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Czy uda mi się napisać książkę bez planu?

Odpowiedź jest prosta: tak.

Czy ta książka będzie jakościowo dobra?

Odpowiedź też jest prosta: nie.

Skupmy się zatem na tym, dlaczego warto mieć plan, choćby nawet najprostszy.

Szczegółowy plan – hit czy kit?

Wielu autorów uważa, że pisanie książki z planem zabija kreatywność. Fakt, jeśli Twój plan jest tak szczegółowy jak każda misja wojskowa czy akcja policyjna, gdzie nie ma miejsca na błędy, to… tak, czytelnik może wyczuć, że coś jest nie tak z tekstem.

Czytałam kiedyś trylogię amerykańskiego autora (Kirk Ryan), który pisze dość proste i przyjemne w odbiorze książki, a pisze ich sporo. Jeden z czytelników zadał mu pytanie, jak radzi sobie z blokadą pisarską, na co ten odpowiedział, że takowa go nie dręczy, bo ma bardzo dobrze rozplanowaną fabułę – tylko siąść i pisać.

Książki, tak, są przyjemne w odbiorze, ale są tak proste i nieskomplikowane, że przypominają mi o szkolnych wypracowaniach, nawet spójniki typu: however, on the other hand, firstly, są użyte tak, jakby autor chciał pokazać umiejętne stosowanie środków językowych (jak na maturze). Podejrzewam, że autor miał tak szczegółowo rozpisaną fabułę, że wystarczyło tylko połączyć zdania spójnikami i gotowe.

Widziałam też na Instagramie filmik aspirującej autorki, która miała ogromny plik w Excelu z rozpisaną fabułą. Plik był naprawdę pełen arkuszy, tabelek, grafów i innych excelowskich bajerów. Autorka twierdziła, że po uzupełnieniu tych wszystkich bajerów napisanie książki to będzie bułka z masłem.

Komentarze?

Bardzo nieprzychylne, a główny argument przeciw takiemu rozpisywaniu: tak szczegółowe planowanie zabija kreatywność.

No to jak jest z tym planem, warto pisać czy nie?

Story time! Redagowałam kiedyś książkę, która została napisana bez planu, totalny freestyle. Autor pod koniec współpracy powiedział, że pisał bez planu i po prostu przelewał pomysły na papier. Rezultat? Niektórzy bohaterowie mieli około 100 lat, inni mieli to samo imię (a dokładnie czworo bohaterów), oś czasu w ogóle nie istniała, a w zamyśle autora akcja miała dziać się w określone dni tygodnia, np. w poniedziałek miało odbyć się spotkanie, ale potem – nie wiedzieć czemu – odbyło się we wtorek, a na końcu, po przeliczeniu dni i dat, wyszło, że odbyło się w niedzielę. Niespójne opisy – raz mieszkanie głównego bohatera jest duże, raz małe i ciasne, inny razem jest lato, ale dwa rozdziały później nagle pada śnieg.

Jak widać, to potwierdza tezę z początku, że bez planu książkę też można napisać, ale nie będzie to twór na miarę Tolkiena czy Kinga, a już na pewno nie zwróci uwagi wydawnictw.

Jaki z tego wniosek?

Plan jest potrzebny, nawet taki najprostszy. Szczegółowe plany przydają się, gdy piszesz książki detektywistyczne lub takie z mnóstwem zwrotów akcji – warto mieć wszystko zanotowane i rozpisane, żeby się samemu w tym nie pogubić.

Pisanie książki z planem, ale takim podstawowym

Aby stworzyć podstawowy plan, nie potrzebujesz wiele. Pamiętaj, że ma on pomóc Ci pamiętać o wydarzeniach, datach, bohaterach i opisach.

Możesz zrobić taką prostą tabelkę:

Możesz do niej dorzucić coś od siebie.

Możesz też zrobić drugą tabelkę ze spisem bohaterów i wszystkimi informacjami, jakie mogą pojawić się na ich temat w książce – bo może się okazać, że na początku książki John był szanowanym chirurgiem, a potem zmienił się w żigolaka, bo w danym momencie zawód żigolaka lepiej pasował do kontekstu. Naprawdę, zdarzają się i takie kwiatki w książkach, które redaguję.

Pamiętaj, aby na bieżąco weryfikować informacje. Jeśli poprawiasz scenę ze sklepu, to sprawdź, czy Mary to nadal Mary i czy wścibska ekspedientka nadal ma oko na Johna. Czasami jako autor możesz mieć genialny pomysł w przypływie chwili i przeredagujesz scenę tak, że nijak się będzie miała do reszty fabuły.

Wszelkie zmiany notuj w tabelce. Kiedy spojrzysz na całość, może się okazać, że te zmiany, które wprowadziłaś/-eś, wcale nie zaburzą reszty fabuły.

Ta tabelka to tylko sugestia, taki punkt wyjściowy, od którego można zacząć pisać książkę. Z czasem nabierzesz doświadczenia i stworzysz własny prosty plan, który pozwoli Ci panować nad fabułą swojej powieści i będzie odpowiadał Twojemu stylowi i potrzebą, ale od czegoś trzeba zacząć. 

Jeśli potrzebujesz więcej inspiracji, spróbuj odpowiedzieć na te pytania, ale szczegółowo – na pewno przypomną Ci, dlaczego w ogóle piszesz, i pomogą znaleźć nieścisłości w fabule.

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Jak redagować teksty samodzielnie – praktyczne porady

Wyłapywanie błędów to nie lada wyczyn, a co więcej – coś, co dla Ciebie jest błędem lub niezgrabną konstrukcją, dla kogoś innego może być poprawnym zdaniem lub specjalnym zabiegiem stylistycznym. Zdania zawsze będą podzielone, ale istnieje kilka sprawdzonych sposobów, które pomogą Ci spojrzeć na własny tekst świeżym okiem i poprawić jego jakość – nawet jeśli nie jesteś zawodowym redaktorem.

WAŻNE! Po 10 latach pracy jako lektorka zauważyłam, że wiele osób (lektorów czy redaktorów) mówi, że coś jest „źle”, ale często jest tak, że zdania produkowane przez kursantów i autorów są gramatycznie poprawne, ale nie są logiczne, stylistycznie poprawne lub po prostu nie pasują do kontekstu (bo w danym kontekście najczęściej słyszy się inne słowo lub idiom). „Źle” to zbyt ogólne słowo, więc zawsze warto doprecyzować, co jest „źle” i dlaczego jest to „źle”.

Samodzielna redakcja lub korekta tekstu

Podejrzewam, że niektóre ze wskazówek będą wam już znane (bo są stare jak świat), ale jestem pewna, że inne będą dość odkrywcze.

 Chat GPT jest konsultantem, a nie profesjonalistą

Nie ma nic złego w korzystaniu z nowych technologii, bo one są po to, aby nam ułatwiać życie, ale jeśli korzystamy z nich w niewłaściwy sposób, to może to – oczywiście – przynieść więcej szkody niż pożytku. To nie technologia rujnuje nasze życia, tylko ludzie, którzy nie wiedzą, jak z niej korzystać, lub korzystają z niej w niewłaściwy sposób.

Chat GPT może dla Ciebie:

uporządkować akapity – jeśli przelałaś/-eś luźne myśli do Worda, przeklej je w okienko chata GPT i poleć, aby je uporządkował, przeorganizował, znalazł logikę i według tej logiki uporządkował.

dopisać lub dokończyć Twoje myśli – jeśli nie wiesz, jak skończyć własną myśl, zapytaj chata GPT, jakby on by to zrobił, a nuż wypluje coś, co chodziło Ci po głowie, ale nie widziałaś/-eś jak wyrazić to słowami.

rozpisać dialogi – jeśli czujesz, że Twoje dialogi są… mdłe, poleć chatowi, aby je rozpisał, np. „Rozpisz ten dialog tak, aby pokazywał negatywne uczucia bohaterów względem siebie. Ta rozmowa to kłótnia. Dodaj kwestie narratora, które pomogą czytelnikom wczuć się w dialog i przeżywać emocje razem z postaciami”. Czasami chat wypluje coś sensownego, a czasami krindżowego, ale cokolwiek by to nie było – słowa, zdania, pomysły – może stanowić źródło inspiracji.

Skuteczność rozmowy z chatem zależy od jakości poleceń i pytań, jakie mu zadasz. Im bardziej szczegółowe pytania (możesz nawet uwzględnić zdania typu: „Chcę, aby ten akapit był…”), tym lepsze odpowiedzi uzyskasz.

PAMIĘTAJ! Chat GPT to źródło inspiracji, osobisty konsultant, który powinien być traktowany jak stażysta – słuchamy jego pomysłów, bierzemy pod uwagę komentarze, ale wdrażamy tylko te, które faktycznie mają sens. To wciąż tylko algorytm, który nie rozumie kontekstu tak dobrze jak człowiek. Nie zauważy np. błędów logicznych, nie wyczuje tonu wypowiedzi i nie zrozumie gry słów. Ty jesteś autorem i to Twoje decyzje są tu najważniejsze.

Zmiana czcionki i czytanie od końca

Moja ulubiona czcionka to Cambria, a od końca czytam wtedy, gdy chcę zobaczyć, czy akapity jako osobne jednostki mają sens.

Gdy czytam od początku, jeden akapit po drugim, mózg automatycznie dopowiada sobie ciąg dalszy i uzupełnia luki w logice. To naturalne – znam tekst, więc łatwo mi „przeskakiwać” nad niejasnościami.

Ale gdy zaczynam czytać od końca – akapit po akapicie, w odwrotnej kolejności – tekst nagle traci tę znajomą strukturę i brzmi jak coś nowego. Dzięki temu łatwiej zauważyć powtórzenia, niezręczne sformułowania albo momenty, w których brakuje puenty.

Opcja czytania na głos

Word ma tę funkcję, ale – jak dla mnie – ten głos jest irytujący. Gdzie znaleźć lepsze głosy? W tablecie firmy Samsung. Zapisz plik w formacie PDF, wgraj na tablet i otwórz w dowolnej aplikacji do czytania książek, które otwiera PDF-y i ma funkcję czytania na głos. W ustawieniach możesz wybrać język i głos dla czytanego dokumentu. Samsung bardzo dba, aby ich syntetyczne głosy brzmiały naturalnie i płynnie, a wszystko to w ramach wsparcia osób z niepełnosprawnościami.

Niech syntetyczny głos czyta, a ty wyłapuj literówki i dziwnie brzmiące zdania, a potwierdzam, że słychać, które zdania brzmią dziwnie.

Language Tool

Kolejne rozwiązanie bazujące na sztucznej inteligencji, ale – jak ze wszystkimi rozwiązaniami AI – jest mały haczyk. Tego typu modele językowe są super, ale najlepiej się sprawdzają dla osób, które mają obszerną wiedzę językową i potrafią stwierdzić, czy zaznaczone błędy są faktycznie błędami, a nie każdy potrafi to zrobić. Nie oznacza to jednak, że nie można z tego korzystać jako osoba, która nie ma za wiele pojęcia o poprawności językowej. 

Language Tool zaznaczy oczywiste błędy, np. brak przecinka przed „który” lub „ale”; na fioletowo zaznaczy coś, co błędem nie jest, ale stylistycznie wygląda kiepsko, choć czasami tym kolorem zaznacza błędy. W ten sposób możemy wyeliminować około 10% oczywistych błędów, ale też wprowadzić nowe. Jeśli piszemy proste teksty, krótkie zdania, które nie są naszpikowane regionalizmami, to LT może okazać się naprawdę pomocny. 

Jeśli potrzebujesz profesjonalnej redakcji lub korekty, zajrzyj tutaj i zobacz, jak mogę Ci pomóc.

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Info & updates

What's this all about?

Welcome to the byproduct of the revolution called COVID. You will find here a variety of posts related to Japanese, English, Polish, teaching, and translation. I hold a master's degree in linguistics, but don't treat my content as a final word of wisdom.

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Yes, I run a blogger page as well. Well, it has been inactive for a while now, but I'm planning to revive it. The text editor there is way more suitable for writers.

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Dla pisarzy i wszystkich tych, którzy tworzą treści.

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Modality in Japanese

This semi-master post aims to explain modality from a purely linguistic perspective and introduce Japanese modal phrases. 

Modality is my all-time favorite topic because it explores how speakers convey subtle nuances of meaning. It's fascinating to see how we use modal structures to communicate complex ideas such as possibility and necessity, and how, despite both speakers sharing the same information, misunderstandings can still arise.

While modality refers to how we express meanings like possibility, necessity, ability, or permission, the way these concepts are communicated can vary significantly across cultures due to differences in social norms, values, and expectations.

Before we dive in 

Japanese is a nuanced language as it is, add to it a nuanced grammar concept, and we have a great confusing combo.  

Modality in English is rather straightforward. There is a set of verbs, adverbs, and phrases that are universal and versatile. English speakers rarely consider social hierarchies, politeness, and indirectness while incorporating modal structures in their sentences. Sure, they do it to some extent, but when compared to the Japanese, well, we might as well say that they actually don’t do it. 

Some things that we all know about, yet we forget them once we encounter a modal structure: 

modal structures in English encompass a variety of meanings. For example, ‘must’ can be used to express logical assumptions as well as obligations. 

there are no 1:1 equivalents in Japanese. ‘Must’ can be translated as しなければいけません but also as だろう. 

some Japanese modal structures will be lost in translation, simply because they are non-existent in English. Some of them can easily be expressed through the tone of one’s voice and intonation in English, with no need for lexical reinforcement.  

directness or strong commands are not in favor when speaking Japanese. Instead, Japanese modal structures are like ‘requests’ often phrased politely or tentatively, reflecting the emphasis on maintaining harmony and avoiding imposition.

Of course, some phrases have direct translations, like かもしれない (might, maybe), but in the majority of cases, it’s better first to think about the context and then choose the appropriate structure. 

If you want to learn more about English modality, I recommend Grammarway books, as they discuss this topic in an easy-to-understand way. 

Modality—definition 

Modality, in simple words, allows speakers to express the “possibility” of a past, present, or future situation. It helps convey: desires, the likelihood of a situation, and that something is permissible. In some languages, it is well-developed and standardized, and some languages don’t even have the concept of modality. 

Compare: 

Momo did it!  Momo might have done it.  

The Past Simple tense is used when you are 100% sure of what you’re saying. You’re accusing Momo and this is a very strong statement.

Might have done it is used when there are doubts. You’re not sure, however, you’re suspecting Momo. 

In linguistics, displacement is the capability of language to communicate about things that are not immediately present (spatially or temporally). Animals communicate things that are only happening now; in front of their eyes. Human beings can go further than that. We can discuss the past, future, present, alternative past situations, imaginary/unreal situations, etc. 

Modality is a sign of displacement. It helps express extra information about a verb, for example, whether the verb is possible to happen, how sure I am about the verb to happen, whether it’s a good idea or maybe it is just my guess; speakers express attitudes toward actions or events. 

Understanding modality can help learn a language better and faster because it gives insights into expressing possibilities, necessities, abilities, permissions, and obligations—essential parts of everyday communication.

Many languages use modality to adjust politeness or formality. For example, “Could you help me?” is more polite than “Can you help me?”. Recognizing this helps navigate social situations appropriately.

The most common categorization of modality in English is as follows:

Modal Verbs:

Examples: can, could, may, might, must, shall, should, will, would, ought to. Usage: “I can help” (ability), “You must go” (necessity), “It might rain” (possibility).

Adverbs:

Examples: probably, definitely, possibly, certainly. Usage: “She will probably join us.”

Phrases:

Examples: be able to, have to, be supposed to, I think, I guess, etc. Usage: “You have to finish this by Monday.”

Conditional Sentences:

Expressing hypothetical or uncertain situations: “If I were you, I would study more.”

In short, modality shapes how English speakers add layers of meaning—like doubt, certainty, or obligation—to their sentences.

Types of modality

epistemic modality (i.e., expressions that relate to displacement according to what is known or believed, conjectures, guesses)

(epistemic: relating to knowledge or the study of knowledge (Macmillan Dictionary))

prioritizing modality (i.e., expressions that characterize what is permitted, required, or desired) 

dynamic modality (relating to what courses of events are compatible with a particular body of facts/ circumstances and/or a subject’s abilities, describing abilities). 

deontic modality (i.e., modal expressions relating to permissions, requirements, and wishes; modal expressions that relate to rules, laws, or regulations of some sort; indicates how the world ought to be according to certain norms, expectations, speaker desires, etc.)

Expressions of epistemic modality 

～だろう, 

～はずだ, 

～に違いない, 

～かもしれない

These four phrases are conventionally associated with the domain of knowledge and belief.  

だろう

でしょう

はずだ  

These three express the outcome of an inferential process (Research paper by Hara, 2006). 

An inferential process is a cognitive process of making logical connections and drawing conclusions based on background knowledge and information explicitly stated.

Example: 

A: Guess what? I had to give a presentation in English in front of a lot of people ねえ聞いて！大勢(おおぜい)の人の前で、英語でプレゼンしなきゃいけなかったの。

B: Really? It must have been difficult for you. 本当？ じゃ大変だったろうに。 Formal: 本当ですか？では大変だったことでしょう 。

In this context, the inferential process could be as follows: Your friend is self-conscious about speaking English in one-on-one situations, let alone in front of a big crowd. Your logical connection is that it must have been difficult. Your friend has always been saying that they hate speaking English, they dislike big crowds (background information). When you take everything into account, the conclusion is: that it must have been difficult. 

～に違いない (lit. ‘there is no mistake in’, Narrog, 2009:89) suggests that what comes before it is entailed. For example: spending more than you earn, entails financial problems; Being rich entails the risk of being robbed. 

お金持ちに違いない You must be rich.

Seeing your huge house, expensive car, and other luxuries ← these entail richness. You must be rich.

Example: 

A: Can you call this number to cancel our reservation? この番号(ばんごう)に電話(でんわ)して、予約(よやく)をキャンセルしてくれない？

B: Sure. The call won’t connect. いいよ。電話が繋(つ)がらない。

A: You must have called the wrong number. 違(ちが)う番号にかけたでしょ。 Formal: 違う番号にかけたに違いないですよ 。 

Dialing the wrong number entails no connection.

かもしれない (lit. ‘can’t know whether’) suggests that whatever comes before it is compatible with what is known. Simply put, it means that the information marked by かもしれない can simply coexist with what we know. 

We’re preparing a presentation, and we need more ideas. We’re brainstorming some, and I throw in something marked by かもしれない. I did no harm, and my idea can coexist with other ideas. 

Examples: 

Listen, you might have been busy with something else too, but I’m pretty sure you were flirting with that girl. That’s why you didn’t send the report! 聞いて、別(べつ)のことで忙しかったかもしれないけど、間違(まちが)いなく[adverb]女の子といちゃついてた。だからレポートを提出(ていしゅつ)しなかったんでしょ。

I might have left my key at the restaurant. 鍵をレストランに置(お)いてきたかもしれない。

The student might have found it difficult. 生徒はそれを難しいと思ったかもしれない。

Senpai! The truth is… I had a terrible accident yesterday! I could have died! 本当は、昨日ひどい事故(じこ)にあった。死(し)んで（い）たかもしれない。

In all of those examples, the ideas can coexist with other possibilities. My coworker might have been busy but also might have been sick, or there was some other personal issue at play. I chose to say ‘busy’ because that was the first thing that came to my mind, but ‘you might have been sick’ would also work. Those ideas do not exclude each other, they don’t entail anything, and the inferential process is really weak (there’s no background or implied information). 

Prioritizing modality 

I like to think about it as a scale, a priority scale. 

1 = not important, whatever;  10 = you’ll end up in the pits of hell if you do or do not do something. 

Some things are super important and some are not. Japanese use conditional(-like) structures to express that something is permissible or required given the relevant rules or goals. 

Among the expressions that relate to rules, regulations, laws, goals, and wishes, we can distinguish: 

～てもいい (It is good even if you [verb.])

～ではいけない  (If/when [verb/phrase], it can’t go.)

～なければならない・いけない  (‘If I [verb/phrase], it doesn’t become.)

I’d place these expressions between 5 and 10. You need to consider who is the speaker as well. If the emperor tells you that something is てもいい well, THE EMPEROR said that, so it’s 10, and don’t you dare to argue with that.

These expressions (on my scale) are 1-5:

～ほうがいい; the weaker notion that something is recommendable based on practical considerations (without being outrightly necessary) (lit. ‘the direction is good’).

～べきだ; the formal noun べきだ is semantically similar but tends to involve a notion of moral or social appropriateness, the right thing to do, which can be absent from ほうがいい. 

～たらいい

More on べきだ and here

Extra: Finally, imperatives (verbal ending ～え/～よ/～ろ) and ～なさい, (used with children and for instructions) as well as ～てください (for polite requests) and ”let’s [verb]” forms, also express notions of prioritizing as well as deontic modality.

Dynamic modality 

Dynamic modality is a tricky category, but in short: it refers to the way modality expresses the agent’s ability, willingness, or potential to act, rather than just external necessity or possibility. In other words, it focuses on what the subject can do, wants to do, or is able to do, often highlighting capacity and intent.

Verb + ことができる

Verb stem + る (見る → 見られる)

～たい; 

～てほしい; 

～つもりです 

〜ようと思う

～てもいい (some linguists say that this structure falls within this category as well)

Deontic modality 

Deontic modality refers to the type of modality that expresses necessity, obligation, permission, and prohibition—in other words, what is required, allowed, or forbidden. This kind of modality deals with actions and states governed by social rules, laws, norms, or personal decisions. In contrast to epistemic modality (which deals with knowledge and belief), deontic modality concerns how we discuss actions in terms of moral, social, or legal obligations and permissions.

なければならない

べきだ 

なければいけない

〜てもいい

〜てはいけない

〜てはならない

〜たらいい 

〜たほうがいい

NOTE! You probably noticed that some of those phrases and structures belong to one or two categories. Modality is inherently flexible and context-dependent. This means that a single phrase might be used in different ways depending on the situation, intention, or interpretation of the speaker.

Phew! Lots of information, but you might be wondering why you need to know this. Simply because it can help you sort your knowledge out and shed new light on modal structures. It’s a tricky topic and the more perspectives and takes are available, the better! 

In English ESL textbooks, modality is usually divided into categories such as: 

(logical) assumptions 

speculations

guesses 

necessity 

obligation 

duties 

ability (and the lack of it)

prohibition 

possibility 

probability 

permission (giving, asking, and refusing, but also: talking about it)

suggestion 

request 

advice 

offers

criticism 

I haven’t found a list of Japanese modal structures divided into such detailed categories. Japanese textbooks rarely inform learners that a given structure is a modal structure. 

As an exercise, instead of translating Japanese modal phrases to their English equivalents, you can try to match English categories to Japanese modal phrases.

The Japanese phrases I have listed in this post are the most common ones.

The next step (after assigning Japanese phrases to the English categories) is to think about the context in which those phrases can be uttered, for example: formal documents, road signs, parent-child relationships, etc.

That's it for this modality post! If you have any questions, feel free to e-mail me or send an ask through Tumblr :)

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～まま grammar

～まま roughly translates to 'as it is' or 'in the state of,' but it covers a wide range of situations that are not always easily understood or directly translatable.

Context: Levi to himself in episode 2 (or 39), season 3. The legendary chase scene with Kenny. Levi just 'entered' the drinking establishment and said:

クソ このままじゃ部下もエレンもヒストリアも失う

Shit. If it goes on like this, I'll lose my men, Eren, and Historia, too.

部下 (ぶか) = subordinates (men)

失う (しなう) = to lose (people) (to lose a thing is 無くす (なくす))

Note: The English translation is a conditional sentence. Where is  ～たら、～なら、～ば、～と in Japanese? It’s well hidden!

このままじゃ = If it goes on like this

じゃ (colloquial style) ・では   (formal style)

However, some people say that this little じゃ means だと/ だとしたら and that’s where the conditional meaning is hidden.

で refers to states; more here Conditional sentences are here

But today’s grammar is ～まま. 

I already made a short post about it. Check it out too!

When I asked my Japanese conversation partners what it meant, they always said, 'As it is.' Well, that sounds simple, but that’s only one way to think about it.

"As it is" has three meanings in English:

already

the way it is 

with the situation that exists now

While you can use ‘as it is’ in your translation, I feel that in some contexts, it’s better to be more precise with your word choice or to make English sound natural.

～まま grammar

There’s no 1:1 translation. It’s better to learn it as a concept conveying:

States that can stay unchanged; remain in the same condition/state; e.g. I’m sitting and there’s no need to stand up.

～まま is used for static states, often contrasting with actions.

If something hasn’t changed for a while, we can use this structure as well; e.g. She has been like this since yesterday (like this = in a certain state).

You can also use it to express your current state/condition; e.g. I’m weak. My current state/condition is 'being weak.'

Like this/that = doing things in a certain manner.

At this rate = used to say what will happen if the present situation continues.

That’s basically it. 

So, what is Levi really saying?

この refers to Kenny killing Levi’s people and basically f*cking everyone's shit up.

まま refers to the fact that Kenny has been killing Levi's people for a good amount of time. It hasn’t changed from the start of the episode until the moment Levi uttered the sentence.

このままじゃ = If the state of Kenny (and Kenny's team) killing my people will continue…

In the post with Akaza and Rengoku,

死んでくれ、Kyojuro、若くて強いまま

Akaza is asking Rengoku to die while his state is 'being young' and strong or to die to remain in this young and strong state.

Grammar mechanics

It’s a noun/adverb

noun + の + まま 

adjective + まま (don’t remove な from な-adj or い from い-adj)

demonstrative pronouns この; その; あの + まま

verbs + まま (past tense is very common in this case. Verbs in the past tense can act like adjectives; e.g. written language; 'written' is the past participle of 'write' and it acts like an adjective and adjectives = states.）

some passive forms + まま; e.g  言われるまま = as I am told (my current state is that I know some information, someone has told me something, my state is 'being informed/told')

ない verbs + まま = without

Note 1: なし can’t be used interchangeably with まま. なし (without) doesn’t refer to “being in a certain state. It refers to people, objects, or emotions. You want these things out of your life completely. Note 2: ～まま and ～ながら might seem similar, but ～ながら is used for action/dynamic verbs. Note 3: ～ままにする = to leave something untouched; to remain intact

Examples

The theory for this grammar isn't difficult to understand, but when it comes to real-life application, that's when the struggle starts.

Let's examine examples to get the hang of ～まま.

進撃の巨人

Context: Berthold to Reiner in season 3, episode 15 (or 52).

もし そうなれば何も分からないままだ

If that happens, we won’t learn anything.

Eren is carrying the boulder to seal the wall. He might get eaten by the other titans. Without Eren Reiner and Berthold won’t obtain any information.

ないままだ = negative verb form + まま = without knowing (their state will be 'uninformed')

Lit. We will be left in an uninformed condition if that happens (if Eren gets eaten)

もし そうなれば = conditional form

Context: Marlo to Hitch while looking for Levi who has just been pronounced a traitor (season 3, episode 4). They are discussing the future of the Survey Corps and the current situation.

調査兵団がこのまま解体されたら人類は…

If the Survey Corps gets disbanded like this, humanity won’t...

調査  (ちょうさ) 兵団 (へいだん) = Survey Corps

解体 (かいたい) = disband; disassemble [suru verb; here: passive form + conditional]  

人類 (じんるい) = mankind; humanity​

このまま is totally absent from the translation; however, it means 'in the current situation.' If you analyze the context in which this sentence has been said, it makes sense why Marlo said it.

In English, though, it seems unnecessary to say out loud: 'if this situation continues.'

We all know they are in a bad position. We can infer it from the context. However, 'like this' seems to capture the nuance of このまま.

Leaving out このまま would, probably, sound like a plain statement; an action that has no relation to current events. Some things are obvious to us (in English); some things have to be articulated in Japanese. 

Marlo is literally saying: If the current situation continues, Survey Corps will get disbanded, and humanity will…

At this point in the anime, Erwin has made a lot of risky decisions and that lowered the reputation of his squad.

そのままの姿勢で指示どおりに動く

Context: Marlo to Armin seconds before Levi and Mikasa ambushed Marlo and Hitch.

Stay in the same position and move as instructed.

姿勢 (しせい) = posture; pose; position [noun]

どおり = in accordance with; following​ [used as a suffix]

指示 (しじ) = instructions; directions​

動く(うごく) = to move

そのまま + の + noun = the [noun] remains as you see it; just the way it is/was; you are/were; just like that

そのまま refers to Armin’s position. He wasn’t holding any gun and had his hands up. Marlo wanted him to stay in that position.

Up next are examples from Naruto:

それから気を失ってずっと　このまま…

Context: Sakura about Tsunade who used all her chakra to protect the village during Pain’s attack. She was unconscious.

She has lost her consciousness and has been like that since then…

このまま refers to Tsunade’s state. Unconscious state that remained unchanged for a while.

'Like that' = doing things in a certain manner = she was laying down unconscious.

That’s another example of when このまま refers to an action you need to see to get a better understanding.

From a different episode:

火影が逃げたままじゃぜ。

Context: Oonoki at the 5 kage summit. Sasuke showed up and wanted to act cool but he failed. Obito saved his uncool ass and then disappeared. All the Kages were discussing what to do with the situation. Oonoki mentioned Hokage who was still on the run.

Hokage is still running away.

逃げる (にげる) = run away

じゃ means  だ・です・である when it is placed at the end of a sentence.

ぜ and ぞ are sentence-final particles used (primarily) by male speakers which are more colloquial versions of the particle よ.

Past tense + まま = the verb happened and that hasn’t changed. Danzou ran away and at the moment of speaking, he was still running away.

Remember that past-form verbs act like adjectives. まま is a noun so the verb 逃げた describes/modifies the noun. Danzou is in 'a ran-away state.'

Zetsu vs. Madara

かつて Kaguya は この無限月読を人々にかけたが殺さずに生かしたまま保存しておいた

Context: Zetsu while killing Madara and explaining the biggest plot twist ever.

Once, Kaguya cast Mugen Tsukuyomi on people, but she didn't kill them, she kept them alive.

かつて once

生かす (いかす) = to let live; to keep alive

保存 (ほぞん) = preservation; conservation; storage; maintenance​  [suru verb; here in ～ておく form which means to do/prepare something (for yourself or for other people) in advance for future convenience]

殺さずに (ころさずに) = without killing

ずに vs. なし vs. まま

ずに means ‘without,’ but it can only be used with verbs. You can’t replace it with まま because it doesn’t imply that the speaker will stay in a certain state. Single actions. なし means ‘without’ as well, but it refers to people, objects, or emotions.

Past tense  + まま = the verb happened and the action of that verb continued. So, letting them stay alive continued for a while. Lit. For future convenience, she stored them in a living state.  

僕のヒーローアカデミア

Context: Todoroki while fighting Stain. He’s analyzing the situation.

俺なら 距離を保ったまま…

It'd be better to keep my distance...

俺なら = When it comes to me/Since it’s me [and my fighting style]… It would be better to keep my distance.

保つ (たもつ) = to keep; to preserve; to hold; to retain; to maintain; to sustain​

距離  (きょり ) = distance

past tense + まま = it’s better to be in a state of staying away (clumsy!)

One more example from the same episode:

Context: Endeavour about Nomu. He used some sick move on Nomu, and it survived the blow which surprised Enji.

意識を保ったままでいられるのは初めてだな

That's the first time someone has been able to stay conscious.

保つ (ともつ) = to keep; to preserve

意識  (いしき ) = consciousness​

past tense + まま = the verb happened. Nomu kept its consciousness​ and didn’t lose it when Enji was speaking. Nomu is in the state of being conscious.

で refers to states as well. I feel like まま +で is a common combination when we want to add more after まま.

More on that topic here.

One more example of that combination.

Context: The dog-looking police officer to Deku after their fight with Stain. They were in the hospital.

掛けたままで結構だワン (woof)

There’s no need to get up.

掛ける (かける) = to rest

結構  (けっこう) = well enough; OK; tolerable​

And we will finish this post with 呪術廻戦

Context: Gojo vs Jogo. Gojo is encouraging Jogo to hold hands… Gojo’s sass level...

僕は このまま握手してもいいんだけど ... てれるなよ

I don't mind shaking hands like this... Come on, don't be shy…

The translator aimed for sass and naturalness. Good job.

握手 (あくしゅ) = hand shake

～てもいい = it’s ok if we…

てれるなよ = to be shy; to be bashful; to feel awkward; to feel embarrassed​ [here in its imperative form “don’t be shy”]

んだけど is here

このまま = in this manner; like that/this. Here you really need to see the scene. We could say, (lit.) 'Our hands can remain in such a state.' You’re physically showing to your speaker what you want to do. 

Context: Yuuji is back alive. Gojo and Shoko discuss what to do about that (episode 6).

(Shōko) ああ…. 報告 修正しないとね 

The report. I have to fix it.

(Gojo) いや このままで いい

Nah. It’s okay as it is. (lit. it's ok in its current state)

More on で is here

And the conversation continues:

(Gojo) 硝子 悪いが  記録上  悠仁 (Yuuji) は死んだままにしてくれ  

Shōko, sorry, but Yuji needs to stay dead in the report.

このままで = Gojo says that the state of the report having Itadori marked as dead is fine.

死んだままにしてくれ = past tense + まま ＋にする = leave the record which is in the state of having Yuuji marked as dead intact.

～てくれ = to do a favor.

Context: Yuuji to Gojo in the basement (episode 6). He’s ok with staying hidden for a while because he can’t face Fushiguro and Kugisaki in his current state.

今のままじゃ あいつらに顔向けできねえよ

今のまま = in my current state… He thinks he’s weak and needs to gain more power to protect his friends.

～まま can be challenging because of its nuanced usage and context-dependent meaning, however, I hope these examples helped you understand the logic behind this grammar structure a bit better.

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Members of society in Japanese

A simple bilingual vocabulary list for words related to society.

Lista słówek: członkowie społeczeństwa w języku japońskim

赤ちゃん (あかちゃん) = baby; infant; niemowle; dziecko

お腹がすいたら、赤ちゃんは泣く。 When babies are hungry, they cry. Kiedy dzieci są głodne, to płaczą.

男 (おとこ) = man; mężczyzna

女 (おんな) = woman; kobieta

男 and 女 are casual forms 男の人 and 女の人 are formal/regular forms 男性 and 女性 are more formal and 'adult-like'

仕事好きな女の人もいるし、料理や洗濯が好きな男の人もいる。There are women who like working, and there are men who like cooking and doing the laundry. Są kobiety, które lubią pracować i są mężczyźni, którzy lubią gotować i prać.

王（おう) = king; król

王様（おうさま) (sonkeigo; honorifics)

彼らは王の殺害をたくらんでいる They are plotting to kill the king. Knują spisek, by zabić króla.

企む  (たくらむ) = to plan; to scheme; to plot; knuć

殺害 (さつがい) = [noun] killing; murder; morderstwo

女王 (じょおう) = queen; królowa

王妃（おうひ) = empress; wife of a king; cesarzowa; żona króla

エリザベス女王２世 Queen Elizabeth II Królowa Elżbieta II

女王が国を支配する　 A queen rules a country. Królowa rządzi krajem.

支配（しはい) = [suru verb] rule; domination; rządzić

大統領 (だいとうりょう) = president (of a nation); prezydent kraju

大統領が重要な決定を下す The president makes important decisions. Prezydent podejmuje kluczowe decyzje.

重要 (じゅうよう) = [na-adj] important; ważny

決定を下す (けっていをくだす) = to make a decision; podejmować decyzję

隣人 (りんじん) = neighbor (document level formal); sąsiad

お隣さん (おとなりさん) = neighbor (everyday use)

近所さん（きんじょさん) = neighbor (formal)

だってお隣さんだし。ちょくちょくお邪魔するから。 Well, we’re neighbors. I’ll be popping over all the time. Jesteśmy sąsiadami. Będę wpadał cały czas.

お邪魔 (おじゃま) = [suru verb] hindrance; obstacle; to visit someone’s home; odwiedzać kogoś; przeszkoda

ちょくちょく = often, frequently; często

お隣さん is strictly neighbors on your right/left. 隣人 covers a circular area of effect, including nearest neighbors in all directions, in its meaning. 近所’s area of effect stretches more than the other two, is not limited to the nearest neighbors, and can include ones next to them.

女の子 (おんなこ) = girl; chłopiec

男の子 (おとここ) = boy; dziewczynka

女子 (じょし) = girl

少女 (しょうじょ) = young girl        

少年 (しょうねん) = young boy

Awesome article related: https://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2008/08/12/language/it-aint-too-bad-being-a-joshi-or-a-danshi/

子供（こども）= child; dziecko

子供のときに When I was a child... Kiedy byłem dzieckiem...

大人 (おとな) = adult; dorosły

成人 (せいじん) = adult; dorosły

成人 is a legal term and a person referred to as 成人 is over 20.

On a daily basis 大人 is used.

成人教育 Adult education Edukacja dorosłych

教育 (きょういく) = education; edukacja

人間 (にんげん) = human (≠ animal); człowiek

あの人は人間嫌いですか？ Does that person hate people? Czy ta osoba nienawidzi ludzi?

人間嫌い (にんげんぎら) = misanthropy; misanthropist​; mizantrop

友達（ともだち) = friend

Extra words: nakama | なかま | 仲間 “friend” (common in anime but uncommon in real life) shin'yuu | しんゆう | 親友 “close/best friend” tsure | つれ | 連れ “partner” (probably not in a romantic or sexual way) aibou | あいぼう| 相棒 “partner” (of a duo) shiriai | しりあい | 知り合い “acquaintance” chijin | ちじん | 知人 “acquaintance” doukyuusei | どうきゅうせい | 同級生 “classmate” douryou | どうりょう| 同僚 “colleague” dachi | ダチ “buddy” (slang way of saying friend) mabudachi | マブダチ “best bud” (slang way of saying close/best friend) yuujin | ゆうじん | 友人 “friend” (formal) kyuuchi | きゅうち | 旧知 “long[time] acquaintance” (source: quora)

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Giving directions in Japanese (2)

A simple vocabulary list for giving directions

Counters

Part one is here

Use these two counters to count landmarks.

For example:

三番目の建物（たてもの) = the third building; trzeci budynek

二番目の交差点 (こうさてん) = second intersection; drugie skrzyżowanie

Grammar mechanics:

counter + の + noun

noun + particle + counter + verb (there’s nothing between the counter and verb)

建物 + を + 三番目 +  見た I saw three buildings. Widziałam trzy budynki. According to textbooks, 番（ばん）is the “correct” counter; however, if you forget how to count in it, you can use the most common and universal one つ counter.

Right & Left

右 (みぎ) = right; prawo

左 (ひだり) = left; lewo

２つ目の角を右に曲がりなさい。 Turn right at the second corner.

Left side & Right side

左側 (ひだりがわ) = left side; prawa strona

右側 (みぎがわ) = right side; lewa strona

ホテルは左側にあります The hotel is on the left side. Hotel jest po lewej stronie.

Location words

Tips on how to use those words:

If it’s within my reach, it’s ここ

If I can’t grab it with my hand, which means I need to relocate myself (slightly), it’s そこ

If I can’t grab it and relocating myself will take me a bit of time, it’s あそこ

BONUS

Based on my observation.

こ　そ　あ　words are also used when you talk about abstract ideas/matters.

1. When you and your speaker are familiar with the subject, use あ

あの時 both speakers know which とき is being discussed.

When the あの時 you’re talking about becomes the main topic, you will hear こ instead of あ (この時).

2. When you talk to yourself, or write in a diary you use あ as well

3. When you’re not familiar with the subject, use そ

その人 = Your speaker talks about his friend, but you don’t know that friend, so you refer to that friend as 'that man' (そのひと).

It also seems that you can use it to talk about ideas that aren’t yours (that idea/your idea is great).

4. When you’re familiar with the subject, but your speaker/listener isn’t, you as the speaker will use こ (it’s close to you, so you know the subject. Your speaker will use そ)　

However, your speaker will start using こ as well when the topic of the conversation changes to the noun you started talking about first.

More on that here

[languagestudymaterials]

Giving directions in Japanese

A simple vocabulary list for giving directions in Japanese: Pytania o drogę - słówka po polsku, angielsku i japońsku.

Part two is here

真っ直ぐ (まっすぐ) = straight (ahead); prosto (przed siebie)

まっすぐ50メートル行くと、右にあります If you go straight ahead for 50 meters, it’ll be on your right. Jeśli pójdziesz prosto przez 50 metrów, [to, czego szukasz] będzie po prawej stronie.

曲がる (まがる) = to turn; skręcić

次の信号を右に曲がります Turn right at the next intersection. Skręć w prawo na następnym skrzyżowaniu.

The particle へ is also possible in this sentence.

渡る (わたる) = to cross over, to go across [This verb is also used with the noun はし (bridge)]; przejść przez (np. ulicę)

一度 = once; jak już

一度駅を出て、右に曲がり、道を渡ります Once you exit the station, turn right and cross the street. Jak (już) wyjdziesz ze stacji, skręć w prawo i przejdź przez ulicę.

通る (とおる) = to go by; to go past; to go along; to travel along; to pass through; to use (a road); to take (a route); to go via; to go by way of​; przechodzić obok

私は毎日その教会の前を通る I go past that church every day. Przechodzę obok tego kościoła codziennie.

公園 を通ります Go through the park. Przejść przez park.

この辺に (へんに) = in this area; w tej okolicy

この辺に映画館はあるか? Is there a cinema in this area? Czy w tej okolicy jest kino?

入り口 (いりぐち) = entrance; wejście

出口 (でぐち) = exit; wyjście

出口がない There’s no exit. Nie ma wyjścia.

あそこに入口があるよ！ Over there is an entrance! Tam jest wejście!

According to Jisho.org, there are multiple ways to spell the word 'entrance' in Japanese, and one of them is without り, just kanji characters.

交差点 (こうさてん) = intersection; skrzyżowanie

信号 (しんごう) = traffic lights; światła (te na skrzyżowaniu)

折 (お) れる = to turn a corner (see also: 曲がる)

信号のある交差点を左折れるには… (To) turn left at a signalized intersection... Skręć w lewo na skrzyżowaniu ze świałami...

近い (ちかい) = close; blisko

遠い (とおい) = far; daleko

あの駅はちょっと遠いよね  That station is a bit far. Stacja jest trochę daleko.

探している場所はこの辺に近いと思う I think the place we’re looking for is close to this area. Wydaje mi się, że miejsce, które szukamy, jest gdzieś w okolicy (blisko tego obszaru).

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Scena w książce — jak napisać? 

W tym krótkim poradniku pokażę Ci, jak napisać scenę według schematu, który jest uniwersalny i z pewnością przełamie Twoją pisarską blokadę.  

Scena, tak samo jak fabuła składa się z tych samych elementów: wprowadzenie, punkt zwrotny, jakieś przeszkody, rozwiązanie… itd. 

Różnica jest taka, że elementy sceny mogą, ale nie muszą wpływać na rozwój fabuły: niektóre z tych elementów będą potrzebne tylko do urozmaicenia sceny, a niektóre wpłyną na całą fabułę.

Wprowadzenie sceny

Zaczniemy od wprowadzenia, czyli od czego zacząć, aby scena już na początku była zachęcająca i ciekawiła czytelnika.  

Ważne! Jeśli decydujesz się na napisanie jakiejś sceny, to prawdopodobnie wydarzenia, które mają miejsce w opisywanej przez Ciebie scenie, są ważne dla fabuły lub rozwoju bohaterów. Jeśli jednak w danej scenie wszystko idzie gładko, bohaterowie się nie męczą, aby osiągnąć zamierzony cel, to być może wystarczy napisać krótkie podsumowanie — jeden lub dwa akapity, zamiast kilku stron. 

We wprowadzeniu powinny być następujące informacje: 

miejsce akcji 

kto jest główną postacią w danej scenie, a kto postacią poboczną 

cel sceny: co bohater chce osiągnąć (np. chce odzyskać dług)

inicjacja sceny, czyli od czego/ jak ma się rozpocząć dana scena

Określenie miejsca akcji i tego, kto jest głównym bohaterem danej sceny, jest proste, choć zdarzało mi się czytać maszynopisy, w których te informacje nie wybrzmiewały na początku sceny, tylko na końcu. Bywały też takie sceny, w których nie byłam w stanie stwierdzić, kto jest głównym bohaterem w tej konkretnej scenie.

Warto już w pierwszym akapicie zaznaczyć, kogo będzie dotyczyć dana scena i gdzie ten ktoś się znajduje. 

Określenie celu sceny też nie należy do najtrudniejszych punktów na tej liście, ale bywa tak, że autorzy często zapominają o tym punkcie, zwłaszcza podczas pisania pierwszego draftu lub nawet drugiego czy trzeciego. 

Czytelnik lubi wiedzieć, dlaczego czyta to, co czyta. W jego głowie krąży pytanie: „Po co mi to wiedzieć?”.

Jeśli nie dostarczymy mu odpowiedzi na to pytanie, to bardzo szybko się znudzi Twoją historią i będzie poirytowany, ponieważ wszystko będzie „takie bezcelowe”. 

W zależności od długości sceny ta informacja może wybrzmieć gdzieś na początku lub w środku, lub nawet na końcu — ale ona musi wybrzmieć, czytelnik musi wiedzieć, po co to wszystko. 

Inicjacja sceny to nic innego jak poinformowanie czytelnika, o tym, że na przykład moja scena zacznie się od wartkiej akcji lub od sentymentalnej rozmowy. Scenę można również rozpocząć w sposób opisowy, ale nadmierna ilość takich opisów, które mają za zadanie wytłumaczyć (jak krowie na rowie) czytelnikowi pewne kwestie, jest nużąca. 

Środek sceny

No dobrze, poinformowaliśmy czytelnika, z kim ma do czynienia, gdzie jest bohater i co chce osiągnąć, więc teraz musimy przejść do akcji.

Na tym etapie nasz bohater musi doświadczyć komplikacji, które można zintensyfikować, ale nie trzeba.  

Jeśli bohaterowi wszystko przychodzi łatwo i tę łatwiznę opisujemy przez kilka stron, to czytelnik z pewnością po kilku takich scenach rzuci książką w kąt. 

Komplikacje nie muszą być drastyczne! Może to na przykład być źle wykręcony numer telefonu lub ostatnia łyżeczka kawy w słoiczku, a bohater pije z dwóch. 

Fakt, komplikacje mają za zadanie pokazać rozwój bohaterów, jeśli dana scena wpływa na całość fabuły. Ale mogą też posłużyć jako urozmaicenie sceny, aby czytelnik się nie nudził i mógł poczuć przywiązanie do bohatera — bo przecież doświadczają tych samych problemów. 

Środek sceny można trochę zintensyfikować poprzez: niepewność, niebezpieczeństwo, wstrzymanie.  

niepewność: bohater waha się, jest w kropce, nie ma dostatecznych informacji, aby podjąć decyzję itp. 

niebezpieczeństwo: niebezpieczna jazda autem, która może doprowadzić do wypadku lub czający się w ciemnościach wróg 

wstrzymanie: ktoś — lub coś — specjalnie blokuje naszego bohatera przed osiągnięciem celu sceny. 

Punkt kulminacyjny 

Po prostu — informacja, czy cel został osiągnięty. 

W tym punkcie warto również dodać jakąś nową informację, która będzie punktem zapalnym dla kolejnej sceny. Może to być zwrot akcji, a może to być coś mniej krzykliwego, na przykład: poznanie nowej osoby, która wkroczy w życie naszego bohatera lub zakup air fryera, który w jakiś sposób poprawi jego samopoczucie. Może to być duże wydarzenia, a może to być coś mniej znaczącego.  

Zakończenie

W tej sekcji sceny zwalniamy tempo akcji i dajemy czas czytelnikowi na przetrawienie tego, co się właśnie wydarzyło. 

Jeśli akcja sceny polegała na walce o przetrwanie, to możemy ukryć naszego bohatera w dziupli, aby złapał oddech i przeanalizował pole walki. 

Jeśli naszemu bohaterowi nie udało zamówić się kawy w obcym języku, możemy pokazać drogę do domu naszego bohatera i jego przemyślenia. 

Możemy też dodać informacje, które zachęcą czytelnika do kontynuowania lektury, na przykład: 

Czy bohater wróci na pole walki i pokona wroga, a może wymyśli nowy sprytniejszy plan?

Czy bohater podda się i już nigdy nie przemówi w obcym języku, a może pójdzie do innej kawiarni i tam spróbuje swoich sił? 

W następnym poście przeanalizuję scenę, aby pokazać Wam, jak ten schemat wygląda w praktyce.

[languagestudymaterials]

Conditional sentences in Japanese

Unfortunately, conditional sentences are a complicated piece of grammar in Japanese. I collected some examples of conditional sentences used in anime to help me and you understand the logic behind them. Conditional sentences are really contextual and analyzing examples with clear context should be helpful.

Omoi on his way to Konoha with Karui and Samui

その子たちが俺にむちゃくちゃ告白してきたらいったいどうしようかと思ってさ。

I was wondering what I would do if all the girls confessed their feelings to me.

子  (こ) = child or young woman; young geisha [たち pluralizing suffix ]

むちゃくちゃ  = very; extremely; excessively [adverb]

告白  (こくはく) = confession of love; professing one's feelings​ [suru verb; here in its ～てくる form which can be translated as: 'their love confessions will come my way/my direction.'

～たら = conditional sentence marker

いったい  = what in the world; what the hell; etc.

どうしようか = indirect question (more here) (introduced by いったい = what… ) [どう= how; しよう = する in its “let’s” or “will” form]

と思ってさ = in this context, we could translate it as 'I wonder…' さ could be translated as 'It’s like I wonder what I will do when…' (filler word). Also, 思って is 思っている but anime way/rough guy way.

Before we dive in

A brief overview of English conditional sentences.

Notice that in English (at least in the ESL setting) we tend to discuss conditionals from the 'when the thing will happen or happened' perspective. Students need to distinguish between actions that are possible to happen in the future, that have already happened, or that might never happen.

0 conditional

Used to express general truths; actions that are outside of your control; actions that happen always because that’s the way they are; e.g. If Madara shows up; it means shit gets real <- that’s always the case.

I conditional

Refers to future actions; something is almost 100% possible to happen in the distant or near future; e.g. If you insult the Second Mizukage once again; he will start fighting us for real! (I hope you remember this ep! It was hilarious!)

II conditional

Unreal present situations; something that isn’t possible to happen at the moment of speaking; we’re imagining an alternative present situation; e.g. If we knew who the person controlling Edo Tensei was, I would be able to come up with a more accurate plan.

III conditional

Unreal past situations, something happened in the past, and you sort of regret it, and now you’re imagining an alternative past situation; e.g. (context: Obito about Kakashi referring to times when they were kids and Kakashi’s dad committed suicide) If I had noticed that void in your heart back then, we would have become friends sooner.

You can combine conditional sentences too! For example, II + III; III + II; etc.

In Japanese, instead of wondering: 'Is it a future event?', you have to wonder if the thing you are talking about: is contextual, the result is more important than the condition, the actions fall into the 'regulations or recipes' category, etc. The Japanese look at conditional sentences from a different perspective.

Japanese conditional sentences

～たら

Stefan Kaiser writes (p. 575) that ～たら is used when:

'when..., then...' = 'when' sentence is a matter of certainty, 'then' sentence will happen because 'when' sentence is inevitable.

For example:

When I finish this report, I will go home. When I grow up, I want to be a doctor.

I will eventually finish the report and go home, and I will grow up whether I like it or not.

it has a similar meaning to ～ば , but it is more colloquial. If the action of the 'if/when' sentence is carried out, then the action of sentence 2 will happen or apply. It is used in contexts such as regulations, recipes (not only in cooking), rules, etc.

If you show this to our boss, he won't give you the promotion.

While the example sentence is not a written rule, you can expect that showing, let's say, a hideous presentation to your boss means no promotion.

in this context, 'when' means 'at the time that'; 'during the time that'; 'in the process of'. It doesn't have any conditional connotations in English, hence the urge to use ときに in Japanese. Kaiser explains that in such contexts where the speaker has no control over the action, it's a pure realization on the speaker's side, we use ～たら.

I didn't want to talk to him when he told me what he did. When I talked to my boss, he warned me that I'd be fired because of my poor performance.

hypothetical/unrealized conditions in Japanese are often expressed through ～たら and past tense (even the past continuous endingていた ) + ～でしょう・はず or any other modal ending.

In my Japanese class, I made the following list:

Future events; e.g. When I get home, I will eat some cookies.

Hopes for the future; e.g. When I graduate, I will find a good job, for sure.

Emergency; e.g. In case of fire/ If there is fire, call 911; When the earthquake strikes, I protect my children first.

Advice; e.g. If you drink, don’t drive.

Weak suggestions; used when you don’t want to sound too direct. It’s often used as a question.

Unlikely dreams/situations (present and past); e.g. If I won the lottery, I’d give half of the money to you (here you can add もし at the beginning to strengthen the 'unlikely' meaning)

Surprise; e.g. When I was about to scold the intern, the boss came in, and I got scolded instead! (the clause after ～たら is usually in past tense)

Discovery; e.g. When I looked into the closet, (I discovered) my shoes were gone! (the clause after ～たら is usually in past tense)

Taking all that into consideration, we can assume that Omoi used ～たら to express an unlikely/possible situation. Omoi likes to be dramatic and worries about everything. His dramas and worries are HIGHLY UNLIKELY to happen.

～ば

This can be replaced by ～たら quite often; however, the difference is that ～たら implies habitual actions, for example:

If (when) they misbehave, they are scolded.

Parents established such a rule and they follow it; it's unlikely they will change their approach.

～ば, on the other hand, refers to singular actions, temporary actions, things that are rules, but only for the time being, for example:

If it's not expensive, it's not fashionable.

Trends are constantly changing; we don't control them; for now, this is the rule: expensive = fashionable. In 10 years, cheap things might be trendy.

If the actions are habitual, both are correct; but when the context suggests the action is a 'temporary habit/rule', only ～ば is correct.

In PerePera Japanese, I found the following use:

～ば suggests that your sentence has a hidden meaning and you want to emphasize it. No innuendos or anything of that sort. If you don’t want to sound too direct, use ～ば.

If only you were a better player, then I’d definitely let you play. (Hidden meaning/reality: you suck)

If you practiced a little more, you’d win that race. (Hidden meaning/reality: you suck)

Strong suggestions; (it will make you sound pushy, and you might hear it from your senpai or boss, etc.; stronger than ～たら)

Past habits; e.g. When I was a kid; I used to eat lots of sweets.

Proverbs usually use ～ば.

Shigaraki in season 1 of My Hero Academia said:

子供を殺せば来るのかな？

Shigaraki is talking about a hypothetical situation. Since both ～たら and ～ば can be used in such a case, what's the difference, then?

～ば focuses on the condition (the if clause)

～たら focuses on the result

～ば vs. ～たら

Japanese Pod 101 gives the following examples:

今すぐ行けば、間に合うだろう。 今すぐ行ったら、間に合うだろう。

Both sentences mean: 'If you go right now, you will make it on time.' As Clause B can only happen if Clause A occurs, ～たら is alright. However, if the focus of your sentence is on the condition (if you go right now), then it would be more natural to use ～ば.Note: There are cases where you can use only ～たら. If Clause B is:

an order

a recommendation

a request

a prohibition

a wish

or volition

only ～たら can be used. For example:

日本に行ったら、京都を訪ねてください。 When you go to Japan, please visit Kyoto.

Here, the speaker is making a request. Therefore, only ～たら can be used.

Shigaraki is talking about the hypothetical situation and he's drawing our attention to the if-clause: If we kill some kids. Considering the context and his motifs, then using ～ば to emphasize murder, well, it makes sense.

In some grammar books, I read that ～ば emphasizes the condition as essential; we need this, and without it, nothing will happen.

Without killing the kids, All Might won't come = killing kids is essential.

～たら, on the other hand, focuses on the result; All Might will come = I care more about All Might showing up than the things I need to do to make him show up.

Another example, this time from Naruto.

Context: Kakashi to Naruto. Naruto wanted to discuss Sasuke’s case with the new Hokage, Danzou. Kakashi warned him it was not a good idea.

へたをすれば牢に込まれることになる

へたをすれば = Kakashi is talking about a hypothetical situation (～たら would be possible as well); however, he (I believe) wants to emphasize the if-clause. Naruto is very reckless, we all know that. He is capable of making wrong moves. We could also apply one of the explanations from PeraPera Japanese: hidden meaning.

One more example from Demon Slayer.

戦っていれば勝っていた

In this context, we can also assume that Muzan uses ～ば to emphasize the if-clause. In English (at least in this translation), there's 'had he fought' (inverted conditional form), which also nicely emphasizes the if-clause. Apart from that, Muzan talks about a hypothetical situation and states that Gyutaro fighting alone was essential to winning the fight.

A thing I observed: In the 'must' form しなければいけません, there's also ば. Textbooks explain this cluster as follows: If X doesn't happen, then Y won't be (or something along those lines). We could follow that logic and paraphrase the example sentences: Shigaraki: I MUST kill the kids. Then, he will come. Kakashi: You MUST make correct/good moves. Then, you won't end up in jail. Muzan: Gyuutaro HAD TO/MUST fight alone. Then, he would have won. If you can come up with a sentence that uses 'must', then using ～ば should also be correct.

～なら

This one is tricky. You’ll see it used in sentences that do not correspond to English conditional sentences; no ‘if’ clause. However, the ‘if’ clause may be implied.

It is used to respond to what your speaker said = taking up what someone else has said. ～なら is very contextual. If you walk into a room full of people and say: If I win a lottery, I will go to Japan, just like that, randomly, and translate it using ～なら as your conditional sentence marker, you'd make a mistake. Context, apart from words, can be shown with actions, for example, when you see a person who is about to leave; then you could say a sentence with ～なら.

To give some limitations or conditions to your speaker’s choice; e.g.

A: When can we meet again? B: Any time next week is ok!

You can choose the day yourself. 来週ならいつでもいい.

今日なら = only today; I’m limiting your options to today only, tomorrow is out of the question, or any other day.

Emphasizing what comes before; expressing one’s ability or characteristic; showing your trust; e.g.

It’s Madara! (Since it’s Madara,) He can destroy the whole world! マダラなら、世界を潰せる！

Depending on the context, you could also translate it as: You’re Madara, you can destroy the whole world!

Giving suggestions as an answer to your speaker’s question; e.g.

Where can I get good sushi? Good sushi? Well, over there!

I like to think it means: “When it comes to…” in this context.

You’re going to Japan? Then, you should visit Hokkaido! 日本なら北海道に行ったらどう？

I can see you’re struggling with Math, but you’re proud and won’t ask for help.

分からないなら聞いてください If you don’t get it, just ask, ok?

これほど言っても分からない��ら、もういい Even after all was said/explained, you still don't get it, forget it (it's fine).

Example from Naruto. Obito is declaring war.

お前たちなら本当は理解しているはずだ

You’re the 5 kage, right? You should already know what the truth is/understand the truth!

お前たちなら = expressing one’s ability or characteristic; 5 kage are aware that the system sucks.

Shee after Obito declared war.

暁が八尾と九尾を狙っているならやつらもまだビーを執拗に追っているはずです

If Akatsuki is targeting the Eight and Nine Tails, they must still be relentlessly pursuing Bee.

狙っているなら = Shee is responding to the context here. Someone said something about Akatsuki and Bee before and now Shee made that conclusion; it’s not a random statement; they’d been talking about Biju and Akatsuki for a while.  

狙う (ねらう) = to be after (something); to have an eye on​; to aim at​

執拗 (しつよう) = relentlessly [na adj; here as an adverb]

追う (おう) = to chase; to run after; to pursue; to follow after​

八尾と九尾 (はちび と きゅうび) = Eight and Nine Tails

～と

Unfortunately, I have no examples for this one. I'll just leave you with a short overview.

Something always or certainly occurs (0 conditional); e.g. If it gets hot, the snow melts down. If you turn right, there’s a bank (The bank has always been there); When I’m stressed, I eat;

Narration; when you describe facts chronologically; e.g. When I came out of the tunnel, I saw the sea! When we came to the party, Mary made us drinks. (You can use とき for this one as well);  

You can replace it with ～たら when you explain things to others and you want to show a bit more empathy. As if you were trying to help your listener to understand your explanations.

When there is no 'if' in Japanese, but there's 'if' in English

どうすんだよ。もしあの石が岩に当たって 岩が崩れて その崩れた岩が更に大きな岩を崩して すごい岩崩れを起こしその下にあった木ノ葉の里が飲み込まれ 壊滅。

In this example, there's no ～ば、～たら、～なら、～と, but the English translation starts with something that falls into 'conditional structures' grammar.

If you're like me, then you probably think of ～ば、～たら、～なら、～と when you see 'if' in English. Well, as you can see, starting your sentence with もし and using ～て to connect the actions is also possible.

Some textbooks state that using もし without conditional markers is incorrect.

Also, note that Omoi in this example first asked: What will we do? And then gave us the if-clause. It's not a typical structure when we start with if-clause.

Apart from that, it's anime, so anything is possible there.

[languagestudymaterials]

'Can't help but...' in Japanese

The manga panel is from Mars Red, chapter 1.

～ずにはいられない

Can’t help but  (could also be translated as “have to do [verb]”)

Can’t help but save [in this context: the kid]

When you are naturally inclined to, let’s say, help other people and when you see them struggling, you just feel the need to help them because that’s who you are.

When you’re addicted to chocolate, and you can’t stop yourself from eating when you see some, then you’d use this phrase as well.

じゃない

In this case, it works like a question tag. The speaker is, in a sense, seeking confirmation. We could translate it as “…, right?” or:

When I think a child is alone in this dark theater, I can’t help but save them, right?

It’s a bit different from んじゃない. It adds the nuance of “you know...”; you’re sort of trying to explain your behavior.

You can use じゃない without the question marker か or ですか. The question marker makes you sound polite, and it makes the statement less certain. じゃない alone sounds like you’re sure of what you’re saying.

More here and here

Related expressions:

〜ざるを得ない（ざるをえない）

(less formal ～しかない; it can be used with nouns and verbs)

You’ll see this phrase translates as “can’t help but…” as well. However, it is used when you performed the action unwillingly, or you couldn’t do anything else (you had no other choice).

タクシーもつかまらなかったから、家まで歩いて帰らざるを得なかったんだよ。

I couldn’t catch a taxi either, so I had no choice but to walk home. (you didn’t want to walk [maybe you hate waking] but it was necessary due to the circumstances.

To make English sound more natural you’d just say “I had to walk home.” You’d also say it with a tone of voice that would suggest irritation.

It is used with verbs only.

～ないではいられない

This structure is used when you feel like you must do something because you can no longer withhold your emotions. When someone has been annoying for way too long, and you finally feel like complaining (you’ve been ignoring them but at some point, you went like “That’s it! I’m going to say something!!”), then you’d use this phrase.

You could use it in a positive context as well. If your cute little dog is just so cute you can’t stop thinking about it and you want the whole world to know just how cute your dog is, that’s the phrase you should go for.

It could be translated as ‘I just have to complain’ (because if I don’t, I’ll explode) or “I can’t help but complain!!”

[languagestudymaterials]

Passive voice in Japanese

This post is an overview, it's not a complete guide.

Extra grammar in this post is as follows:

によって

で

せいで

おかげで

Context: Madara to Obito in his speech about the cycle of life.

愛を守るために憎しみが生まれる。

To protect love, hate is born.

愛  (あい) = love

守る (まもる) = to protect

憎しみ (にくしみ) = hate

生まれる (うまれる) = to be born [passive voice]

Passive voice in English

We form the passive with the verb to be and the past participle of the main verb.

Madara says wise words ⇐ active voice.

Wise words are said by Madara ⇐ passive voice

We use the passive when:

When we don’t know who the doer is;

When we don’t want to say who the doer is;

When the action is more important than the doer;

When we refer to “unpleasant” events (for example, someone made a mistake, and we don’t want to snitch on that person).

What’s more popular in English? Active voice. You’ll hear passive verbs in formal situations (work setting, documents, legal language, etc.) more often than in everyday conversations.

Passive voice in Japanese

Well, it’s far more common to use passive voice in Japanese than it is in English, for sure.

NOTE: Don't make the same mistakes I made at the beginning of my learning journey: English passive voice sentences shouldn't be translated into passive voice in Japanese. In Japanese, there are also intransitive verbs!

In Japanese, passive voice is used:

when you want to show politeness because it makes your sentences less direct

in newspapers, formal setting, keigo

when you are negatively affected by the action, aka. "the sufferer passive" (for example: the baby cried all night; if it bothered you, use passive voice to indicate that)

when you don't want to (or cannot) mention who the doer is (overlaps with English)

when you are the receiver of an action (for example: a stranger asked me a question; I received the action of being asked a question; confsuing, I know)

While some of the rules overlap, the ones that seems to be the most problematic are “sufferer passive” and “receiver of an action.”

One of my language exchange partners told me that when retelling a story or someone’s words, she would use passive voice. Instead of saying “John told me…” she would say “I was told that…”

Why?

Because whatever happened in the story, it made her the receiver of the actions or the sufferer. She also mentioned that she struggled with passive/active voice while learning English because some of the active sentences in English lacked the nuance of “me being the victim here” and to her, giving the whole picture or giving important information that would clarify who is the victim is  "面倒くさい."

A Japanese passive sentence can convey more emotions/nuances than English four active sentences. What she also finds troublesome is that in English, people use voice modulation to convey some nuances. It took her sometime to get used to it.

Let's analyze the example with the baby.

The baby cried all night.

In English, to convey the nuance of you being the “victim,” you’d add some slurs and change the tone of your voice. You’d probably add some additional information, such as “I couldn’t sleep…”. If you didn’t, the sentence would come off as a neutral statement.

In Japanese, though, an active sentence would sound like a regular statement, no further implications or implied meanings. Even changing the tone of your voice wouldn’t help much. A passive statement would convey the nuance of you being the “victim.” Why “victim”? Because you couldn’t sleep all night or whatever the consequences were.

Also, I always thought that describing this rule as "being the victim" was a bit too intense. I always thought I had to be seriously injured, physically injured.

Even the smallest inconvenience can make you "the victim." For example: being overcharged; seems trivial, but to convey the nuance of being annoyed and aggrieved, you’d use the passive voice in Japanese.

Verbs that are always passive / intransitive verbs

生まれる is always in passive form. You didn’t perform the action yourself, right? There are some verbs that are always used in passive voice both in English and Japanese.

Side note: You’re probably thinking that てくれる or てもらう convey the meaning of "receiving the beneficial action of…." or "being the receiver." True. But, these forms are used when you want to appreciate someone’s actions. Passive voice doesn’t convey this nuance.

Stefan Kaiser points out that 

[…] differences in point of view are seen in the way things are expressed, for instance, when English uses expressions such as 'they catch the offender’ [active voice] or 'the offender gets caught’ [passive voice], Japanese uses neither the active/transitive, nor the passive, but the intransitive (p.674).

This observation is further proved by the following example:

犯人は早く捕まってくれないと不安です。 (捕まる = intransitive verb)  If the culprit doesn’t get caught soon, I’ll be worried.  (get caught = passive voice) 

Remember, you can't translate passive voice to passive voice.

Examples

Examples are from Jujutsu Kaisen episodes 10, 11, 12, and 13 and Naruto.

Actions that make the speaker/the receiver of an action the “victim.”

Who would’ve thought that you could actually hurt Madara’s feelings…

なめられたものだ｡

Context: Guy just opened the 7th gate and Madara thought:

He insults me...

Possible translations:

I've been made fun of I've been looked down on. I've been played

舐める or ナメる = to look down on (someone); to make fun of; to put down; to treat with contempt; to underestimate​

もの = person (Madara speaks about himself in 3rd person every now and then)

In English, we got the active voice because it sounds natural, and we know the doer (Gai).

なめられた works here as a relative clause. It describes the noun もの.

I am the person who has been underestimated. That would be the literal translation. Weird, right?

Jujutsu Kaisen

Context: The girl at the bakery had a little curse on her arm, and Nanami couldn’t decide what to do about it. So he thought:

下手に処理してヘンテコ霊媒師と思われても面倒だ

下手 (へた) = [na adj; here as an adverb] unskillful; poor; awkward

処理  (しょり) = [suru verb] processing; dealing with; treatment; disposition; disposal​

霊媒師 (れいばいし) = spiritualist; medium; necromancer​

変梃 or ヘンテコ  = strange; weird; odd [na adj]

Lit.: To be thought of as…

If Nanami handed this case poorly, the girl would think him weird. Nanami would be “the victim” here, even though he wanted to do something good.

Context: Ijichi about Nanami. He messed up a bit, Yuuji was nowhere around, and Ijichi freaked out.

大人オブ大人の七海さんに叱られたら―

If Nanami, the adult-of-adults, scolds me…

叱る (しかる) = to scold; to chide; to rebuke; to reprimand​ [here: chews me out...]

大人 (おとな) = adult

オブ of [from English, transliteration used in titles]

たら = conditional sentence marker

Yeah, getting scolded is definitely an unpleasant situation and makes you feel like a victim/a sufferer. Note that in this case, we know who is the doer (Nanami). Since we know the doer, it’s better to use the active voice in English.

Context: Yuuji with Junpei. He’s referring to his training while watching the movies that Gojo brought.

そのせいで 何回 殴られたことか

殴る  (なぐる) = to hit, to strike

ことか  = is an exclamatory statement at the end of a sentence, often shows a sense of 'wow', 'surprise', or 'being upset' at what comes before it.

せいで  = because of [used in negative meaning]

English overlaps with Japanese here. I’ve been/got beaten up – we know the doer, but, for obvious reasons, Yuuji doesn’t want to say it out loud. "I’m the sufferer here" is the extra nuance that Japanese conveys.

Junpei to Itadori

人の心に呪われたっていうのか！

呪う (のろう) = to curse

のか  selftaughtjapanese.com has a great explanation for this one

っていう is used to introduce a thing to define (In this case, the “definition” came before the sentence). It isn’t “someone says….” In the English translation, “That [whatever came before the sentence] would mean…” is the equivalent.

Junpei and his mom are the victims in this situation. Junpei was talking about people being heartless and that there’s no hope for people, etc.

People cursed me… ⇐ active voice (sounds better in English, and we know who cursed them. His tone of voice and tears also suggest that he feels hurt and is a victim). 

Passive voice for reporting events in formal style

Ijichi about Junpei’s mother.

吉野 凪は宿儺の指によって寄せられた呪霊に―

宿儺 = Sukuna

指 (ゆび) = finger

寄せる (よせる) = to bring near; to bring together; to collect; to gather​

呪霊  (のろいれい) = curse spirit

によって = according to; by (means of); due to; because of​

寄せられた呪霊 … which was brought by (again, a passive verb that works like a relative clause. There are no relative pronouns in Japanese.)

によって・で・せいで・おかげで  differences

によって expresses causation with higher formality than the particle で. They are interchangeable in a lot of cases, though. However, you cannot use によって if there are other factors involved (Sukuna’s finger was the only factor). で is used when other factors might be involved as well.

せいで  = negative reasons/causation “because of” おかげで  = positive reasons/causation “thanks to”

から expresses causation too, but it indicates that the causation was stretched out in time. The results didn’t happen at once but rather gradually. The abovementioned expressions are used when the causation is happening “at the moment” of speaking.

Passive voice when we don’t know the doer

Examples of “regular” passive voice. We don’t know the doer, so we need passive voice.

一度 改造された人間はまず助からん

肉体の形は魂の形に引っ張られる

[languagestudymaterials]

'How' and 'however' in Japanese

This post was inspired by Moriarty the Patriot (episode 7).

ひとつひとつ可能性を潰していけばどんなにありえなさそうなことでもそれが真実なんだ

When you eliminate every other possibility, then whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.

ひとつひとつ = one-by-one; separately; in detail​; every; each; individual; etc.

可能性 (かのうせい) = potentiality; likelihood; possibility; availability​

潰す (つぶす) = to smash; to crush; to flatten​

あり得る = ありえない = ありえなさそう = a verb that has been changed into its negative ‘seem’ form.

More on そう here and here

English definition of how and however

How refers to / conveys the meaning of:

“In what way”; It is used to ask/talk about the manner of action.

It is used for asking or talking about the way in which one thing is different from or similar to another.

It is used for asking or saying what quantity, distance, age etc. something is, or to what degree something is true.

It is used for asking what someone thinks about an experience (How did it go?). (Macmillan Dictionary)

However, on the other hand, means:

any way at all

it doesn’t matter how

However you try to explain it, I still can’t understand it. (Any way at all that you try to explain it … /It doesn’t matter how you try …) (Cambridge Dictionary)

Japanese words for how and however

Japanese seems to have lots of words that can be translated as “how” or ‘however.’ For example:

どう・どうやって・どのように(な)・どんなに・どういう・どんな 　

How in Japanese

どう・どのように (formal)・どうやって (casual)

Used to ask: “in what way/manner of action”  To answer them, use adverbs/adverbial phrases, for example: fast, by bus, etc.

この場所までは、どのように行けばいいのでしょうか？ How do I get to this location?

どのように説明したかを知りたい。(indirect question - more here) I would like to know how you explained it.

どのように行くのですか？ How do you go about it?

どのように使うのですか？ How is it used?

どのように勉強するのですか？ How will you study? 明日の会議がどのようになるか分かりません。 I do not know how tomorrow's meeting will go.

In all of the above examples, どのように can be replaced with どう or どうやって

どう？/ どうですか？

Asking for an impression/an experience (what do you think?)

最近どう？ How are you doing lately?

では、どう？ Well, how about now?

However in Japanese

どんなに

Talking about degree/extent. This phrase usually appears in combination with ても.

どんなに～[verb]ても = no matter how (much); however

どんなに～[noun]でも = no matter how (much) [our example]; however

It’s also possible to use the verb is in its “let’s form” (volitional) to say “no matter [wh-question word].”

no matter how long I sleep… = 「どんなに寝ようと…」 no matter how much I study… =「どんなに勉強しようと…」 no matter how fast I run… = 「どんなに速く走ろうと…」

Sherlock (in our example) said: どんなにありえなさそうなことでも: - no matter how improbable - however improbable ありえなさそうなこと = ありえない + そう + な + こと ⇐ the whole phrase is a noun phrase

どれだけ・どれぐらい・ どれくらい

Used to ask: “How easy was the test?” (To what extent was it easy)  (どんだけ super casual)

どれだけ簡単なテストだったの？

どこまで

Used to ask: “how much/far” (to what extant)

どこまで行くのか？ How far will you go?

どこまで知るのか？ How much do you know?

どのような (formal)・どんな (casual)

Asking about qualities/characteristics (what kind of). In English, ‘what’ expresses inquiry about the identity, nature, or value of an object or matter. Answer such questions using adjectives or adjectival phrases.

Note that earlier we used どのように.

に connects with verbs, and these are described by adverbs.

な connects with nouns, and nouns are described by adjectives.

どんな食べ物が好き？ What kind of food do you like? ポーランドってどんな所？ What is Poland like? どのようなご用件でしょうか？ How can we help you? 〇〇さんはどのようなご様子でしたか？ How did Mr. 〇〇 seem to you?

How to in Japanese

The above examples are questions (the “however” section is about affirmative sentences). After all, you use ‘how’ to ask questions, but you can also use it to make an affirmative sentence, for example:

How to cook chicken — 10 great recipes.

In Japanese, in this case, you need to use a different word, namely: 方 (かた).

You change the verb ‘cook’ to its pre-masu form, and then you attach 方 to it. 

to cook = 料理する 

料理し + 方 = 料理し方

Yuko sensei has an entire lesson on it!

[languagestudymaterials]

Question tags and unintentional actions

Let's start with discussing question tags. The example comes from Mars Red manga.

じゃないか for question tags

Context: Yamagami (on the right) is lecturing Kurusu (on the left) on vampire behavior. Kurusu's behavior might spoil the image of vampire soldiers. Apart from this, Kurusu can't come to terms with being a vampire, and Yamagami is trying to help him accept their new reality.

よくない = negative form of いい

いいじゃないか = it’s not good, is it? (for vampire soldiers)

When do we use tag questions or negative questions?

In English, negative questions aren’t as common as in Japanese. You really need a good context to ask a negative question in English. In Japanese, negative questions sound:

less direct;

polite;

and most of the time they imply that the speaker already knows the answer but is seeking confirmation from their speaker (it’s a soft rule), for example:

You don’t like coffee, do you? ⇐ I know you don’t, but do me a favor and just confirm my information.

sometimes the speaker may be just speculating [isn’t so sure; as far as I remember, you don’t like coffee…];

question tags also work as a reminder [you know you will break your neck if you do it, don’t you?];

volitional form + じゃないか work as an inducement. You can stick to a plain volitional form, but adding じゃないか makes the whole thing sound a bit more urgent as in “come on, let’s get out of here… [I really want to leave this place] 早く出かけようじゃないか.

You can also use じゃない without the question marker か or ですか. The question marker makes you sound polite, and it makes the whole statement less certain. じゃない alone sounds like you’re sure of what you’re saying.

There’s also the issue of female vs. male speech (and in this case, grammar rules don’t apply at all, sigh)

Also, remember about the formality level: ではないか?; ではないですか?; じゃないですか? etc.

んじゃない vs じゃない

If you know the rules for んです/のです then you already know what this little ん does before じゃない。

More about んです/のです here.

Shared background information/explanatory nuance + question tag = んじゃない

In the example above, Yamagami can't really say: いいんじゃないか because it would mean that both of them know about the code of conduct for the vampire soldiers. However, they are new to the situation, they know nothing about vampires, how they should behave, eat, etc.

They don't share the same background information and Yamagami might be lecturing Kurusu, but he's only guessing, and his guess is not influenced by anything. いいんじゃないか would mean that his guess is influenced by some experience or by something that another vampire soldier has told him — lots of possibilities.

One more example from Jujutsu Kaisen

(Speech bubble no.2) Sasaki asks Itadori: "Wouldn’t it be better to show off your skill in the sports club?"

才能 = さいのう = talent; ability

発揮 = はっき = show; exhibit [suru verb]

運動部 = うんどうぶ = sports club

んじゃない = explanatory nuance/shared background information + question tag without か = Sasaki and Itadori share the same information (Itadori is good at sports, and he would be better off in a sports club, but for some reason, he joined the occult club) and no か is adding a bit of certainty to the statement/question.

てしまう or ちゃう / じゃう

Short grammar structure explanation: てしまう (formal; textbook) is replaced by ちゃう (casual; speech). For the verbs that employ で in its て form, でしまう is replaced by じゃう.

I remember seeing “finish something completely” and “unintentional actions” in textbooks and on websites.

But what does it mean to “finish something completely?”

When you finish something, it’s done/completed. Can it get even more completed?

These were the questions I'd constantly ask myself upon seeing this grammar.

Unintentional actions

The verb attached to ちゃう・じゃう becomes unexpected (even to you) or inconvenient. You might regret your own (or someone else’s) actions or be surprised. You can interpret it as:

I didn’t mean to [verb] but it happened, sorry!

“Unintentional actions” (accidentally, done by accident) are often used with adverbs like うっかり (absentmindedly) and ぐうぜんに (unexpectedly).

I dropped my wallet ⇐ I didn’t plan it. It was an unexpected situation, and it definitely was inconvenient.

You changed your hairstyle (“I got bored with my previous hairstyle.” 前の髪型にあきちゃった) The fact that I got bored with my previous hairstyle was as unexpected to me as it is to you now. It also sounds like you didn’t even talk about going to the hairdresser’s at all, and suddenly you show up with a new hairstyle.

You bought a new piece of clothing, and you’re like “Oops I did it again…” You didn’t want to buy it, but it sort of happened.

ちゃう・じゃう, in a way, implies a sudden change/action (surprise).

Remember! You or the speaker have some volition while performing the action. It’s not like you suddenly lose consciousness and for a few seconds you don’t know what is happening and once you’re come to you’re like “what just happened? :O”

Finishing something completely

You won’t do the verb anymore, so to say. You give up on the verb. It can also suggest a positive context (for example: Yes! Finally, it’s over, and I’m happy!).

I put all my summer clothes in the closet (no more summer, I don’t need them anymore, I won’t be wearing them for at least 5 months)

I’ll finish writing the report tomorrow at 9 AM. At 9 AM you’ll have the report ready, the action of writing it will be so freaking done.

Let's analyze that combo from the other speech bubble.

Kurusu is saying: If we get shot, we might die, right?

Note: Kurusu uses very polite language no matter who his speaker is.

死んじゃう = to die (inconvenient result/unexpected [it’s not like a gunshot always kills people, some people survive, but if you die it will be shocking/surprising/kind of unexpected]).

かもしれない = modality (more here) = might/may/maybe

じゃないですか = question tag

An easier example from Jujutsu Kaisen manga, chapter 1.

食べちゃった = it was unexpected even to Yuuji, inconvenient to all of them. Does Yuuji regret eating it? He probably does.

Also, from my own experience this grammar in English is apparent in one’s tone of voice, facial expression, stammering, some filler words, etc. While in manga characters’ facial expressions tell you something, in real life, it doesn’t really work that way.

[languagestudymaterials]

～んだろうが grammar

Yes, let's examine this quite complicated grammar structure in a different context.

The screen is from Kajiu no. 8, episode 1.

隊員 (たいいん) = troop member (here: about the defense force)

になる = to become 

んだろう = の/んです + だろう

が = but; though (the same one you place at the end of a sentence in English: “I like you, though”)

Context: Ichikawa and Kafka were attacked by a yoju. Kafka wants to save Ichikawa (who doesn’t want to run away) and says the sentence from the picture.

～んです

It is often explained as “it adds explanatory nuance.” Using んです adds an explanatory nuance to a sentence because it indicates that the statement being made is based on “background information or knowledge shared by the speaker and the listener.” (source: Tofugu)

What is Kafka explaining, though? 

They both share the same background knowledge: Ichikawa wants to be a defense force member. 

Kafka emphasizes this information. It’s not a typical explanation, as if Ichikawa didn’t know he wanted to be a troops' member. He’s sort of reminding him of that fact: Listen, kid, you want to join the defense force, remember that? 

More examples here

～だろう

It is a modal structure that means: the speaker’s opinion (I think, I guess, etc.) or the speaker’s presumption, guess, inference. It expresses a thought or guess about something, often based on some reasoning, but with a sense of uncertainty.

But what is Kafka inferring? It’s not like Ichikawa wasn’t upfront with his dream, and Kafka had to put two and two together. 

In this context, he’s saying something like: You want to be a troops' member, right?

This “[something], right?” is used to confirm or seek agreement about something the speaker believes to be true.

Ok, let’s put it together.

It’s important to analyze the whole context.

Ichikawa doesn’t want to run and wants to stay to help Kafka fight the yoju. Kafka keeps telling him to run. If he doesn’t, he will die, but he can’t die because Ichikawa’s dream is to become a member of the defense force. Kafka is an awesome senpai and is willing to sacrifice himself to help Ichikawa make that dream come true. 

With this sentence, Kafka is convincing Ichikawa to run away by reminding him of his dream (んです) with a degree of uncertainty (だろう) because, in their current circumstances, Ichikawa might have changed his mind.

Kafka is not stating a 100% certain fact, he is guessing, but this guess is supported by some evidence—their shared background knowledge. 

Without ん, this sentence would mean that Kafka is just guessing, but this guess would be based on Kafka’s knowledge only, as if Ichikawa kept his intention of joining the defense force secret. Upon hearing a statement without ん, Ichikawa most likely would be surprised: “How did you know that?” 

The translation uses a negative question, which in English also implies “seeking confirmation/guessing.”

んです obviously got lost in translation, but in English (and many other languages) we don’t need a verbal reminder/explanatory mark. We know from the context. 

[languagestudymaterials]

Pre-translation text analysis and language learning

based on Katherina Reiss’ and Christine Nord’s translation theories

I had always regarded science as a universal and believed there are no differences in science at all between countries. But I was wrong. People with different cultures think in different ways, and therefore their science also may well be different. (Motokawa 1989, p. 489)

This quote resonates with me a lot! It highlights the impact of culture on our use of language; how we express ideas and document them. Being aware of the variations in styles—whether in writing or speaking—and genres can significantly accelerate the learning journey, enabling us to acquire a more authentic command of English or any other language we're studying.

This post will guide you on how to compare two languages, including where to begin and what details to consider.

Pre-translation text analysis 

Pre-translation text analysis involves examining the source text before translating it to ensure accuracy, clarity, and consistency. This process helps identify potential issues such as ambiguous terms, cultural references, technical jargon, or complex sentence structures. Such analysis can help translators produce a more accurate and contextually appropriate translation. 

In simple words, you pinpoint characteristic features of a text. 

I already made such an analysis in this post - I analyzed the Japanese writing style and tried to determine how it differs from the English style. 

More on that here

How will that help me learn a language then? 

In short, it will help you:

Improve your understanding of the target language. By that, I mean identifying grammar points, difficult or unusual vocabulary, or complex sentence structures.

Identify challenges. Once you’re done analyzing the language layer, you can highlight challenging points, allowing yourself to focus on specific language challenges. 

Build cultural awareness. It helps recognize cultural nuances in the text, which improves the ability to use language in context.

How do I start such an analysis? 

According to Katherina Reiss and Christine Nord, German linguists and translators, you can start off with determining:

extralinguistic factors of a text. 

intralinguistic factors of a text.

Extra means that something “comes from the outside” and linguistic refers to language. You’re looking for features that aren’t related to the language itself (elements from outside the text). This means that you want to determine:

Function. What is the text trying to say/convey? Authors have intentions. Texts are written for a reason. What is the text’s function in its source culture? To inform, to evoke emotions, to educate, to entertain? 

The recipient. Who is the target reader/audience? Doctors, teenagers, politicians? Depending on the target audience, the language will differ as well (different vocabulary, syntax, register, and so on).

Time and place of reception/publication. It might seem unimportant, but if the text was published 30 years ago, it would give a rough idea about the language conventions and standards prevailing at that time.

Medium. Was it a book? Was it a magazine? Was it displayed on a screen? A medium can affect language too. What if there was not enough space and the text had to be shortened. We don’t think about it on a daily basis. Still, when we communicate in the online world, we use ungrammatical language, and we compose short messages (often omitting words because they are clear from the context).

Intra means “inside,” so we need to analyze the language itself. Try to answer these:

What is the text about? What is the subject matter of the text? Does it require any special terminology or background knowledge?

How is the text organized? Chapters, subchapters, paragraphs, layout, any characteristic features that seem off to you because in your culture you don’t do that. Any visual features.

How would you characterize the vocabulary? (technical, jargonistic or colloquial, are there collocations, idioms, keywords, words chosen for particular effects, lots of acronyms or abbreviations, neologisms, particular lexical fields, examples of regional or social variation)

What are the features of the sentence structure? (long or short sentences, simple or complex ones)

How would you characterize the style? (Journalistic, rambling, colloquial, smart, etc.)?

What about grammar? What tenses are used in the text? Any other grammar structures? What about punctuation?

Example

it’s a fake memo.

Let’s start with extralinguistic factors first

Function ⇒ providing information. The memo's primary purpose is to provide important logistical information about the parking lot's temporary unavailability. Employees are expected to adjust their parking arrangements based on this information, so the text is practical and prompts immediate action.

The recipient ⇒ Employees. The memo is directed at all workers in the organization who typically use the parking lot.

Time and place of reception ⇒ in this case, this information is unimportant because it’s a very fresh memo.

Medium ⇒ e-mail message. It could also be printed out and pinned on the notice board in the office.  

Intralinguistic factors up next: 

Clarity and simplicity: The language is straightforward, using simple vocabulary and short sentences to ensure that all employees, regardless of their role or education level, can easily understand the message.

Formal tone: The memo uses a professional tone, as it is an internal communication addressing all employees.

It avoids technical jargon, ensuring it applies to all employees, from administrative workers to maintenance staff.

It’s brief, focusing only on necessary details—dates, alternative parking, and an apology for the inconvenience (no necessary explanations, they don't need to know why the parking lot will be maintained).

Now you know how to write a short memo to all employees informing them about an important issue. 

You can go even deeper, and analyze grammar structures as well - is the memo written in passive voice or active voice? Are there any conjunctions? What about modal verbs or conditional sentences? Are there any words that can be substituted with simpler words (vehicles ⇒ cars).

If your language intuition is already sharp, then you won’t need to go that deep, you will take a look at the memo and intuitively know how to recreate it. However, if you struggle, you can look for examples online, perform the analysis, and then write your own memo. 

In this article, you can also find some tips on how to write business letters/memos.  

References:

Wytrębowicz, J. (2009). O poprawności językowej publikacji naukowo-technicznych. Zagadnienia Naukozanwstwa. Kemp, A. (2007, May). University of Central Florida. Retrieved January 22, 2020, from Electronic Theses and Dissertations: https://stars.library.ucf.edu/etd/3223

Tabakowska, E. (1999). O przekładzie na przykładzie. Kraków: Znak.

http://www.tree-genie.co.uk/Translation/Analysing%20your%20Source%20Text.pdf

Reiss, K. (2000). “Type, Kind and Individuality of Text, Decision making in translation.” In L. Ventui, The Translation Studies Reader .Routledge.

Sawaki, T. (2016). Analyzing Structure in Academic Writing. London: Palgrave Macmillan UK.

Motokawa, Tatsuo. “Sushi Science and Hamburger Science.” Perspectives in Biology and Medicine, vol. 32 no. 4, 1989, p. 489-504. Project MUSE, HYPERLINK “http://doi.org/10.1353/pbm.1989.0023” doi:10.1353/pbm.1989.0023 .

“High-Context Culture: Definition & Examples.” Study.com, 21 May 2015, study.com/academy/lesson/high-context-culture-definition-examples-quiz.html