Japanese from zero · N3 Lesson 15
In the middle of
〜最中に / 〜途中で ・ しばらく ・ 結局 ・ 〜きり
In this lesson, you will learn to say something happened right in the middle of an activity with 〜最中に and partway with 〜途中で, to talk about a stretch of time with しばらく, to say how things turned out in the end with 結局, and to say 'only' or 'ever since' with 〜きり. The term is over, and Minju is packing to go home to Seoul for the summer.
By the end you will be able to say
荷造りの 最中に、リサが 帰って きた。Lisa came home right in the middle of my packing.
駅へ 行く 途中で、何も 言えなかった。I couldn't say anything on the way to the station.
しばらく ソウルで 過ごす。I'll spend a while in Seoul.
結局、何も 言えなかった。In the end, I couldn't say anything.
それきり、ミンジュから 連絡が ない。I haven't heard from Minju since.
The grammar in this lesson
- 〜最中に / 〜途中で — right in the middle of; on the way — 最中 is the busiest middle of an activity; 途中 is a point partway, as on a road.
- しばらく — for a while — しばらく is a stretch of time with no fixed end, from a few minutes to many weeks.
- 結局 — in the end; after all — 結局 sums up how something turned out, often not as hoped.
- 〜きり — only; ever since — きり marks a limit: 'only' after a number, 'and never again since' after a た-form or それ.