JLPT N0・N3 Grammar – Difference between “〜でいい” and “〜てすむ”
Table of Contents
1. Difference between “〜でいい” and “〜てすむ”
2. 〜でいい
3. 〜てすむ
4. Let’s Compare
5. Summary
6. Similer Articles
7. Comment
Q: What is the difference between “〜でいい” and “〜てすむ”?
A: “〜でいい” expresses satisfaction or compromise when choosing among options, while “〜てすむ” conveys relief or evaluation that the situation turned out lighter than expected.
〜でいい (JLPT N0)
[Meaning]
① Sufficient / appropriate
② Compromise / reluctantly choosing
[Rule]
[N] Noun + で + いい
[Examples]
飲み物は水でいいです。
A glass of water is fine for my drink.
海外旅行は高いし、国内旅行でいいよ。
An overseas trip is expensive, so a domestic trip will do.
“〜でいい” carries two main nuances.
① Sufficient / appropriate
Even if another choice might normally be preferred, it can be used to show that an alternative is “good enough” or “acceptable.”
[Examples]
お礼はお金じゃなくて気持ちでいいです。
A token of appreciation doesn’t have to be money — gratitude alone is enough.
⇒ This means that gratitude is sufficient, rather than a formal monetary gift.
パーティーのときの服は、シンプルなものでいいです。
For the party, simple clothing will be fine.
今から晩ごはんを作るのは大変だから、コンビニの弁当でいいよ。
Cooking dinner from now would be too much trouble, so a convenience store bento will do.
It can also be used simply to mean “this choice is fine / there’s no problem with it.”
[Examples]
来週のご予約も午前10時でよろしいでしょうか。
Shall we set next week’s reservation for 10 a.m. as well?
⇒ Here, “いい” can be replaced with the more polite “よろしいでしょうか.”
店員「飲み物はいかがされますか。」
客「水でいいです。」
Clerk: “What would you like to drink?”
Customer: “Water is fine.”
② Compromise / reluctantly choosing
This is used when what you truly wanted is not available, and you settle for another option with the sense of “that will have to do.”
[Examples]
店員「申し訳ございません、チーズケーキは売り切れました」
客「残念…。じゃあチョコレートケーキでいいです。」
Clerk: “I’m terribly sorry, the cheesecake is sold out.”
Customer: “Too bad… Then I’ll take the chocolate cake.”
⇒ The customer originally wanted cheesecake, but reluctantly chooses another option instead.
19時のフライトは満席だね…。じゃあ20時でいいか。
The 7 p.m. flight is full… Well then, the 8 p.m. one will do.
来週は忙しくなってしまったな…この予約、キャンセルでいいか。
Next week looks like it’ll be busy… Maybe I should just cancel this reservation.
〜てすむ (JLPT N3)
[Meaning]
Expresses that a problem or situation is resolved in an easier way or with a lighter result than expected
[Rule]
[V] Verb て form + すむ
[A] い adjective て form + すむ
[N] Noun + で + すむ
[Examples]
仕事でミスをしたけど、今回は謝ってすみました。
I made a mistake at work, but this time it was settled just by apologizing.
この問題は謝ってすむことではありませんよ。
This problem cannot be settled just with an apology.
軽いけがですんで良かったです。
I’m glad it was only a minor injury.
“〜てすむ” is an expression that conveys a sense of relief, showing that something was expected to become a big problem but ended up being resolved lightly, or that something troublesome turned out not to be necessary.
[Examples]
電車が遅延して遅刻すると思ったけど、10分ぐらいですみました。
I thought the train delay would make me very late, but it ended up being only about 10 minutes.
⇒ I had expected a more serious delay, but it turned out to be lighter than I thought.
車の修理代はあまりお金がかからないですみそうです。
It looks like the car repair will be taken care of without costing too much money.
荷物を宿泊先に送っておいたら、移動のとき手荷物が少なくてすみますよ。
If you send your luggage to the hotel in advance, you won’t have to carry so much when you travel.
Let’s Compare
There is a subtle nuance difference between the following two sentences:
[Example]
① 今週はあまり忙しくないから、今日は残業なしでいいです。
② 今週はあまり忙しくないから、今日は残業しなくてすみそうです。
① “〜でいい”
This means that among the possible choices, “not working overtime” is an acceptable option.
In other words, the speaker is making the choice of “not working overtime” and judging it as sufficient.
② “〜てすむ”
This expresses relief: although the speaker thought they would have to work overtime (something troublesome), it turns out they don’t have to.
In other words, it carries the nuance of being relieved that things ended up lighter than expected.
Summary
[～でいい]
- ① Used among several choices to mean “this is enough” or “this will do.”
- ② Also used when you originally wanted another option but end up compromising with “this is acceptable.”
[～てすむ]
- Expresses that “although you thought it would become a big problem, it turned out lighter than expected,” or “something you thought was necessary or troublesome was not actually required.”
- It often carries a nuance of the speaker’s relief.
Similer Articles
▼ Subscribe to Our Newsletter ▼
Receive free tips for learning Japanese!
