adverbial N1 uncommon written
ともすると — tend to
ともすると
Builds on ともすれば
Meaning
- tend to / be apt to / be liable to ~ — flags a latent, usually unwelcome tendency; written
Key sentence
一人で働いていると、ともすると気が緩みがちだ。
When working alone, one tends to let one's guard down.
Formation
| Attaches to | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Adverb (placed early in the clause) | ともすると … — the predicate typically ends in 〜がち(だ) / 〜やすい / 〜かねない | ともすると〜になりがちだ |
When: Written/formal; describes a tendency the speaker views as a risk or fault.
Examples
暗いニュースばかり見ていると、ともすると悲観的になる。
Watching nothing but grim news, one is apt to turn pessimistic.
この問題はともすると見落とされやすい。
This issue tends to get overlooked.
When you can't use it
- Describes a general, latent (usually negative) tendency — not a one-time event. For a single occasion use とき / たら.
Easily confused with
ともすれば The ば-form twin — virtually identical in meaning and register, freely interchangeable with ともすると. どうかすると ともすると flags a latent *tendency* (apt to, leaning toward); どうかすると flags an *occasional* possibility under certain conditions ('sometimes it can happen'). 〜がち がち is a suffix on the verb ('prone to'); ともすると is a clause-level adverb that often pairs with a 〜がち predicate.
See ともすると in real sentences
Jengo shows ともすると 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 Advanced Japanese Grammar.