Japanese from zero · N1 Lesson 44
By the river
〜そびれる/〜損ねる ・ 〜た拍子に ・ 〜羽目になる ・ 〜切りがない
In this lesson, you will learn to say you missed your chance to do something with 〜そびれる and 〜損ねる, that something happened by accident the moment you moved with 〜た拍子に, that you ended up having to do something unwelcome with 〜羽目に なる, and that there is no end to something with 〜切りが ない. In November, Tanaka proposes to Sakura by みどり町's river, and the next morning the two of them call Lisa.
By the end you will be able to say
三回も 言いそびれました。Three times, I missed my chance to say it.
ひざを ついた 拍子に、指輪が 落ちました。The moment I knelt, the ring fell.
冷たい 川に 入る 羽目に なりました。I ended up having to wade into a cold river.
心配し出したら、切りが ありませんでした。Once I started worrying, there was no end to it.
二人は 川の そばで 婚約しました。The two of them got engaged by the river.
The grammar in this lesson
- 〜そびれる / 〜損ねる・〜損なう — to miss the chance to ... — A verb's ます-stem + そびれる, 損ねる or 損なう says you missed your chance to do something.
- 〜た拍子に / 〜た弾みに — the moment ..., by accident — A verb's た-form + 拍子に or 弾みに says a small movement set off something nobody meant to happen.
- 〜羽目に なる — to end up having to ... — A verb's dictionary form + 羽目に なる says things turned out so that you had to do something unwelcome.
- 〜切りが ない — there's no end to it — A condition (〜たら, 〜ば, 〜と) + 切りが ない says that once you start, there is no end.