JLPT N4 Vocabulary – The difference between “もうすぐ” and “そろそろ”

Table of Contents

1. The 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. Comments

Q: What is the difference between “もうすぐ” and “そろそろ”?

A: “もうすぐ” and “そろそろ” are both expressions used to talk about the near future.
However, they differ in which point in time the speaker uses as a reference and what kind of feelings are included.

The main differences can be summarized in the following three points.

・The amount of time before something happens
・The time used as a reference point
・How they are used with wishes and requests

Let’s take a closer look at these differences in this article.

1. The amount of time before something happens

“もうすぐ” is used when something will happen after a short amount of time.
“そろそろ” gives the impression of a slightly longer amount of time than “もうすぐ”.

If we arrange them along a timeline, it looks like this:

今いま (now) > すぐ (immediately) > もうすぐ (soon) > そろそろ (about time)

[Examples]
もうすぐ出発しゅっぱつします。
I will leave soon.
⇒ The time until departure is short.
　
そろそろ出発しゅっぱつします。
It’s about time to leave.
⇒ There is still a little time before departure.

2. The reference time

“もうすぐ” uses the present moment (now) as its reference point.
“そろそろ” uses a point slightly after now as its reference.

[Examples]
もうすぐ出発しゅっぱつします。
I will leave soon.
⇒ The reference point is “now”, and the speaker is talking about the near future.
　
そろそろ出発しゅっぱつします。
It’s about time to leave.
⇒ The reference point is “after a certain amount of time has passed”, and the speaker will take action when that time arrives.

3. Wishes or Requests

“そろそろ” can be used together with expressions of wishes or requests.
“もうすぐ” cannot be used directly with wishes or requests on its own.

① When using “そろそろ”
[Examples]
そろそろ暖あたたかくなってほしいな。（Wish）
I hope it gets warm soon.
⇒ This expresses the speaker’s hope that it will happen in the near future.

すみませんが、そろそろ片かたづけてくれませんか。（Request）
Excuse me, could you tidy up soon, please?
⇒ This is a request asking the listener to take action after a certain amount of time has passed.

② When using “もうすぐ”
When you want to express a wish or request using “もうすぐ”, you need to add a sentence that explains the reason or situation.

[Examples]
もうすぐ春はるですね。暖あたたかくなってほしいな。（Wish）
Spring is coming soon. I hope it gets warmer.

すみません、もうすぐ閉店へいてんなので片付かたづけてくれませんか。（Request）
Excuse me, since we’re closing soon, could you please tidy up?

As you can see, “もうすぐ” alone cannot convey a wish or request, so an explanation or reason is added to make the meaning clear.

Summary

[もうすぐ]

• The time until something happens is short.
• The reference point is “now”.
• It cannot be used directly with wishes or requests.

[そろそろ]

• It uses a timing slightly later than “now” as the reference point.
• It can be used together with wishes or requests, such as “そろそろ〜してほしい” or “そろそろ〜しませんか”.

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.

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