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.

以来

The word 以来 can be used with て form verbs or with nouns to refer to a specific time in the past. It usually translates as "since."

大学に入って以来、高校時代の友達に一度も会っていない。
Since I started college, I haven't seen my high school friends a single time.

携帯電話が登場して以来、街の公衆電話が少なくなった。
Since the introduction of cell phones, the number of pay phones in cities has decreased.

9/11以来、飛行機に乗る時のセキュリティチェックがとても厳しくなった。
Since 9/11, the security checks done when flying have become very strict.

父は10年前に亡くなった。それ以来、母は一人で私達兄弟を育ててくれた。
My father passed away before I was 10. Since then, my mother has raised my siblings and I by herself.

たった

The word たった can be used with numbers or counters to emphasize the small number or amount of the noun that follows.

昨日は大雪で、授業に来た学生はたったの四人だった。
Because of the heavy snow yesterday, there were only 4 students who came to class.

インスタントラーメンは、たった3分でできるので便利です。
Instant ramen can be made in only three steps, so it's really handy.

あの喫茶店ではコーヒーがたったの200円で飲めるそうだ。
I hear you can get coffee at that cafe for only 200 yen.

先月は忙しくて、たった二日しか、休めなかった。
I was so busy last month that I could only take 2 days off.

に従って

The phrase に従って uses the verb 従う, which typically means "to obey" or "to abide by" to literally state "following." However, it's most often used in sentences with nouns to express "in accordance with X", or "following X."

先生のアドバイスに従って勉強したら、成績がよくなった。
If you study following sensei's advice, your grades will improve.

会議で決まったことに従ってプロジェクトを進めてください。
Please proceed with the project in accordance with what we decided at the meeting.

先輩の意見に従って、夏はアルバイトをせずに、クラスを取ることにした。
Following senpai's opinion, in the summer instead of doing a part-time job, I've decided to take classes.

大学の寮に住む場合には、寮の規則に従って生活しなければならない。
In the case that I live in the college dorms, I'll have to live in accordance with the dorm rules.

何より

The expression 何より(も) can be used to elevate something, often translating as "before everything", "above all", "more than anything else", or simply "the most."

私はこの教科書が大好きだ。何より、単語と漢字が覚えやすいというのがいい。
I really like this textbook. Most of all, the easy to remember kanji and vocab is great.

私にとって何よりも大切なのは、家族の幸せです。
For me, the most important thing is the happiness of my family.

私は家で本を読むのが何よりも好きです。
I like reading a book at home more than anything.

リーさんはアリスに会いに帰ってくる何よりも欲しがってるな。
More than anything, Lee-san wants to come home to see Alice.

後の

The expression 後の can be followed by a counter or noun to express "the remaining X" or "the rest of X." The の is optional, but can be used to distinguish it from the case where 後 + noun means "more." In that expression の is not used.

このクラスには学生が15人いる。大学生が12人、大学院生が1人、後の2人は高校生だ。
There are 15 students in this class. 12 are college students, 1 is a grad student, and the remaining 2 are high school students.

1週間の旅行のうち、三日間は東京に、後の四日間は京都に行く予定だ。
For my week trip, I'll be in Tokyo for 3 days, and then I'm scheduled to go to Kyoto for the remaining 4 days.

これは私の物です。でも、後の物は全部ルームメイトの物です。
This is my stuff. But all the rest of the stuff is my roommate's.

日本語の宿題は今晩しますが、後の宿題は明日するつもりです。
I'll do my Japanese homework tonight, but I plan to do the rest of my homework tomorrow.

のうち

The structure X + のうち(で) can be used to indicate the total entity of X when presenting a smaller portion of X. This often translates to something like "Out of 100 people..."

1週間のうち、三日はアルバイトに行きます。
I go to my part-time job three days a week.

私が今学期取っている授業のうちで、宿題がないのはダンスのクラスだけだ。
Of the classes I'm taking this semester, dance class is the only one that doesn't have homework.

毎月もらう給料のうち、2割は家賃のために使います。
Out of the salary I receive every month, I use 20% of it for rent.

このクラスの12人の学生のうち、男子学生は8人で、4人が女子学生だ。
Among the 12 students in this class, 8 are guys and 4 are girls.

も Verbば + も Verb

The sentence structure も Verbば + も Verb can be used to present two examples of possible actions or states, which are often contrastive. We've seen this grammatical structure before on a slightly smaller scale. It often translates as "some do ~ and others do ~", "sometimes ~ and other times ~", or "there are times when ~ and times when ~."

海に行きたい人もいれば、山に行きたい人もいて、旅行の計画が全然決まらない。
Some people want to go to the ocean, and others want to go to the mountains, so plans for this trip haven't been decided at all.

人生は考え方次第で、楽しくもなれば、苦しくもなる。
Depending on how you think about life, it could either be enjoyable, or it could be agonizing.

この仕事は危険でもあれば大変でもある。しかし誰かがやらなければならないのだ。
There are times when this job is dangerous, and times where it's tough. But somebody has to do it.

子供の頃は、兄弟とよく遊びもすれば、けんかもしたものだ。
When I was a kid, there were times when I often played with my siblings, and times when I fought with them.

少なくとも

The adverb 少なくとも can be used with nouns or numbers to express "at (the) least" or "to say the least." The particle は can follow the noun or number/counter to further emphasize that word.

どんなに忙しくても、少なくとも6時間は寝た方がいいですよ。
No matter how busy you are, you should get at least 6 hours of sleep.

来年は、少なくとも3つは授業を取らなければいけない。
Next year, I have to take at least three classes.

人に何かしてもらったら、少なくともお礼は言った方がいい。
If someone gives you something, you should at least tell them thank you.

このことについては、少なくとも先生には話をしておいた方がいいと思う。
As for that matter, I think you should at least have a talk with sensei about it.

いかに

The word いかに can be used in embedded questions within sentences to express "how", "how much", or "in what way." It's commonly used in written language.

リサーチを通して、私達がいかにエネルギーを無駄に使っているかを知った。
In doing research, we found out how much energy is wasted.

この問題をいかに解決すべきか、みんなで話し合わなくてはならない。
As for how we should solve this problem, we should discuss it with everyone.

母の料理がいかにおいしいかは、言葉では説明できない。
I can't explain with words how good my mom's cooking is.

外国に住んでみて、初めて、外国語を勉強することがいかに大切か、よく分かった。
It was only when I tried living in a foreign country that I understood how important it is to study the language.

ちゃんと and きちんと

The words ちゃんと and きちんと can be used to indicate that an action is done properly, regularly, adequately, neatly, or in good order. ちゃんと is the more colloquial of the two.

漢字を書く時は、文字のバランスもよく考えながら、点や線をきちんと書いて下さい。
When writing kanji, while thinking about the balance of the characters, please properly write the lines and points.

きちんと話さないと、相手に自分の言いたいことが伝えられませんよ。
If you don't speak adequately, the things you want to say will not be conveyed to your partner.

健康のためには、朝ご飯はちゃんと食べて、夜も6時間以上は寝た方がいいですよ。
For the sake of your health, you should eat a proper breakfast and sleep for at least six hours at night.

私は寮の規則をきちんと守って生活している。
I live abiding by the rules of the dorms.

Passive Verbs for Politeness

The passive form of a verb can be used in place of the casual or -masu forms when the speaker wants to show politeness to someone. This level of politeness is not as high as the honorific form, but is still above the others. Note that for いる, the passive form in this case would be おられる.

ピアノ、お上手ですね。いつ始められたんですか。
You're good at piano. When did you begin playing?

先生はテニスをされるんですね。知りませんでした。
Sensei plays tennis? I didn't know that.

へえ。日本では四国に住んでおられたんですか。暖かいし、海もきれいだし、いい所ですよね。
Oh, so you lived in Shikoku in Japan? It's a nice place, it's warm and the ocean is beautiful.

スミス先生は、僕の日本語の先生である森先生を知っておられるそうだ。
I hear that Smith-sensei knows my Japanese teacher, Mori-sensei.

とは限らない

A sentence or phrase + とは限らない can be used to express that something isn't necessarily the case, or isn't always true. It helps to remember that the verb 限る means "to limit" and think of it as "this situation isn't limited to..."

お金がたくさんあっても幸せとは限らない。貧しくても幸せな人もたくさんいる。
Having a lot of money doesn't necessarily mean you're happy. There are plenty of people who are happy even though they're poor.

両親や先生がいつも正しいとは限らないが、一応、アドバイスはもらっておいた方がいい。
Parents and teachers aren't necessarily always right, but for now, it's best to get their advice.

上手な選手がいなくても、負けるとは限らない。チームワークで勝てることもある。
Just because there aren't any skilled players doesn't mean they'll lose. Being able to win takes teamwork too.

日本語の先生がいつも日本人だとは限らない。とてもいい外国人の先生もたくさんいる。
Japanese teachers aren't always Japanese people. There are lots of very good foreign teachers too.

次第

The word 次第 can be added to nouns as a suffix to provide the meaning "depending on..."

この授業でいい成績が取れるかどうかは、期末のレポート次第だ。
Whether I can get a good grade in this class depends on the end of term report.

日曜日のピクニックはお天気次第ですよ。雨が降れば来週に延期されるそうです。
Sunday's picnic depends on the weather. If it rains, I hear it'll be postponed to next week.

漢字の勉強は覚え方次第で大変じゃなくなりますよ。
Kanji studies don't have to be difficult, depending on how you learn it.

このプロジェクトは、社長の考え次第で変わる可能性がある。
It's possible that this project will change, depending on the manager's plans.