Wednesday, April 11, 2018

と並んで

The phrase と並んで can be used to provide examples to compare to the main subject of a sentence. It's usually seen in written language and is often translated as "as well as" or "just like."

アラビア語は、日本語やロシア語と並んで難しい言葉だと言われている。
Arabic is a language that's said to be difficult, just like Japanese and Russian.

リーさんは、彼女と並んで、優しい人だよね。
Lee-san, along with his girlfriend, are nice people.

この大学のビジネス学部は、医学部と並んで入るのが難しいらしい。
This university's business department seems to be difficult to get into, just like medical school.

作ったケーキは、野菜や果物と並んで、このパーティーに美味しい食べ物だな。
The cake that I made, as well as the fruits and vegetables, will be delicious foods for this party.

Tuesday, April 10, 2018

Noun の上で

A noun + の上で, or a noun + の上 can be used to indicate that a statement only refers to that particular noun. It's common in written language and generally translates as "in terms of", "from the viewpoint of", "as far as", or "according to."

日本の国土は狭そうに思われているが、数字の上で見ると、そうでもない。
Japan's national land is thought of as small, but when you look at it from a numeric perspective, that's not the case.

この公園は地区の上では家から近いように見えるが、歩くと結構時間がかかる。
According to the map, this park looks like it's close to home, but when walking it takes a fair bit of time.

田中さんは、健康上の問題があって、仕事を辞めた。
Tanaka-san had health problems, so he quit work.

日本の歴史上、明治維新は大きい意味を持っている。
In terms of Japanese history, the Meiji Restoration holds great significance.

Monday, April 9, 2018

からすると

The phrase からすると is typically used after a noun or noun phrase to introduce the source or basis for one's judgment. It generally translates as "judging from..."

キッチンから流れてくるにおいからすると、今日の晩ご飯はカレーライスかなあ。
Judging by the smell coming from the kitchen, I wonder if tonight's dinner is curry rice.

リーさんの顔からすると、日曜日に試合でチームは敗れちゃったんだな。
Judging by Lee-san's face, his team was defeated in the match on Sunday.

この内容からすると、このマンガは子供向けではなく、大人向けのマンガだろう。
Judging by the contents, this manga probably isn't aimed at kids, but is aimed at adults.

猫のお腹からすると、焼き鳥をたくさん食べたばかりよね。
Judging by the cat's stomach, he just ate a bunch of the roast chicken.

べき

A plain verb + べき can be used to express the strong judgment that someone should do something. If a する verb is used, it can be written as either すべき or するべき. The べき portion can be conjugated to the negative or past with じゃない and だった as if it were a normal noun.

自分で出来ることは、自分ですべきだ。
You should do things that you can do on your own, on your own.

電車の中や病院などでは、携帯電話を使うべきではない。
In things like trains and hospitals, you shouldn't use your phone.

彼は彼女と結婚するべきではなかったと思う。
I don't think that he should've married her.

するべきことが多すぎて、時間はいくらあっても足りない。
I have too many things I should do, and not enough time.

Friday, April 6, 2018

に至るまで

The sentence structure Noun1 + から Noun2 + に至るまで can be used to indicate a span of time or space, while emphasizing the size or distance of it. It can be translated as "from X all the way to Y" and is generally used in writing.

北海道から沖縄に至るまで、同じ時間に同じNHKニュースが見られます。
From Hokkaido all the way to Okinawa, you can watch the same NHK news at the same time.

私の家からリーさんの家に至るまで、ガソリンスタンドがないんだな。
From my house all the way to Lee-san's, there is no gas station.

このゲームは子供から大人に至るまで、誰でも楽しめます。
From kids all the way to adults, anyone can enjoy this game.

スバル君はここから海岸に至るまで、砂だけだと言ってたんだよね。
Subaru-kun said that from here all the way to the coast, there is only sand.

~ずつ

A number or amount + ずつ can be used to express that something happens X at a time, or per X interval, or little by little.

私は毎日漢字を五つずつ覚えることにしている。
I make it a practice to learn five kanji every day.

みんなが同時に話さないで、一人ずつ順番に話して下さい。
Without everyone speaking at the same time, please speak in turns, one at a time.

「とびら」サイトを利用する人が毎日少しずつ増えている。
The amount of people using the Tobira site increases a little each day.

ホテルのビュッフェで色々な種類の料理をちょっとずつ食べてみた。
At the hotel buffet, I tried the variety of food little by little.

Thursday, April 5, 2018

と共に

The phrase と共に (とともに) can be used to express that something occurs or is done alongside X. It generally translates as "together", "with", or "along with."

地震と共に、火事やつなみが起こった。
Along with the earthquake, fires and a tsunami occurred.

両親が亡くなった後、私は兄と共に二人で助け合って生きてきました。
After our parents died, my brother and I helped one another to continue living.

言葉は時代と共に変化する。
Language changes together with the time period.

コンピュータの普及と共に、Eメールを使う人が増えた。
With the spread of computers, people who use email increased.