JLPT N3 · Sentence patterns

確（たし）かに (tashika ni)

確かに — “certainly / admittedly”

In short · 確かに is an adverb meaning “certainly, indeed.” It confirms that something is true, or admits a fact before adding a contrasting point with が or けれど: “Admittedly ～, but ….” It is common in both speech and writing.

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Pattern

確かに＋文 確かに + sentence: indeed (agreeing)
確かに〜が／けれど、〜 Admittedly ～, but ～ (concession then contrast)

Agreeing: “it is true”

Used alone, 確かに confirms what was said or what the speaker has just realized: 確かに彼の言う通りだ. It sounds like “Now that you mention it, yes.”

Admitting, then contrasting

A very common pattern is 確かに A が、B. You first admit A, then give the point you really want to make. 確かに難しい問題だが、できないことはない. The listener sees that you respect the opposing view.

Notes on use

It goes before the clause it modifies and does not change form. When the whole point is to disagree, the second half after が/けれど carries the main message.

Examples

確（たし）かに彼（かれ）の言（い）う通（とお）りだ。

Tashika ni kare no iu tōri da.

Certainly, it's just as he says.
確（たし）かに難（むずか）しい問題（もんだい）だが、できないことはない。

Tashika ni muzukashii mondai da ga, dekinai koto wa nai.

It's certainly a hard problem, but it's not impossible.

Admit the difficulty first, then say the main point.
この料理（りょうり）は確（たし）かに少（すこ）し辛（から）いが、とてもおいしい。

Kono ryōri wa tashika ni sukoshi karai ga, totemo oishii.

This dish is admittedly a bit spicy, but it's very tasty.

Common mistakes

In the “admittedly ～, but …” pattern, do not forget the contrast word (が, けれど) afterwards. Without it, the sentence stays only an agreement.
確かに is about facts you accept. For a guess, use たぶん or きっと instead.

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