待ちきれない

I found this phrase while I want to express “I can’t wait”, meaning I’m anticipating it very much.

So this is actually 待ち＋きれない

切る（きる）

means to do something ‘til the end/finish something

• 食べ切る -> eat it all
• 食べ切れる -> can eat it all
• 食べきれない -> cannot eat it all

So 待ちきれない literally means I cannot finish waiting

Notes

The polite/more formal way to say this is 楽しみしている, 待ちきれない has a stronger feeling and is used more in casual cases.

For example

お腹もペコペコでもう待ちきれない。
I’m starving, I can’t wait (to eat)!

I think starving is a strong feeling, and there are words like hangry that has emotions linked with it 🤣

たって

I had a bit of trouble remembering this one until I saw this example sentence:

N1 に合格したって、日本語を話せない。

The other part about たって is that it is common a verb will become 〜ったって and I find it hard to pronounce. For example:

タクシーを乗ったって間に合わないよ。

派手な服を娘に買ったって着ない。

The little pauses are kinda hard to master, does anyone have any tips on that?

The other similar grammar I know is ても, it is more formal than たって during my quick research.

Reference

JLPT N3 Grammar: たって (tatte) Meaning – JLPTsensei.com

看圖便懂【たって・だって】變化・用法・中文意思

Making decisions – にする、ことにする、ことになる

Decided to summarize expressing decision making as I already know three ways to do it!

Noun/な-adj + にする

コーヒーにする。
I will have (decide on) coffee.

にしている

This infers that ongoing effort is made, for example like a preference or a habit.

部屋をきれいにしている。
I keep my room clean.

ことにする

Now we can add verb + ことにする, so I can express decisions on actions too and not just a noun.

日本に行くことにした。
(I decided that) I am going to Japan.

ことにしている

Like にしている but can use verbs.

毎朝ジョギングすることにしている。

ことになる

The nuance here is that the decision is not made you. I remember this by like なる is become, so something becomes a decision, doesn’t mean that I made the decision.

日本に行くことになった。
(It has been decided, or some other external factors) I am going to Japan.

ことになっている

Usually used when it’s like a policy, a rule, for example it’s a company policy that every Monday there is a meeting:

会議は毎週月曜日ことになっている。

A 時 B

Came across this card in the Migaku course. The sentence I had a bit of issue getting through was:

フランスへ行く時、帽子を買う。

Order of actions implied:

1. Buy the hat
2. Go to France

So the translation is more like: When I go to France (on the way there/before leaving), I will buy a hat.

Scenario: You are at the airport in your home country or shopping a week before your flight.

AI suggested a helpful way to remember this: Think of the dictionary form (行く) as “the act of going has not been completed yet.” Therefore, the hat-buying happens while “going” is still a future or ongoing plan.

Another example sentence makes this more obvious:

学校へ行く時、傘を持っていく。

Before going to school, I will bring the umbrella.

If it were:

フランスへ行った時、帽子を買う。

This one is pretty obvious buy a hat AFTER getting to France.

バタバタ – 忙しい

When you’re soooo busy you’re all over the place バタバタしてる.

今日は朝からバタバタしていて、お昼を食べる時間がなかった。

Using バタバタ feels a lot more visual than just saying 忙しい.

nihongoseito:

meowbrown:

下手 と 苦手

They both means not good at something. My teacher mentioned the easy way to use it is 苦手 sounds more polite to use it when you talk about other people.

a similar distinction applies to 上手 and 得意 as well! 上手 is most appropriate for talking about others, while 得意 is more typical when talking about yourself, your family, or otherwise your in-group.

(side note: 苦手 can also be used to describe things you yourself don’t like or aren’t good at tolerating. for example, カフェインは苦手です = “i can’t handle caffeine”!)

Thanks for adding to this! I’m finding it useful too!

ようと思う ➡️ つもり ➡️ 予定

Showing a desire to do something, from least sure to sure that you will do.

A scenario I’m imagining:

Someone asks me if I’m going to a social gathering.

1. 行こうと思う I think I’ll go. (but I might not go as well)
2. 行くつもりだ I intend to go. (stronger than 1, but if something else pops up that is more important, I might not go)
3. 行く予定だ I plan to go. (I’d probably already put it on my Calendar, to make sure I don’t forget to attend)

下手 と 苦手

They both means not good at something. My teacher mentioned the easy way to use it is 苦手 sounds more polite to use it when you talk about other people.

ために can be used in two ways

I mostly see present tense used with ために and got interested what if I put other tenses?

日本語の先生になるために、毎日日本語を勉強します。
I study Japanese every day in order to become a Japanese teacher.

日本語の先生になれなかったために、とてもがっかりしました。
Because I could not become a Japanese teacher, I was very disappointed.

And then I kinda realized that there are two usages of ために

• In order to
• Because (stating the cause)

ついでに

I don’t remember learning this for N3.

The scenario I wanted to use this was, I went back to my university and while at it, I also met up with a senpai from my lab.

先週、大学のパソコンを試すために、大学に帰った。ついでに、同じラボの先輩と会った。

Reference

JLPT N3 Grammar: ついでに (tsuide ni) – Learn Japanese | JLPT Sensei