JLPT N4 Vocabulary – Difference between “もうすぐ” and “そろそろ”
Table of Contents
1. Difference between “もうすぐ” and “そろそろ”
2. Difference 1
3. Difference 2
4. Difference 3
5. Summary
6. Quiz
7. Similar Articles
8. Comment
Q: What is the difference between “もうすぐ” and “そろそろ”?
“もうすぐ” and “そろそろ” both refer to the near future, but there’s a slight difference in how the speaker perceives it.
- Difference 1: The time until an event occurs
- Difference 2: The reference time
- Difference 3: Wishes or requests
1. The time until an event occurs
“もうすぐ” indicates that something will happen shortly, while “そろそろ” suggests that something will happen a little later than “もうすぐ”.
In order of immediacy:
今 > すぐ > もうすぐ > そろそろ
For those who want to learn more
about the differences between
“すぐ” and “もうすぐ”,
please read this article.
[Examples]
もうすぐ出発します。
I will leave soon.
⇒ The time until departure is short.
そろそろ出発します。
It’s about time to leave.
⇒ The time until departure is longer than “もうすぐ”.
2. The reference time
“もうすぐ” refers to the “now” at the time of speaking, while “そろそろ” indicates a point in time “slightly ahead” of the current moment.
[Examples]
もうすぐ出発します。
I will leave soon.
⇒ The reference time is “now,” indicating a near future.
そろそろ出発します。
It’s about time to leave.
⇒ The reference point is “when a certain amount of time has passed,” and action will be taken when that time comes.
3. Wishes or Requests
“そろそろ” can be combined with the speaker’s wishes or requests.
It implies that the speaker expects something to happen as desired when a certain amount of time has passed for the listener or something.
[Examples]
そろそろ暖かくなってほしいな。（Wish）
I hope it gets warm soon.
⇒ It expresses a wish for it to become warmer in the not-so-distant future.
すみませんが、そろそろ片づけてくれませんか。（Request）
Excuse me, could you tidy up soon, please?
⇒ It’s a request for the action of “tidying up” to be taken when a certain amount of time has passed.
If you were to use “もうすぐ” to express wishes or requests, it would be like this.
[Examples]
もうすぐ春だね。暖かくなってほしいな。（Wish）
Spring is coming soon. I hope it gets warmer.
すみません、もうすぐ閉店なので片付けてくれませんか。（Request）
Excuse me, since we’re closing soon, could you please tidy up?
Unlike “そろそろ“, you can’t directly connect wishes or requests to “もうすぐ“.
Therefore, the speaker would use “もうすぐ” to provide reasons or justifications before expressing wishes or requests.
Summary
もうすぐ
- It indicates a relatively short period of time until something happens.
- The time frame is based on the “now”, indicating a short time until action is taken.
そろそろ
- It indicates a point in time “slightly ahead” of the present, rather than now.
- When used with expressions of wishes or requests, it conveys the speaker’s desire for something to happen as desired when a certain amount of time has passed for the listener or something.
Quiz
Read the following sentence and choose the expression that fits the context from the options provided in the parentheses.
Click on the question to check the answer.
A. もうすぐ
急いで！もうすぐ電車が出ますよ！
Hurry up! The train will be leaving soon!
*”もうすぐ” is appropriate as the speaker urges to hurry and the time until the train departs is short.
A. そろそろ
そろそろ行こうか。
Shall we go soon?
*”そろそろ” is correct as it’s a request to the listener to go.
A. そろそろ
そろそろ結婚したいなぁ。
I want to get married soon.
*”そろそろ” is suitable as it expresses the speaker’s wish to get married.
A. もうすぐ
A「娘の誕生日は2月2日なんです。」
B「そうなんですね。今日は1月31日ですからもうすぐですね。」A: “My daughter’s birthday is February 2nd.” B: “Oh, then today is January 31st, so it’s almost there, right?”
*”もうすぐ” fits well as the listener refers to “now” as the basis, and the discussion is about the near future.
