Japanese · Intermediate (B1) · Chapter 11 of 12
Travel stories
旅の話Tabi no hanashi
Tell the story of a trip that went wrong in Japanese: the “suffering” passive, ～ところだった, ～のに, ～うちに and ways to react with surprise.
In this chapter you'll learn to
- Say that something bad happened to you with the “suffering” passive
- Say you nearly did something with ～ところだった
- Show disappointment with ～のに
- React to a story with surprise and sympathy
Listen
Back in Yokohama, Aoyama Shiori tells her friend Koji how a typhoon stopped her flight home from Okinawa. They speak casually. Listen to the whole dialogue first, then line by line.
Koji
おかえり。沖縄旅行、どうだった？
Okaeri. Okinawa ryokō, dō datta?
Welcome back. How was your trip to Okinawa?
Shiori
それがね、大変だったの。帰る日に台風が来て、最終便が欠航になってしまったの。
Sore ga ne, taihen datta no. Kaeru hi ni taifū ga kite, saishūbin ga kekkō ni natte shimatta no.
Well, it was a nightmare. A typhoon came on the day I was flying home, and the last flight was cancelled.
Koji
えっ、本当に？じゃあ、どうしたの？
E, hontō ni? Jā, dō shita no?
What, really? So what did you do?
Shiori
ホテルに電話して延泊したんだけど、空港から戻るとき、すごい雨に降られて…
Hoteru ni denwa shite enpaku shita n da kedo, kūkō kara modoru toki, sugoi ame ni furarete…
I phoned the hotel and stayed an extra night, but on the way back from the airport I got caught in a terrible downpour…
Koji
運が悪かったね。
Un ga warukatta ne.
That was bad luck.
Shiori
それだけじゃないの。次の日、空港のカフェで財布を盗まれたの。
Sore dake ja nai no. Tsugi no hi, kūkō no kafe de saifu o nusumareta no.
That's not all. The next day, I had my wallet stolen in a café at the airport.
Koji
まさか。びっくりしたでしょう。
Masaka. Bikkuri shita deshō.
No way. You must have got such a shock.
Shiori
本当なの。知らないうちに、かばんから財布がなくなっていたの。
Hontō na no. Shiranai uchi ni, kaban kara saifu ga naku natte ita no.
It's true. Without my noticing, my wallet had gone from my bag.
Koji
大変だったね。お金はどうしたの？
Taihen datta ne. Okane wa dō shita no?
That's awful. What did you do for money?
Shiori
航空会社の人がすごく親切で、欠航した便の払い戻しを手伝ってくれたの。そのお金で次の便のチケットが買えて、本当に助かった。でも、話しているうちに時間がなくなって、その飛行機に乗り遅れるところだったの。
Kōkū gaisha no hito ga sugoku shinsetsu de, kekkō shita bin no haraimodoshi o tetsudatte kureta no. Sono okane de tsugi no bin no chiketto ga katete, hontō ni tasukatta. Demo, hanashite iru uchi ni jikan ga naku natte, sono hikōki ni noriokureru tokoro datta no.
The airline staff were really kind and helped me get a refund for the cancelled flight. With that money I could buy a ticket for the next flight, which was a real help. But while we were talking, time ran out, and I nearly missed that plane.
Koji
それで、乗れたの？
Sorede, noreta no?
And did you make it?
Shiori
空港の中を走って、やっと乗れたよ。ゆっくりするための旅だったのに、全然ゆっくりできなかった。
Kūkō no naka o hashitte, yatto noreta yo. Yukkuri suru tame no tabi datta noni, zenzen yukkuri dekinakatta.
I ran through the airport and just made it. It was meant to be a relaxing trip, but I didn't get to relax at all.
Understand
When bad things happen to you: the “suffering” passive
Japanese often uses the passive to say that something happened to you and you were affected by it, usually in a bad way. The person who suffers is the subject, and whoever or whatever caused it takes (ni). This works even with verbs that have no object: (ame ni furareta), I got rained on; (kodomo ni nakareta), the child cried (and I had to deal with it).
When something of yours is affected, it keeps (o): (saifu o nusumareta), I had my wallet stolen; (densha de ashi o fumareta), someone trod on my foot on the train. Saying (watashi no saifu ga nusumareta) is possible, but it sounds like a news report rather than your own experience.
- 駅から歩いているとき、雨に降られました。Eki kara aruite iru toki, ame ni furaremashita.I got caught in the rain while walking from the station.
- 旅行中にカメラを盗まれてしまった。Ryokōchū ni kamera o nusumarete shimatta.I had my camera stolen during the trip.
- 夜中に隣の人に騒がれて、寝られなかった。Yonaka ni tonari no hito ni sawagarete, nerarenakatta.The people next door were noisy in the middle of the night, and I couldn't sleep.
Nearly, even though, while: ～ところだった, ～のに, ～うちに
The dictionary form + (tokoro datta) means “nearly did”: it almost happened, but didn't: (noriokureru tokoro datta), I nearly missed it. (mō sukoshi de), almost, often comes first.
(noni) after a plain form means “even though”, with a feeling of disappointment or surprise: (yukkuri suru tame no tabi datta noni, zenzen yukkuri dekinakatta), it was supposed to be a relaxing trip, yet I couldn't relax at all. After a noun or a な-adjective in the present, use (na noni): (nichiyōbi na noni), even though it's Sunday.
(uchi ni) means “while”: something changes during a period, often without your noticing: (hanashite iru uchi ni), while we were talking; (shiranai uchi ni), without my noticing. With a negative, it means “before”: (kuraku naranai uchi ni), before it gets dark.
| Japanese | Meaning |
|---|---|
| (Mō sukoshi de saifu o wasureru tokoro datta.) | I nearly forgot my wallet. |
| (Isoida noni, ma ni awanakatta.) | Even though I hurried, I didn't make it in time. |
| (Wakai uchi ni, iroiro na kuni ni ikitai.) | I want to go to lots of countries while I'm young. |
| (Ame ga furanai uchi ni kaerō.) | Let's go home before it rains. |
Reacting to a story
Japanese listeners react a lot while someone tells a story. These phrases show surprise and sympathy. With friends they are said casually; to someone you speak politely to, add where it fits: (taihen deshita ne), (un ga warukatta desu ne).
| Japanese | Meaning |
|---|---|
| (E, hontō ni?) | What, really? |
| (Masaka.) | No way. You're joking. |
| (Shinjirarenai.) | I can't believe it. |
| (Bikkuri shita.) | What a surprise. / I got a shock. |
| (Un ga warukatta ne.) | That was bad luck. |
| (Sore wa taihen datta ne.) | That must have been awful. |
More in the grammar: The passive · Transitive and intransitive verb pairs
New words
- 台風taifūtyphoon · たいふう
- 最終便saishūbinlast flight (of the day) · さいしゅうびん; a flight is a (bin): (tsugi no bin), the next flight
- 欠航kekkōcancellation (of a flight or ferry) · けっこう; (kekkō ni naru), to be cancelled
- 延泊enpakustaying an extra night · えんぱく; (enpaku suru)
- 運が悪いun ga waruiunlucky · うんがわるい; the opposite is (un ga ii)
- 盗まれるnusumareruto have something stolen · ぬすまれる; the passive of (nusumu), to steal
- まさかmasakano way, surely not
- びっくりするbikkuri suruto be surprised, to get a shock
- 親切shinsetsukind, helpful · しんせつ; a な-adjective: (shinsetsu na hito)
- 払い戻しharaimodoshirefund (of a ticket or fare) · はらいもどし
- 助かるtasukaruto be a help; to be saved · たすかる; (tasukarimashita), that was a great help
- 飛行機hikōkiplane · ひこうき
- 乗り遅れるnoriokureruto miss (a train, plane…) · のりおくれる; (densha ni noriokureru)
- 旅tabijourney, trip · たび; a little more literary than (ryokō)
Practise
1.Shiori got caught in the rain. Which sentence says this?
2.Put the words in order.
Tap the words below in the right order.I very nearly missed the plane.
3.Match the Japanese with the English.
Pick a word on the left, then its meaning on the right.
4.What does (yasumi o totta noni, zenzen yasumenakatta) mean?
5.Tell a friend what happened on the train. Put the words in order.
Tap the words below in the right order.Someone trod on my foot on the train.
6.How do you say “I had my wallet stolen”?
0 of 6 exercises done.
Say it out loud
えっ、本当に？
E, hontō ni?
What, really?
Listen, then say it out loud, as close to the recording as you can.
Check
Five questions on this chapter. Then mark it as finished to add its words to your review deck.
0 of 5 answered.