Where is everything?

I haven't posted on here for a few months now (and I feel like I've broken some law in doing so), but it's for a good reason, I swear. The last post I made before this was actually the very last grammar point in all of Tobira. So hurray! I actually completed it!

And to be honest, I am proud that I completed it, because it was not an easy book. Let's compare it to something like Genki - not only are the grammar points in Genki pretty basic and intuitive (at least it feels that way now), but they're also covered way more within each lesson. This includes pretty detailed explanations and example sentences with English translations so you know you're on the right track. It holds your hand.

In contrast, Tobira does not hold your hand. It gives a very concise explanation for each grammar point and follows that with 4-5 example sentences. It's not lacking, but it's quite succinct. The usage of that grammar point could vary a decent amount within those sentences, and so it's up to you to figure out that usage and translate the sentences on your own. This forces your brain to do a lot more work across each chapter (well, that and the fact that each chapter contains 15+ new points).

So, do I feel better or more knowledgeable when it comes to ~N3 level Japanese grammar now? Well actually, I think I do. I know there are some points from the book that I may've forgotten due to their specificity, but there were many more broad, commonly-used points that I've begun to internalize. I can see this now in my reading comprehension and in my Japanese knowledge in general.

Does that mean I'd consider myself ready to pass the N3 test? Probably not. I've never even taken a practice test, and so I'd probably be a little lost at first in terms of the types of questions being asked. But I think if I buckled down and prepared for it that it'd certainly be possible. Now it's mostly a question of whether I have any desire to do so.

I'm not really sure if I do want to, to be honest. Perhaps I'll consider it if I reach near fluency at some point and I want to be able to add that skill to my resume. But right now, a certificate for N4 or N3 would do me little good and would mostly stress me out when combined with all the other stuff that's going on in my life right now. So I think I'll stay where I am for the time being.

Of course, that doesn't mean that I've stopped my studies at all. I'm back on a regular study schedule now, doing WaniKani, Anki, reading, and some listening practice almost every day. I would like to broaden my reading practice with something more interesting like a light novel, but I also need to improve my vocabulary to make reading less painful. I suppose I should continue working on that right now...

しかたがない and しょうがない

A word in the て form plus しかたがない or しょうがない literally means that there is a situation occurring with no way to escape it. These are generally used when the speaker wants to express that they can't control their reaction to something, or that they can't bear it. The latter is more colloquial. It often translates as "can't help X-ing", "can't stop feeling X", or simply "so" (to heighten the feeling being described).

昨日は、4時間しか寝られなかったので、眠くてしようがない。
Yesterday I could only get 4 hours of sleep, so I'm totally exhausted today.

来年、日本に行けることになったので、嬉しくてしょうがない。
It turns out that I can go to Japan next year, so I'm over the moon.

昨日から頭が痛くてしかたがない。メガネが合わないのかもしれない。
My head's been hurting terribly since yesterday. My glasses may not be right.

あの先生の講義は退屈でしょうがない。
That teacher's lectures are so boring.

何から何まで

The expression 何から何まで can be used to mean "all", "anything and everything", or something similar to the English "from A to Z." It's a more emphatic way to express the general meaning of "all."

この製品に使われている物は、何から何までリサイクルできます。
Anything and everything that's used in this product can be recycled.

このアパートはできたばかりなので、何から何まで全部新しい。
This apartment was just built, so everything is new from top to bottom.

信じていた人にだまされて、何から何まで信じられなくなった。
I was deceived by someone whom I believed, and now I can't trust anything at all.

彼女はフランス語のことなら何から何まで知っている。
She knows French inside and out.

Verb stem + っぱなし

A verb stem + っぱなし can be used to express that something keeps happening, or someone keeps doing something, with that action often being something unfavorable. It can also express that someone started an action but didn't finish it properly. It's generally used in casual speech.

うちのチームは今日までずっと勝ちっぱなしだ。今シーズンはぜんぜん負けていない。
Up to today our team keeps on winning. We haven't lost at all this season.

疲れていたので、テレビをつけっぱなしにして寝てしまった。
Since I was tired, I kept leaving the TV on and falling asleep.

お湯をわかしっぱなしで忘れて寝てしまい、火事になりそうになった。
I left the water boiling, forgot about it and went to bed, and it looks like I ended up with a fire.

ルームメートはまた食べた皿を出しっぱなしのまま学校に行ってしまった。
My roommate keeps leaving out her plates that she's eaten from, and then going off to school.

Sentence + っけ

The add-on っけ can be used at the end of a sentence as a question marker in very casual situations. If it's used after a non-past verb, adjective, or ない, then んだ must be added before っけ.

この漢字って、どう読むんだっけ？
How do you read this kanji?

マイクさん、今、どこの大学に留学してたっけ？
Where's the university Mike's doing his studying abroad at?

この豆腐、古そうだよ。いつ買ったんだっけ？
This tofu seems old. When'd you buy it?

あのレストラン、おいしかったっけ？
Was that restaurant good?

と同時に

The expression と同時に can be used to express that an event takes place at the same time as another event, or that two separate situations are both simultaneously the case. It can be translated as "as soon as", "at the same time", "as well", or "also."

電車のドアが開くと同時に、多くの人が降りて来た。
The moment the train's doors opened, a bunch of people got off.

新しいゲームソフトは発売されると同時に、全部売れてしまった。
As soon as the new game was put on sale, it sold out completely.

12月に入ると同時に、急に寒くなった。
It quickly became cold as soon as we entered December.

この絵本は読んで面白いと同時に、考えさせられる。
I read this picture book and it was interesting, and it also made me think.

かえって

The word かえって can be used in a sentence when a result occurs that is contrary to your expectations. Though it can be translated literally as "on the contrary" or "rather", that often doesn't fit well into English sentences.

頭が痛かったので薬を飲んだら、かえってひどくなったしまった。
When I took some medicine since my head hurt, my head instead became worse.

急いでいたのでタクシーに乗ったら、道が混んでいて、かえって遅くなってしまった。
When I hurried so I could get a taxi, the road was crowded, and so I ended up going even slower.

よく切れない包丁はかえって危ないよ。
A kitchen knife that does not cut often is actually dangerous.

友達と大げんかをしたら、その後、かえって仲良くなった。
When I got in a huge fight with my friend, afterwards, we actually became closer.