がちだ, 〜やすい |
| ややもすれば | very written | 〜かねない, 〜がちだ |
| ややもすると | very written | 〜がちだ |
- ややもすれば、議論が感情的になりかねない。ややもすれば、ぎろんがかんじょうてきになりかねない。At the slightest thing, the debate could turn emotional.
- 長い休みの後は、ともすると生活のリズムが乱れやすい。ながいやすみのあとは、ともするとせいかつのりずむがみだれやすい。After a long holiday, your daily rhythm can all too easily get thrown off.
ともすれば, がちだ, きらいがある, ともなると
〜がちだ (N3) is a suffix expressing the tendency; ともすれば is the adverb that announces it, and the two often go together. 〜きらいがある (N1) describes a failing peculiar to a person or group (彼は物事を悲観的に考えるきらいがある). Finally, don't confuse ともすれば with 〜ともなると (“once it comes to”), which follows a noun.
| Expression | Position | Example |
|---|---|---|
| ともすれば | adverb at the start | ともすれば忘れがちだ |
| 〜がちだ | suffix at the end | 忘れがちだ |
| 〜きらいがある | end of sentence | 大げさに言うきらいがある |
| 〜ともなると | after a noun | 十二月ともなると忙しい |
- 年を取ると、外出が少なくなりがちだ。としをとると、がいしゅつがすくなくなりがちだ。As you get older, you tend to go out less. (がちだ on its own)
- 彼は何でも大げさに言うきらいがある。かれはなんでもおおげさにいうきらいがある。He has an unfortunate tendency to exaggerate everything. (きらいがある)
Common mistakes
- Using it for a positive tendency (“ともすれば親切にしがちだ”): it announces a failing.
- Putting it at the end of a sentence: it's an adverb that opens a clause.
- Confusing it with 〜ともなると, which follows a noun and means “once it comes to”.
8 exercises on this point
Particles to choose, sentences to put back in order, translations: marked straight away, then reviewed at the right time. This JLPT N1 point is on the Hokkaidō Line (Classical and formal language) of the Shinkansen.