Kakeru (Almost)

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Note

Shimau seems to be of the opposite meaning: "is used to indicate the completion of an action, often with a sense of finality or unintended consequence."

In Japanese grammar, "kakeru" (かける) can be used to express the idea of "almost" or "on the verge of" doing something. This form is often used to indicate that something was about to happen but did not actually occur. Here's how to use it: "Kakeru" (かける) as "Almost" Formation:

Take the verb stem (remove the ます form of the verb).

Add "kakeru" (かける).

Examples:

食べる (taberu, to eat) -> 食べかける (tabekakeru, to almost eat)

死ぬ (shinu, to die) -> 死にかける (shinikakeru, to almost die)

言う (iu, to say) -> 言いかける (iikakeru, to almost say)

Conjugation:

Present/Future: Verb stem + かける (kakeru)

Past: Verb stem + かけた (kaketa)

Negative: Verb stem + かけない (kakenai)

Past Negative: Verb stem + かけなかった (kakenakatta)

Examples in Sentences:

私は食べかけたパンを置いた。 (Watashi wa tabekaketa pan o oita.)
    I put down the bread I was about to eat.

彼は死にかけたが、病院に運ばれて助かった。 (Kare wa shinikaketa ga, byouin ni hakobarete tasukatta.)
    He was on the verge of dying, but he was taken to the hospital and saved.

彼女は言いかけたが、言わなかった。 (Kanojo wa iikaketa ga, iwanakatta.)
    She almost said something, but she didn't.

Usage Notes:

"Kakeru" is typically used in contexts where an action was initiated but not completed, emphasizing the imminence or the near occurrence of the action.
It can be used with both positive and negative outcomes, depending on the context.

Additional Examples:

電車に乗りかけたとき、ドアが閉まった。 (Densha ni norikaketa toki, doa ga shimatta.)
    Just as I was about to get on the train, the door closed.

その本はまだ読みかけです。 (Sono hon wa mada yomikake desu.)
    I have not finished reading that book yet (I'm still in the middle of reading it).

忘れかけた夢を思い出した。 (Wasurekaketa yume o omoidashita.)
    I remembered a dream I had almost forgotten.

In summary, "kakeru" (かける) is used to indicate that an action was nearly completed or about to happen. It is a useful way to express "almost" or "on the verge of" in Japanese.