modality N4 common casualpolitewritten
ことになる — it comes to be that ~
ことになる
Builds on こと
Meaning
- it comes to be that ~ / it's been decided that ~ / it works out that ~ — an outcome arrived at, not a personal choice
Key sentence
来月、大阪に転勤することになった。
It's been decided that I'll transfer to Osaka next month.
Formation
| Attaches to | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| verb (dictionary / negative) | V(dict)／V-ない + ことになる | 転勤することになる / 行かないことになる |
Examples
会議は来週に延期されることになった。
The meeting has ended up being postponed to next week.
私たち、結婚することになりました。
We're getting married. (lit. it's come about that we'll marry)
三人で割ると、一人千円ということになる。
Split three ways, that comes to 1,000 yen each.
When you can't use it
- ことになる presents the result as something that came about. It's the standard humble, indirect way to announce a decision you actually made yourself: 結婚することになりました sounds far more natural than 結婚することにしました when telling others.
Easily confused with
ことにする ことになる = an outcome (decided by circumstances or presented as such); ことにする = your own active choice. ことになっている なる = it gets decided (the event); なっている = the resulting standing rule or arrangement (会議は九時に始まることになっている). わけだ Both can render 'that comes to ~,' but ことになる reports an arrangement/result; わけだ draws a logical conclusion that explains a fact ('no wonder ~').
See ことになる in real sentences
Jengo shows ことになる the way you actually meet it: inside real Japanese sentences, so it sticks instead of staying an abstract rule.
Study it in JengoSources Compiled with reference to A Dictionary of Intermediate Japanese Grammar.