I went the other day, and the number of dishes was just unbelievable. From pizza and pasta to meat and potato stew, grilled fish and Peking duck, there was Japanese, Western and Chinese food, everything.
「〜のなんのって」 expresses the feeling of "extremely 〜, to a degree that is hard to put into words," emphasizing that the degree goes beyond what language can express. It is a very colloquial way of speaking.
Connection PI + のなんのって [なAだな Nだ]
Examples
虫歯を抜いたら、痛いのなんのって。何も食べられないんだ。
When I had my decayed tooth pulled, it hurt like you wouldn't believe. I couldn't eat anything.
隣の部屋の人がテレビでサッカー見ていて、うるさいのなんのって、全然寝られなかったんだ。
The person next door was watching soccer on TV, and it was so noisy I couldn't describe it; I couldn't sleep at all.
突然部長に呼ばれてさ、部長のお嬢さんと見合いしないかって。びっくりしたのなんのって。
I was suddenly called in by the department head, who asked whether I'd like to have a marriage meeting with his daughter. I was beyond shocked.
午前中、忙しかったのなんのって、トイレに行くひまもないくらいだった。
I was so busy this morning, you can't imagine; I didn't even have time to go to the restroom.
A: Yesterday's hike was harder than I expected, wasn't it? B: Really. We walked five hours straight without stopping. I was so tired, I can't tell you, and by the end I felt like I couldn't take another step.
「〜たて」 expresses the state immediately after the action 「〜」 has just been completed and become 「〜」 (freshly..., just...). It is often used with verbs such as 「作る・できる・焼く・炊く・なる」.
Connection Vます + たて
Examples
炊きたてのご飯ってほんといいね。何杯でも食べられそう。
Freshly cooked rice is really great. I feel like I could eat any number of bowls.
A:このおまんじゅう、まだ温かいよ。 B:うん。できたてを買ってきたの。
A: These steamed buns are still warm. B: Yes, I bought them fresh out of the steamer; they're still hot.
As in 「泥棒が窓を壊すとブザーが鳴るようになっている」 (the buzzer is set to sound when a thief breaks the window), used to explain a machine's system, a bodily mechanism and the like, where doing something or something happening automatically triggers the next thing.
Connection Vる/Vない + ようになっている
Examples
ほこりが鼻に入るとくしゃみが出て、自然にそれを外へ出すようになっています。
When dust gets into your nose, you sneeze, and your body naturally expels it.
最近の回転寿司はお皿についているセンサーで、食べた金額が自動的に計算できるようになっているそうだ。
It is said that at recent conveyor-belt sushi restaurants, sensors on the plates can automatically calculate how much you have eaten.
The world's first vending machine was reportedly made in Egypt more than 2,000 years ago, and water came out when you put in money.
このライターは着火部分を固くして、子どもがいたずらしても火がつかないようになっています。
This lighter has a stiff ignition part, so that it will not light even if a child plays with it.
What people say in everyday speech
変わるんだよ/変わるようになってるんだって
The pattern 「〜ようになっている」 emphasizes that "it is designed or built to work that way" and is often used in manuals and popular-science writing to explain how a system works. The sample dialogue in this lesson is a chat between friends, but its wording still has a slightly explanatory tone, as if lecturing about a physiological mechanism. A more offhand way is to drop the sense of a system and say 「胃って食べる量によって変わるんだよ」, or to keep the nuance but loosen it, as in 「変わるようになってるんだって」 (apparently that's how it works, I heard). Either sounds more like a casual remark between friends than a lecture.
As in 「開かないわけだ、かぎがかかっているよ」 (no wonder it won't open, it's locked), used when you have found the reason (it's locked) for something you had wondered about (it won't open), and say "so that's why" or "I see" in realization. When you do not know the reason, use 「どういうわけか」.
Connection PI + わけだ [なAだな Nだの] *「〜というわけだ」の形もある。
Examples
A:このチョコ、1粒1,000円もするんだよ。 B:え!本当?じゃあ、おいしいわけよね。
A: This chocolate costs 1,000 yen per piece. B: What! Really? Then no wonder it's delicious.
A: My parents are against my changing jobs... B: So that's why you're still hesitating. You said you were going to change jobs right away, so I wondered what had happened.
In the form 「AどころかB」, as in 「雨が降るどころかすごくいい天気になった」 (far from raining, it turned into really nice weather), it strongly states that it is not A (rain) but the exact opposite, B (nice weather). It is also used to say that B is even more extreme than A (not knowing kanji), as in 「漢字どころかひらがなもわからない」 (I don't even know hiragana, let alone kanji). What goes in A is often what the other person said or what you first thought.
A: How was your trip? It must be hot in Okinawa now. B: No, I got rained on; far from hot, it was really cold, and I felt like I was going to catch a cold.
My teacher told me that if, even at the advanced level, I keep looking up every unfamiliar word in the dictionary one by one, my reading won't improve.
Expresses acting in a certain way when in fact that is not the case. It is used together with words such as 「優等生・悪者・大人・上品・いい子・偉い」. 「ぶる」 conjugates like a Group I verb (godan verb), as in 「ぶらない」 and 「ぶって」.
Connection N/なA/いA(去い) + ぶる
Examples
昔ぼくは好きな女の子の前で悪ぶっていた。本当は、好きだって言う勇気がなかっただけなんだ。
I used to act tough in front of the girl I liked. In truth, I just didn't have the courage to say I liked her.
A: That guy acts like a good boy in front of the teacher, but he slacks off at cleaning time and copies someone else's homework. B: Really, it's infuriating.
あの人は大企業の社長なのに少しも偉ぶったところがない。
Although that person is the president of a large company, he doesn't put on airs in the least.
たとえかっこいい人の前でも、お嬢様ぶるなんて、私には無理だ。
Even in front of a good-looking guy, putting on the act of a young lady is something I just couldn't do.
「〜に限って…」 is used critically to mean "people like 〜 generally (tend to...)." It is also used to mean "it's precisely when 〜 that, unluckily, ...," as in 「答えがわからないときに限って先生に質問される」 (the teacher always asks me a question precisely when I don't know the answer).
Connection N + に限って
Examples
よく知らないやつに限って、偉そうなことを言う。
It's precisely the people who don't know much who like to talk big.
金持ちに限って、けちでお金を出すのを嫌がるんだよね。
It's precisely the rich who are stingy and hate to part with money.
高い車に乗っている人に限って、安いアパートに住んでるんだって、山田さんは言っていたけど、本当かな。
Yamada said that it's precisely the people who drive expensive cars who live in cheap apartments, but I wonder if that's true.
お金がない日に限って、友達にお酒を飲みに誘われる。
It's precisely on the days when I have no money that friends invite me out for drinks.
急いでいるときに限って、バスが来ない。
It's precisely when I'm in a hurry that the bus doesn't come.
大切な試験があるのに、今日に限って寝坊してしまった。
I had an important exam, and of all days, I overslept today.
「〜ことだ」 expresses the speaker's judgment that "you should... / it would be best to..." and is often used for giving advice.
Connection Vる/Vない + ことだ
Examples
仕事でも何でも自分一人で悩まないで、誰かに相談することですよ。
Whether it's work or anything else, don't worry about it alone; the thing to do is talk it over with someone.
強くなりたかったら、自分の長所を伸ばすことだ。
If you want to become strong, the thing to do is build on your own strengths.
カビを防ぐには毎日部屋の換気をすることです。
To prevent mold, the thing to do is ventilate the room every day.
ルームメイトと楽しく暮らすには、お互いに迷惑をかけないように気をつけることですよ。
To live happily with your roommate, the thing to do is be careful not to cause each other trouble.
What people say in everyday speech
食べ続ければいいんだよ/食べ続けるしかないよ
「〜ことだ」 means "you should... / it's best to..." and ends the sentence in a tone of giving advice or drawing a conclusion from above. It is common in life advice and manual-style warnings (like Ota's "been there" tone when teaching Kobayashi the tricks in this lesson's dialogue). When casually giving advice to friends, the more natural ways to say it are 「食べ続ければいいんだよ」 or the more offhand 「とにかく食べ続けるしかないって」. The slightly preachy ending 「ことだ」 can occasionally be used among friends for emphasis, but overall it is a notch more formal than everyday chat.
「〜という〜」 means "every single 〜," as in 「店中の客という客が立ち上がって踊り出した」 (every single customer in the shop stood up and began to dance). The same word is repeated in the 「〜」 part.
Connection N + という + N
Examples
今回の森林火災で、この辺の木という木は、1本残らず燃えてしまった。
In this forest fire, every single tree in the area was burned down, not one left.
田中監督はこの映画で、今年の映画関連の賞という賞を独占した。
With this film, Director Tanaka swept every single film-related award this year.
クリスマスにロンドンへ行ったら、店という店が閉まっちゃってて、何も買えなかった。
When I went to London at Christmas, every single shop was closed and I couldn't buy anything.
桜の季節には道という道に観光客があふれ、地元の人間にとっては迷惑な話だ。
In cherry blossom season, every single road is overflowing with tourists, which is a nuisance for the locals.
「〜ところだった」 is used to say "it was about to turn into the situation of 〜, but in fact it did not," as in 「もう少しでけがをするところだった」 (I almost got hurt). It is sometimes also used together with 「〜なければならない」 or 「〜ざるを得ない」.
Connection Vる + ところだった
Examples
今朝は30分も寝坊しちゃって、危うく遅刻するところだったよ。
I overslept by a full 30 minutes this morning and nearly was late.
マンガに夢中になっていて、友達が教えてくれなかったら、乗り過ごすところだった。
I was so absorbed in a manga that if my friend hadn't told me, I would have missed my stop.
祖父の病気はもう少し発見が遅れていたら、手遅れになるところだった。
If my grandfather's illness had been discovered any later, it would have been too late for treatment.
In the form 「AくらいならB」, as in 「1時間待つくらいならほかの店に行こう」 (rather than wait an hour, let's go to another restaurant), it means "I don't want to do A (wait an hour), so I choose B (go to another restaurant), though B is not the best option either." It is also used to express regret, as in 「ほかの店に行ったほうがよかった」 (I should have gone to another restaurant).
「まし」 is used to say "compared with something else, it cannot be called good, but it is not the worst," and is often used together with 「〜ほうが・〜より・〜だけ・まだ・ずっと」. It corresponds to "better than nothing" or "the lesser evil."
A: Winter is coming soon. I really hate the cold. B: The cold is better than the heat, don't you think? When it's cold, you can just put on more clothes.
A: No matter what I make, he just eats it without saying anything. B: Isn't it fine as long as he eats it properly? That's better than being told "it tastes bad," isn't it?
A: There's so much overtime, it's getting me down, senior. B: Maybe so, but with the economy in a slump, you should think yourself lucky just to have work.
あいつは入社5年目なのにミスばかりで、新人の加藤のほうがまだましだ。
That guy is in his fifth year at the company and still keeps making mistakes; even the newcomer Kato is better.