〜かけ / 〜かける: Half-Done, Partway Through (N3 Grammar)
What it means
〜かけ describes an action that has begun but isn't complete — you stopped partway, or were on the verge of doing it. Think of it as "half-…" or "in the middle of …ing."
テーブルに食べかけのパンが置いてある。
テーブルに たべかけの パンが おいて ある。
There's a half-eaten piece of bread left on the table.
食べかけの + noun = half-eaten ~.
ヤッタンは読みかけの本をかばんに入れた。
ヤッタンは よみかけの ほんを かばんに いれた。
Yattan put the book he was partway through into his bag.
モチは何か言いかけて、急にやめた。
モチは なにか いいかけて、きゅうに やめた。
Mochi started to say something and suddenly stopped.
言いかけて = began to speak, then broke off.
So 〜かけ zooms in on the moment between starting and finishing — the action is incomplete by definition.
How to form it
Drop the ます from the polite form to get the stem, then add かけ:
| Base verb | ます-stem | 〜かけ form |
|---|---|---|
| 食べる (eat) | 食べ | 食べかけ / 食べかけの / 食べかけだ |
| 読む (read) | 読み | 読みかけ / 読みかけの本 |
| 言う (say) | 言い | 言いかけた / 言いかける |
| 死ぬ (die) | 死に | 死にかけた / 死にかけの |
| やる (do) | やり | やりかけの仕事 |
Three frames cover almost everything:
- 〜かけの + noun — modifies a noun: 飲みかけのコーヒー ("a half-drunk coffee").
- 〜かけだ — ends the sentence: この仕事はまだやりかけだ ("this job is still half-done").
- 〜かける (verb) — conjugates like a verb: 言いかけて…, 倒れかけた ("almost collapsed").
More examples
先生、レポートはまだ書きかけです。
せんせい、レポートは まだ かきかけです。
Teacher, my report is still only half-written.
書きかけです = polite 〜かけだ.
弟は階段で転んで、けがをしかけた。
おとうとは かいだんで ころんで、けがを しかけた。
My little brother tripped on the stairs and nearly got hurt.
〜かけた often means 'almost did / was about to.'
その犬は道で死にかけていたが、助かった。
その いぬは みちで しにかけて いたが、たすかった。
The dog was on the verge of dying in the road, but it survived.
死にかけていた = was nearly dying.
Notice that with verbs like 死ぬ, 倒れる, 消える, the 〜かける form leans toward "nearly / on the verge of" rather than "literally started."
A note on 〜かけている
You'll also meet 〜かけている, which adds the て-いる aspect: 言いかけている ("is in the middle of starting to say"). It overlaps heavily with plain 〜かける and 〜かけだ; the difference is subtle, and for N3 you can treat 食べかけだ and 食べかけている as both meaning "it's half-eaten / partway." See 〜ている for the underlying aspect.
Don't confuse it with 〜ながら (or the verb かける)
〜ながら means doing two things at the same time (音楽を聞きながら勉強する = "study while listening to music"). 〜かけ is not simultaneity — it's an action left unfinished. 食べかけのパン is bread that was abandoned mid-bite, not bread eaten "while" doing something else.
Also note the unrelated everyday verb かける ("to hang, to put on, to make a call," etc. — see /vocabulary/n5/kakeru). That かける stands alone as its own verb; the grammar 〜かける only appears glued to a ます-stem. メガネをかける ("put on glasses") is the vocabulary verb, while 言いかける ("start to say") is the grammar pattern.
Common mistakes
- Using the dictionary or て-form instead of the stem. It's the ます-stem + かけ: 読みかけ (✓), not 読むかけ or 読んでかけ (✗).
- Treating かけ as a finished action. 〜かけ means incomplete — 食べかけのパン is not eaten up; it's half-eaten. If it's done, use 〜てしまう (食べてしまった = "ate it all up").
- Confusing it with 〜ながら. 〜ながら = "while (doing two things at once)"; 〜かけ = "started and stopped." They are not interchangeable.
- Mixing it up with the verb かける. メガネをかける (hang/wear) is a separate verb. The grammar only attaches to a verb stem (言いかける, 死にかける).
Quick recap
- 〜かけ = an action started but not finished; partway through.
- Form: ます-stem + かけ → 〜かけの (noun), 〜かけだ (sentence end), 〜かける (verb).
- With 死ぬ・倒れる etc., 〜かけた = "nearly / on the verge of."
- Not 〜ながら ("while"), and not the standalone verb かける ("to hang/wear/call").
Your turn
Choose the correct 〜かけ form (stem + かけの / かけだ / かけた).
Start the 5-question drill →Frequently asked questions
What does 〜かけ mean?
It marks an action that was started but not finished — partway through. 読みかけの本 is 'a book I'm in the middle of'; 食べかけのパン is 'half-eaten bread.'
How do I form 〜かけ?
Take the verb's ます-stem and add かけ: 食べる → 食べ → 食べかけ. Then use 〜かけの before a noun, 〜かけだ to end a sentence, or the verb 〜かける.
Is 〜かけ the same as 〜ながら?
No. 〜ながら means doing two actions at the same time ('while'). 〜かけ means an action was started and left unfinished. 食べかけのパン is bread abandoned mid-bite, not bread eaten 'while' doing something.
What does 死にかける mean?
Literally 'die' + かける. With verbs like 死ぬ or 倒れる, 〜かける leans toward 'nearly / on the verge of': 死にかけた = 'nearly died / was on the verge of dying.'