～がち — Tend to, often (usually something bad) | JLPT N3 grammar

Meaning

“Tends to happen, is prone to”: something that keeps recurring, usually unwelcome — 忘れがち (keep forgetting), 病気がち (often sick), 曇りがち (mostly cloudy). Unlike 気味, it is about repetition, not a slight condition right now.

Formation

Vます stem＋がち: 忘れます → 忘れがち, 遠慮します → 遠慮しがち
N＋がち: 病気 → 病気がち, 留守 → 留守がち, 曇り → 曇りがち
Special form: あります → ありがち, “common, clichéd”
Predicate: がちだ／がちです; before a noun: がちな＋N or がちの＋N; linking: がちで、…

When to use it

Where to use it: For habits, weak points and typical patterns of people and things: 一人暮らしは野菜が不足しがちだ, 冬は家にこもりがちになる. Common in advice and “that's how it usually goes” observations.
Where not to use it: It does not describe one isolated instant without recurrence: for one oversleeping incident, use 寝坊してしまった. For simple praise of a habit, prefer よく〜する; がち can suggest an unwelcome tendency. Neutral “easy to do” is やすい.

Examples

20 sentences

忙しいいそがしいと、つい食事しょくじを抜きぬきがちだ。
When I'm busy, I tend to skip meals.
雨あめの日ひは、傘かさを電車でんしゃに忘れわすれがちです。
On rainy days, people tend to leave their umbrellas on the train.
子どもこどもの頃ころは病気びょうきがちで、よく学校がっこうを休んでやすんでいた。
I was a sickly child and often missed school.
今週こんしゅうは曇りくもりがちの天気てんきが続くつづくでしょう。
Mostly cloudy weather will continue this week.
冬ふゆは家いえにこもりがちだから、なるべく散歩さんぽしよう。
We tend to stay cooped up indoors in winter, so let's go for walks when we can.
わからないことがあっても、新人しんじんは遠慮えんりょしがちだ。
Even when something is unclear, new employees tend to hold back from asking.
それは初心者しょしんしゃにありがちなミスですね。
That's a mistake beginners often make.
父ちちは出張しゅっちょうが多くておおくて、留守るすがちです。
My father travels a lot for work, so he's often away from home.

12 more examples

一人暮らしひとりぐらしだと、野菜やさいが不足ふそくしがちじゃないですか？
When you live alone, don't you tend not to eat enough vegetables?
うちの古いふるい時計とけいは遅れおくれがちだから、あてにならない。
Our old clock tends to run slow, so you can't rely on it.
寝不足ねぶそくだと、仕事しごとでミスをしがちです。
When you're short on sleep, you tend to make mistakes at work.
彼女かのじょは遠慮えんりょがちに手てを挙げたあげた。
She raised her hand hesitantly.
最近さいきんは雨あめがちで、洗濯物せんたくものがなかなか乾かないかわかない。
It's been rainy a lot lately, and the laundry just won't dry.
人ひとに頼りたよりがちな性格せいかくを直したいなおしたい。
I want to fix my habit of relying on other people.
ドラマにありがちな展開でてんかいで、結末けつまつがすぐわかった。
It was a typical TV-drama plot, so I could tell how it would end right away.
春はるは気温きおんの変化へんかが大きくおおきく、体調たいちょうを崩しくずしがちです。
In spring the temperature swings a lot, so people tend to get sick.
スマホを見てみていると、つい夜更かしよふかししがちだ。
When I'm on my phone, I tend to end up staying up late.
どうして人ひとは、楽ならくなほうを選びえらびがちなんだろう？
Why do people tend to choose the easy way?
若者わかものは本ほんを読まないよまないと思われおもわれがちだが、そうでもない。
People often assume young people don't read books, but that's not really true.
病気びょうきがちの祖母そぼのために、母ははは仕事しごとを減らしたへらした。
My mother cut back on work for the sake of my grandmother, who is often ill.

Important notes

The verb keeps its object: 傘を忘れがち, 食事を抜きがち — this is what separates がち from っぽい.
Often paired with つい, どうしても or a と-condition (忙しいと、つい…がちだ): “it just ends up that way”.

Common mistakes

✗ 忘れるがち → ✓ 忘れがち — がち attaches to the ます-stem, not the dictionary form.
✗ 今朝は寝坊しがちだった → ✓ 今朝は寝坊してしまった — がち is for recurring things, not a single event.
△ 彼はよく人を助けがちだ (as simple praise) → 彼はよく人を助ける — がち normally highlights an unwelcome tendency, potentially “helps even when he should not.” It is not a grammar error, just the wrong tone for praise.

Check yourself

Pick the translation of each sentence. The wrong options translate similar patterns, so watch the grammar rather than the words.

Sentence 1: 一人暮らしひとりぐらしだと、野菜やさいが不足ふそくしがちじゃないですか？ When you live alone, don't you tend not to eat enough vegetables?Haven't you been getting a bit too little exercise lately?Where did you get that whitish shirt?
Sentence 2: ドラマにありがちな展開でてんかいで、結末けつまつがすぐわかった。 I think I'm coming down with a cold, so I'll go to bed early tonight.It was a typical TV-drama plot, so I could tell how it would end right away.My brother is a grown-up, but he thinks like a child.
Sentence 3: 病気びょうきがちの祖母そぼのために、母ははは仕事しごとを減らしたへらした。 Work has been hectic lately, and I'm a bit worn out.My grandmother has gotten a little forgetful lately.My mother cut back on work for the sake of my grandmother, who is often ill.