Japanese from zero · N2 Lesson 18
The daycare article
〜にも関わらず ・ 〜に関わらず ・ それなのに ・ 〜つつ
In this lesson, you will learn to say that something happened in spite of a fact with 〜にも関わらず, that a difference changes nothing with 〜に関わらず, to say 'and yet' with feeling with それなのに, and to join two actions, or an action and what you know, with 〜つつ. It is October, and Lisa interviews a mother for the newspaper club's autumn issue on children waiting for a place at daycare.
By the end you will be able to say
保育園が 増えて いるにも関わらず、入れなかった。Even though the number of daycare centers is growing, we couldn't get in.
記事に なる ならないに関わらず、話を 聞いて もらえて うれしかった。Whether or not it ends up in an article, I was glad you listened to me.
去年 申請した。それなのに、まだ 入れない。I applied last year. And yet we still can't get in.
子どもが 待って いると 知りつつ、毎日 働いて います。I work every day, even though I know my child is waiting.
記事の 数字を 確認しつつ、原稿を 書いて いる。I'm writing the draft while checking the article's figures.
The grammar in this lesson
- 〜にも関わらず — despite; even though — X にも関わらず says the result goes against what X would lead you to expect.
- 〜に関わらず — regardless of; whether or not — X に関わらず says that X makes no difference: 年齢に関わらず, する しないに関わらず.
- それなのに — and yet; even so (with feeling) — それなのに starts a sentence and says what happened goes against what should have happened, with surprise or frustration.
- 〜つつ — while (doing); even though (knowing) — ます-stem + つつ means 'while doing'; with 知る, 思う or as つつも, it means 'even though'.