Japanese from zero · N2 Lesson 24
The year-end party
〜もの/〜もん ・ 〜ものだから ・ だって ・ 〜くせして ・ 〜やら〜やら
In this lesson, you will learn to make a casual excuse with 〜もん and 〜もの, to explain why something went wrong with 〜ものだから, to answer back with だって, to complain that someone does one thing while doing another with 〜くせして, and to sum up a hectic mix with 〜やら〜やら. It is the end of December, and the friends hold their year-end party at Lisa and Minju's apartment.
By the end you will be able to say
だって、眠かったもん。But I was sleepy!
寝坊した ものだから、遅れて しまいました。I overslept, so I ended up being late.
そんな こと、子どもだって わかるよ。Even a child knows that.
何も 手伝わない くせして、一番 食べる。He doesn't help with anything, and yet he eats the most.
忙しいやら うれしいやら、すごい 一年でした。Busy, happy, all of it: it was quite a year.
The grammar in this lesson
- 〜もの / 〜もん — because! (a casual excuse) — The plain form + もの or もん at the end of a sentence gives a reason as an excuse, often after だって.
- 〜ものだから — because (explaining what went wrong) — The plain form + ものだから gives the reason for something that went wrong, often as an apology.
- だって — but; because; even — At the start of a reply, だって means 'but' or 'because' to defend yourself; after a noun, it means 'even'.
- 〜くせして — and yet (blaming) — 〜くせして, like くせに, blames someone for doing something that does not fit what they are or did.
- 〜やら〜やら — what with A and B — A やら B やら lists a few things out of many, usually to say it was all a lot: busy, mixed, too much.