Kawaguchi: When it comes to walking shoes, people tend to focus on how easy they are to walk in rather than how they look, but for women, design is still what really decides the purchase.
Once we've finished the market research, let's come up with a product that responds to the voices of young working adults, one that is "great-looking and outstanding in function."
In forms such as 「〜とか言っていた」, it is used to relay information you have heard, often with the nuance of "I'm not sure it's accurate". Words such as 「言っていた」 are sometimes omitted.
Connection PI ＋ とか
Examples
息子さんが今度結婚なさるとか。おめでとうございます。
I hear your son is getting married soon. Congratulations.
A：山田さん、今日休み？ B：さっき電話があって、熱があるとか。大丈夫でしょうか。
A: Is Mr. Yamada off today? B: There was a call a little while ago, and I gather he has a fever or something. I wonder if he'll be all right.
今年は花火大会、中止だとか。本当ですか。
I hear this year's fireworks festival has been canceled or something. Is that true?
え！今日ハイキングに行くの！？テレビで台風が来るとか言ってたよ。
What! You're going hiking today!? They said on TV that a typhoon might be coming, you know.
天気予報によると、来週は暑さが厳しいとか。熱中症に注意が必要ですね。
According to the weather forecast, next week is supposed to be brutally hot. We'll need to watch out for heatstroke.
What people say in everyday speech
〜んだって／〜らしいよ
「とか」 is already the most colloquial of the ways of reporting hearsay such as 「そうだ」 and 「ということだ」, and this case is actually the reverse of the others: the 「とか」 in the lesson is already something coworkers would use in casual conversation, so it is not stiff. If you want to be even more casual, friends can also say 「〜んだって」 or 「〜らしいよ」, which sound a bit more certain than 「とか」 and are more common between close friends. This is given for reference and comparison.
「〜にそって」means "in accordance with ..." or "in line with ...".
Connection N ＋ ［にそって／にそう／にそった＋N］ ＊「マニュアル・方針・案内・道順」などの言葉と一緒に使われる。「希望・要望・意向・期待＋にそうよう」などの言い方もある。
Examples
2人は夕暮れの道を川にそって歩き続けた。
The two of them kept walking along the road in the dusk, following the river.
お客様への対応はマニュアルにそって行うこと。
Please handle customers in accordance with the manual.
今度の展覧会では「平和」というテーマにそった作品を展示しています。
This exhibition shows works created along the theme of "peace."
国民の皆様のご期待にそうよう、努力いたします。
We will do our best to live up to the expectations of the people.
What people say in everyday speech
〜に合わせて
「にそって」is common in texts such as manuals, policies and guides (for example 「マニュアルにそって」), and said aloud in the workplace it has the ring of a report or briefing. A more casual way to say the same thing in everyday speech is 「〜に合わせて」, as in 「業界の流れに合わせて新製品を作ってる」. The meaning is the same, but it lacks the formal, by-the-book feel of 「にそって」.
By limiting the scope to a certain field ("when it comes to ..."), 「〜にかけては」expresses that in that field one is "at the top level" or "confident".
Connection N ＋ にかけては
Examples
日本酒造りにかけては彼の右に出る者はいない。
When it comes to brewing sake, no one can match him.
コンピューターの知識にかけては誰にも負けないつもりだ。
When it comes to computer knowledge, I don't intend to lose to anyone.
伊藤君は勉強も一番だが、走ることにかけてもクラスで一番だ。
Ito is not only first in his studies; when it comes to running, too, he is first in the class.
What people say in everyday speech
〜については自信がある／〜は得意
「にかけては」has a solemn tone of boasting within a limited domain, and is often used in self-introductions or business settings to highlight a strength, so it is a step more formal than everyday speech. To say the same thing in a friendly chat, people more often say 「ウォーキングシューズについては自信がある」 or simply 「ウォーキングシューズなら得意だよ」, which is much more casual and lacks the solemnity of 「にかけては」.
Unless you actually try it, you can't appreciate this product's quality, so we have prepared samples.
マーケティング調査をしないことには売れる商品は開発できない。
Unless you do market research, you can't develop a product that will sell.
田舎では、車がないことには生活できない。
In the countryside, you can't live without a car.
What people say in everyday speech
〜ないと
「〜ないことには」has a strong sense of logic and is common in business discussions and explanatory text, making it a somewhat formal written connective. In everyday speech it is almost always simplified to 「〜ないと」, as in 「違う視点で開発しないと新しいお客さんは獲得できない」, which is lighter and more natural than 「ないことには」, and is what friends and coworkers more often say when chatting.
Japanese people don't clearly state their own intentions, so they tend to be misunderstood.
普段の食生活で不足しがちなカルシウムを補うには魚の缶詰がいいそうです。
To make up for the calcium that tends to be lacking in everyday diets, canned fish is said to be a good choice.
祖母は病気がちの母の代わりに私たち兄弟の世話をしてくれた。
My grandmother took care of us brothers in place of my mother, who is often ill.
初めて会ったとき、鈴木君は遠慮がちに私の電話番号を聞いた。
When we first met, Mr. Suzuki asked for my phone number rather hesitantly.
彼は差し出された手紙を戸惑いがちに受け取った。
He accepted the letter that was handed to him with a somewhat bewildered look.
What people say in everyday speech
〜がち
「〜がち」 is common in both writing and speech, and in everyday conversation people often say it directly, as in 「見た目より歩きやすさを重視しがちだよね」, so there is no need to swap it out. If you really want to be more casual, you can also say 「〜な人が多いよね」, but 「がち」 itself is already quite natural and not a stiff written expression.
As in 「たばこは体に悪いからやめようと思いつつも、つい吸ってしまう」(Even while thinking I should quit since smoking is bad for me, I end up smoking anyway), 「〜つつも」expresses the feeling "although ... (I think I should quit), in reality I do something bad (I smoke)".
Connection Vます ＋ つつも ＊「も」を省略して、「〜つつ」の形でもよく使われる。
Examples
チョコレートを食べたらにきびが増えると知りつつも、つい手が伸びてしまうんです。
Even though I know that eating chocolate gives me more pimples, my hand reaches for it before I know it.
「にせものでは…？」と疑いつつも、安さにひかれて買ってしまった。
Even while suspecting "Could this be a fake...?", I was drawn in by the low price and bought it.
早く寝ようと思いつつ、ゲームがやめられなくて、夜が明けてしまった。
Even though I'd been thinking of going to bed early, I couldn't stop playing the game and stayed up until dawn.
今日こそ歯医者に行かなければと思いつつ、忙しくて行けなかった。
Although I kept thinking that I absolutely had to go to the dentist today, I was too busy and couldn't go.
What people say in everyday speech
〜けど／〜のに
「〜つつも」is a concessive expression with a literary, written flavor, often seen in articles and reports describing the psychology of "knowing better but doing it anyway". In speech, it is more natural to use 「〜けど」 or 「〜のに」, as in 「歩きやすい靴がほしいと思うけど、結局デザインを優先しちゃう」, which is far more offhand and down-to-earth than 「つつも」, and is what friends would say when chatting.
A: Mr. Yamada says he'll be away on a business trip next week and can't attend the Koeisha publication anniversary party. B: That's a problem. If Mr. Yamada can't attend, we'll have to ask someone to go in his place.
What people say in everyday speech
〜なら／〜だったら
「〜としたら」 sets up a hypothesis and reasons from it, and it is perfectly common in conversation too (as in 「生まれ変われるとしたら…」). For simple everyday conditions, however, 「〜なら」 or 「〜だったら」 is lighter and more common, as in 「新商品を作るなら、ファッション性も重視しないと」, which is what people usually say when chatting with friends and casually supposing things.
As in 「忘年会は予算次第で5つのコースから選べる」(For the year-end party, you can choose from five courses depending on your budget), it expresses that something is decided by 〜 (the budget).
Connection N ＋ 次第
Examples
登山ルートは天候次第で変更する場合もありますので、ご了承ください。
The mountain-climbing route may change depending on the weather, so we ask for your understanding.
今度の審査の結果次第で、国から研究資金がもらえるかどうか決まる。
Whether we can receive research funding from the government will be decided depending on the result of this review.
世の中は金次第だと言われるが、お金では買えないものもある。
They say that in this world everything depends on money, but there are also things that money can't buy.
工事開始時期がいつになるかは、発注した材料の納期次第だ。
When construction will begin depends on the delivery date of the ordered materials.
What people say in everyday speech
〜によって
「〜次第で」 itself is not stiff in speech either, but a more casual substitute is 「〜によって」, as in 「デザインによってはヒット商品になるよ」, which has a more ordinary tone. 「次第で」 carries a somewhat solemn emphasis of "the result depends entirely on this one condition" and suits business reports, while in everyday chat 「によって」 is enough.
As in 「景気が悪くなる一方だ」(The economy is just getting worse and worse), 「〜一方」is used to express that "a state keeps developing in one direction only".
Connection Vる ＋ 一方 ＊変化を表す動詞が使われる。
Examples
ここは静かな町だったのに、テレビで紹介されて以来、観光客が増える一方だ。
This used to be a quiet town, but ever since it was featured on TV, the number of tourists has kept growing.
風雨は強まる一方で、漁に出た漁船がまだ帰らず、関係者は心配している。
The wind and rain are only getting stronger, and the fishing boats that went out have not returned yet, so the people concerned are worried.
グローバル化が進んで、語学力の必要性は高まる一方だ。
As globalization advances, the need for language skills keeps growing.
What people say in everyday speech
〜ばっかりだ
「〜一方です」in the lesson has a strongly written or report-like tone, and the 「〜ばかり」 given as this grammar point's own plus form is actually the more colloquial version. Friends chatting would almost always say 「競争が厳しくなるばっかりだよね」 rather than 「厳しくなる一方です」. 「一方」 suits business settings or formal statements, while 「ばかり」 is what people really blurt out in daily life.
Plus〜ばかり★★
「Vる＋ばかり」も同じ意味で使われる。
「Vる＋ばかり」is also used with the same meaning.
円高が進んで、景気が悪くなるばかりだ。
As the yen strengthens, the economy keeps getting worse.
部屋代、学費、生活費と出費は増えるばかりだ。
Rent, tuition and living expenses: the costs just keep piling up.
「〜に先立って」is used to mean "before ..., first do something".
Connection N ＋ ［に先立って／に先立ち／に先立つ＋N］
Examples
レストランの開店に先立って、試食会が開かれた。
Before the restaurant opened, a tasting event was held.
新しい機械の導入に先立ち、工場内で説明会が行われた。
Prior to the introduction of the new machine, an explanatory meeting was held inside the factory.
舞台公演に先立つ公開リハーサルに多くの報道関係者が集まった。
Many members of the media gathered at the open rehearsal held ahead of the stage performance.
What people say in everyday speech
〜の前に
「〜に先立って」is a formal expression for business and ceremonial settings, often seen in opening-ceremony speeches and announcements. In everyday speech you can simply say 「〜の前に」, as in 「新製品の開発の前に、アンケート調査が必要だよね」, which is much more natural and relaxed than 「に先立って」, and is what coworkers would say in private conversation.
「〜上で」means the same as 「〜してから」, but it is not used for everyday topics.
Connection Vた／N の ＋ ［上で／上（で）の＋N］
Examples
駅前の再開発については、住民の皆さんの意見をまとめた上で、市に要望書を提出したいと思います。
Regarding the redevelopment in front of the station, I would like to first gather the opinions of the residents and then submit a petition to the city.
卒業後の進路は家族とよく相談した上で、決めたいと思います。
As for my path after graduation, I would like to discuss it thoroughly with my family and then decide.
契約書の内容をご確認の上、こちらに署名と印鑑をお願いいたします。
Please confirm the contents of the contract and then sign and affix your seal here.
来年度の留学生の受け入れに関しては、十分検討した上で結論を出したいと思います。
Regarding the acceptance of international students next fiscal year, we would like to reach a conclusion after thorough discussion.
What people say in everyday speech
〜てから
As the lesson's usage note already points out, 「〜上で」 and 「〜してから」 mean the same thing, but with 「ただし、日常的な話題には使わない」: that is, this grammar point is a written or business expression specifically marked for non-everyday topics. What you should actually use in everyday speech is 「〜してから」, as in 「市場調査をしてから、商品を考えよう」, which sounds far more natural and offhand than 「した上で」.
「〜にこたえて」is used to mean "in response to the other party's expectations or requests".
Connection N ＋ ［にこたえて／にこたえた＋N］ ＊「期待・要望・要請・アンコール・リクエスト・声援・声」などの言葉と一緒に使われる。「ご＋N＋におこたえして」の形もある。
Examples
そのアイドルはコンサートの最後にアンコールにこたえてもう1曲歌った。
At the end of the concert, the idol responded to the encore calls by singing one more song.
地域住民の要望にこたえて、循環バスの経路を変更することにした。
In response to a request from local residents, it was decided to change the route of the loop bus.
ワールドカップで大川選手はサポーターの声援にこたえて大活躍した。
At the World Cup, player Okawa responded to the cheers of the supporters and played brilliantly.
皆様のご要望におこたえして、営業時間を午後11時までといたしました。
In response to everyone's requests, we have extended our business hours until 11 p.m.
What people say in everyday speech
〜の声を聞いて／〜に応えて
「〜にこたえて」is common in corporate announcements and business settings (for example 「皆様のご要望にこたえて」), and carries a ceremonial sense of formally responding. To say the same thing in everyday speech, people would put it more plainly, as in 「若い社会人の声を聞いて、こういう商品を考えよう」, or simplify it to 「〜に応えて」; and the written feel of the modifying form 「にこたえた」 is rather rare in casual chat.