Japanese from zero · N1 Lesson 14
One wrong number
〜では済まない ・ 〜たら最後 ・ 〜ばそれまでだ ・ 〜始末だ ・ 〜たつもりはない
In this lesson, you will learn to talk about a mistake and what it costs: that an apology alone won't settle something with 〜では済まない, that once a thing is done there is no going back with 〜たら最後, that one slip ends it all with 〜ばそれまでだ, that a story went from bad to worse with 〜始末だ, and that you didn't mean it with 〜たつもりはない. It is early August, and Lisa has emailed a client a quote with one zero missing.
By the end you will be able to say
謝るだけでは 済みません。An apology alone won't settle it.
見積りは 送ったら 最後、変えられません。Once a quote is sent, it can't be changed.
数字を 一つ 間違えれば それまでです。Get one number wrong, and that's the end of it.
とうとう 他社に 送って しまう 始末でした。In the end, it even got sent to a rival.
いい加減に した つもりは ありません。I didn't mean to be careless.
The grammar in this lesson
- 〜では済まない / 〜て済むことではない — won't be settled by — X + では済まない, or the て-form + 済むことではない, warns that X is not enough to settle the matter.
- 〜たら最後 / 〜たが最後 — once you do, there's no going back — The た-form + ら最後 (or が最後) says that once something happens, a bad result follows that cannot be undone.
- 〜ばそれまでだ / 〜たらそれまでだ — if that happens, it's all over — A ば or たら condition + それまでだ says that if it happens, everything ends there and nothing can be done.
- 〜始末だ — in the end, it even came to this — A verb in the dictionary form + 始末だ ends a story that went from bad to worse with the worst result.
- 〜たつもりはない — I didn't mean to — The た-form + つもりはない says you did not mean to do what it looks like you did.