Japanese from zero · N2 Lesson 20
Before the exhibition
〜ばかりに ・ 〜ままに ・ 〜もかまわず ・ ろくに〜ない ・ 〜せいか
In this lesson, you will learn to say that one thing alone led to trouble with 〜ばかりに, to act just as your heart leads you with 〜ままに, to describe someone who does not mind what most people would with 〜もかまわず, to say something is hardly done at all with ろくに〜ない, and to guess at a cause with 〜せいか. It is late October, and Sakura is painting night after night before her first exhibition.
By the end you will be able to say
完璧を 求めた ばかりに、全部 塗り直す ことに なった。Just because I wanted it perfect, I ended up repainting all of it.
さくらの 絵は、さくらの 心の ままに 描けば いい。You should paint your pictures as your heart tells you.
服が 汚れるのも かまわず、描いて いた。I was painting, not caring that my clothes got dirty.
最近は、ろくに 寝て いない。Lately I've hardly been sleeping.
寝不足の せいか、顔色が よくない。Maybe because she's short on sleep, she looks pale.
The grammar in this lesson
- 〜ばかりに — just because (of one thing, trouble followed) — Plain form + ばかりに says that one cause alone led to a bad result, often with regret.
- 〜ままに — as (your heart, someone else) leads you — Noun + の ままに or a plain verb + ままに says you act just as something leads you: 心の ままに, 言う ままに.
- 〜もかまわず — without minding; not caring about — Noun (or plain form + の) + もかまわず says someone does something without minding what most people would mind.
- ろくに〜ない — hardly; not properly — ろくに + a negative says something is hardly done at all, or not done properly, often with worry or criticism.
- 〜せいか — perhaps because (of) — Noun + の, or a plain form, + せいか gives a possible cause you are not sure of, usually for something bad.