Grammar
Practical guides on speaking, grammar, pronunciation, listening, and study planning, written for learners who want to use Japanese in real life.
Grammar · Page 3
Japanese に反して: A Result Against Expectations or Rules
に反して highlights a result that goes against a named standard or expectation.
4 min readJapanese 次第: Taking Action As Soon As Something Is Ready
Verb-stem 次第 promises that the next action will follow promptly once the first finishes.
4 min readJapanese 最中に: An Interruption in the Middle of an Activity
最中に places a second event right in the active middle of a first activity.
4 min readJapanese とはいえ: Acknowledging a Fact Before Qualifying It
とはいえ accepts the first statement, then limits what can be concluded from it.
4 min readJapanese ずじまい: Ending Up Without Doing What You Intended
ずじまい looks back on an opportunity that passed without the intended action.
4 min readJapanese ところだった: Saying Something Almost Happened
ところだった describes an event that came close to happening but did not.
4 min readJapanese につき: Reading 'Due To' and 'Per' in Notices
につき often appears on signs to give a formal reason or a per-unit rate.
4 min readJapanese を兼ねて: Doing One Activity for Two Purposes
を兼ねて presents one activity as serving an additional purpose.
4 min readJapanese に限って: Why It Happened at the Worst Possible Time
に限って can single out an inconvenient occasion when an unlikely problem occurs.
4 min readJapanese というより: Correcting a Description Mid-Sentence
というより lets you revise one description into a more accurate one.
4 min readJapanese とともに: Together With, and As Something Changes
とともに can mean together with something or changing alongside it.
4 min readJapanese ものだから: Giving a Personal Explanation or Excuse
ものだから gives a reason with a personal, sometimes apologetic tone.
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