「〜ものがある」is used when you want to say "I get the feeling that ...". It also expresses that there is some element that gives that impression, even though you cannot pinpoint exactly what it is.
A: This town has really changed, hasn't it? B: Yes, it has become more convenient, but it feels like it has turned into a different town, and there's something a bit lonely about it.
A: Yotsuba Trading is asking whether we could lower the price a bit more... B: Cutting the price any further would be quite difficult...
A：タンさんって才能あるよね。 B：私もそう思う。彼の絵にはすばらしいものがあるよね。
A: Mr. Tan is really talented, isn't he? B: I think so too. There is something moving about his paintings.
世界中で大ヒットした歌には、世代を超えて人々の心に響くものがある。
A song that becomes a worldwide hit has a certain power to reach people's hearts across generations.
What people say in everyday speech
つらい／しんどい
「〜ものがある」 is a softened, somewhat abstract expression: instead of stating a feeling directly, it says "there is something ... about it", which sounds reserved and a little formal. It is common in essays and commentary, and in conversation it is mostly used by adults speaking in a measured way (as in the dialogue examples above). In casual everyday talk, though, people would usually just say 「つらい」 or 「しんどい」 rather than 「つらいものがある」, adding an adverb like 「なんか」 or 「けっこう」 if they want emphasis.
Judging from the situation, the world economy is unlikely to recover soon. Our company, too, must think about countermeasures as quickly as possible.
どんなに生活習慣が変わっても、日本から畳の部屋がなくなることはあるまい。
No matter how lifestyles change, tatami rooms are unlikely to disappear from Japan.
双方の利害が対立しているので、A国との貿易問題は容易には解決するまい。
Because the interests of the two sides are opposed, the trade issue with Country A is unlikely to be resolved easily.
環境保護への関心は高まっているが、代替エネルギーの普及は簡単には進むまい。
Interest in environmental protection is growing, but the spread of alternative energy is unlikely to proceed easily.
What people say in everyday speech
感じない人はいないだろう／いないんじゃない
「〜まい」is a strongly classical-sounding negative conjecture meaning "probably won't ...". It appears in formal written contexts such as commentary, essays and speeches, and is almost never used in everyday conversation. To say the same thing in speech, you would say 「感じない人はいないだろう」, or more casually 「感じない人、いないんじゃない？」. The ending 「まい」 has all but disappeared from modern spoken Japanese and survives only in writing and in a few fixed expressions (for example, when swearing an oath, as in 「二度と〜まい」).
Plus「絶対〜するのはやめよう」という強い意志★★
「〜まい」は「絶対〜するのはやめよう」という強い意志を表すこともある。
「〜まい」can also express a strong determination meaning "I will never do ... again".
有名レストランへ行ったが、そのサービスの悪さに二度と行くまいと思った。
I went to a famous restaurant, but the service was so bad that I decided never to go there again.
彼女に振られた直後は、もう恋なんかするまいと思っていたが…。
Right after she dumped me, I thought I would never fall in love again...
お酒を飲みすぎて階段から落ちてから、もう二度とお酒は飲むまいと心に誓った。
After I got drunk and fell down the stairs, I swore never to drink again.
Whenever I see children running around on the train, I can't help wanting to say that they should be properly disciplined at home.
戦争の悲惨な体験を聞くにつけ、平和の大切さを痛感する。
Every time I hear about the horrors people experienced in war, I keenly feel how precious peace is.
環境汚染のニュースを聞くにつけ、健康への影響に不安を感じる。
Whenever I hear news about environmental pollution, I feel anxious about its effects on health.
よいにつけ悪いにつけ、人はうわさ話をしたがるようだ。
For better or for worse, people seem to love gossiping.
母は何かにつけ、心配して電話してくる。
My mother worries about everything and calls me whenever anything happens.
What people say in everyday speech
見ると／見るたびに
「〜につけ」("whenever ...") has a rather refined, written tone and is common in essays and commentary for summing up a reflection. In speech, 「見ると」 or 「見るたびに」 is far more common. For example, the lesson's sentence 「日々耐えている乗客を見るにつけ」 would be said as 「毎日我慢してる乗客を見ると」 or 「見るたびに」 in conversation. The meaning is the same, but it loses that cultured, bookish flavor.
As in 「この部屋は、広いわりに家賃が安い」(This room is cheap in rent for how spacious it is), the form 「〜わりに…」expresses "compared with the degree you would reasonably expect from 〜 (spacious means expensive rent), ... (the rent is cheap)".
Connection PI ＋ わりに ［なAだな Nだの］
Examples
この料理は簡単なわりに豪華に見えるので来客のときによく作るんです。
This dish is simple to make but looks quite impressive, so I often make it when we have guests.
彼女は映画が好きだと言うわりには、映画のことを知らない。
She says she likes movies, but she doesn't know much about them.
祖父は年齢のわりに若く見える。
My grandfather looks young for his age.
安田さん、テニスが嫌いだと言っていたわりには、熱心に練習していますね。
Yasuda, you said you hated tennis, but you're practicing quite seriously, aren't you?
What people say in everyday speech
混んでるわりに
「〜わりには」is actually one of the few grammar points in this textbook that is equally common in writing and speech: saying 「このお店、安いわりにおいしいよね」 in casual chat sounds perfectly natural. The only difference is that written text often uses the fuller 「〜わりには」, while in speech it is frequently shortened to 「〜わりに」. For example, the lesson's 「混んでいるわりには座れる」 becomes 「混んでるわりに座れるんだよね」 when spoken quickly. This is a natural contraction in speech, not a replacement by a different expression.
When I was watching a speed-eating contest, the contestants were already reaching for the next dish before the food had barely gone into their mouths.
5時になるかならないかのうちに、彼はさっさと帰り仕度を始めた。
Just as it was about to turn 5 o'clock, he was already briskly starting to get ready to go home.
早朝から開店セールに並んだ人たちはドアが開くか開かないかのうちに、どっと店内になだれ込んだ。
The people who had been lined up since early morning for the store-opening sale rushed into the store the moment the doors had barely opened.
What people say in everyday speech
立ったとたんに／立ってすぐ
「〜か〜ないかのうちに」("in the instant before ... was even over") is a rather complex, very literary time expression, often used in essays and novels to create a sense of urgency, as in "quick as a flash". In everyday speech, a much simpler 「〜たとたんに」 or 「〜てすぐ」 is more common. For example, 「彼女が立つか立たないかのうちに」 would be said as 「彼女が立ったとたん」 in conversation. Some of the vivid, on-the-spot feeling is lost, but it fits the rhythm of casual speech better.
The project members reported their success with proud expressions.
映画のラストシーンで、主人公がさびしげに微笑んだのが印象的だった。
In the final scene of the movie, the protagonist's lonely smile left a strong impression.
彼女はしかられている間、何か言いたげだったが、結局何も言わなかった。
While she was being scolded, she seemed to want to say something, but in the end she said nothing.
夏はやっぱり涼しげなワンピースがいいですね。
In summer, a dress that looks cool is the best choice, isn't it?
What people say in everyday speech
楽しそうにおしゃべりしてる
「〜げ」(a written equivalent of 「〜そうだ」) is mostly seen in novels and essays describing people's looks and expressions, in literary words like 「さびしげ」 and 「言いたげ」. In everyday speech, people almost always use just 「〜そう」. For example, the lesson's 「楽しげにおしゃべりしている」 is simply 「楽しそうにしゃべってる」 in conversation. The ending 「〜げ」 itself is a leftover from classical Japanese, and using it in speech sounds very bookish, even a little affected.
「AやらBやら」has the same meaning as 「AやBなど」and 「AたりBたり」. By giving examples, it expresses the feeling that things are "a complicated mix, a hardship, or a surprise". It is sometimes also used to convey a sense of "not being sure which it is".
Connection Vる／いA／N ＋ やら ＋ Vる／いA／N ＋ やら
Examples
部屋代やら、交通費やら、日本はとにかくお金がかかる。
Rent, transportation costs and so on: in Japan, things cost a lot of money no matter what.
酔った彼女は、泣くやら、わめくやら、手がつけられない状態だった。
The drunk woman was crying and yelling, and was completely out of control.
海で子どもを助けたことが新聞に載って、うれしいやら恥ずかしいやら…。
The fact that I had rescued a child at the beach was reported in the newspaper, and I was both happy and embarrassed...
What people say in everyday speech
悔しいし、うらやましいし
「AやらBやら」lists examples to express mixed, tangled feelings, with a slightly essay-like tone of heartfelt sighing. A simpler way to say it in speech is 「AしBし」, or simply lining up two items. For example, the lesson's 「くやしいやらうらやましいやら」 is said as 「悔しいし、うらやましいし…」 or 「悔しいのと羨ましいのと両方」 in conversation. The listing particle 「やら」 appears much less often in speech than in writing.
Used to emphasize that a situation has changed suddenly. It is not used to describe your own actions.
Connection Vた ＋ ［かと思うと／かと思ったら］
Examples
青空を飛んでいた鳥は突然海に潜ったかと思うと、魚を口にくわえて出てきた。
A bird flying in the blue sky suddenly dove into the sea, and no sooner had it done so than it came back up with a fish in its beak.
工場でドンと大きな音がしたかと思うと、真っ赤な火が燃え広がった。
There was a loud thud in the factory, and the very next moment bright red flames spread.
空が光ったかと思ったら、校庭の桜の木に大きな雷が落ちた。
The sky flashed, and immediately a huge bolt of lightning struck the cherry tree in the schoolyard.
この前、絵画クラブに入ったかと思ったら、今度はテニス部。妹はすぐ飽きてしまうようだ。
Not long ago she joined the art club, and now it's the tennis club. My younger sister seems to get bored quickly.
What people say in everyday speech
降りたと思ったら
The connection column for this grammar point itself lists two coexisting forms, 「かと思うと／かと思ったら」. 「かと思うと」 has a slightly heavier written tone and is common in essays describing a sudden turn of events, while 「かと思ったら」 is a more casual version of the same pattern, and in everyday chat people almost only use 「かと思ったら」. For example, 「乗客が降りたかと思うと」 becomes 「降りたと思ったら、もっと乗ってきて」 in conversation. In other words, you do not need to look for a separate substitute; just remember: 「かと思うと」 in essays, 「かと思ったら」 in speech.