Japanese · Upper intermediate (B2) · Chapter 7 of 12
Education and learning
教育と学びKyōiku to manabi
Talk about school, exams and regrets: ～ばよかった, ～ておけばよかった, ～べきだった and ～はずだった, plus わけがない and かわりに.
In this chapter you'll learn to
- Express regret with ～ばよかった, ～ておけばよかった and ～べきだった
- Say what was supposed to happen with ～はずだった
- Deny strongly with わけがない and say “instead of” with かわりに
- Talk about the Japanese school and exam system
Listen
In Kyoto, 18-year-old Ono Kaito, who has failed his university entrance exam, talks to his aunt Chiharu about her own school years. Listen to the whole dialogue first, then line by line.
Chiharu
海斗、お母さんから聞いたよ。志望校、だめだったんだね。
Kaito, okāsan kara kiita yo. Shibōkō, dame datta n da ne.
Kaito, your mum told me. You didn't get into the university you wanted.
Kaito
うん…。模試ではずっとA判定だったから、受かるはずだったんだけど。本番で数学が全然解けなかった。
Un… Moshi de wa zutto ē hantei datta kara, ukaru hazu datta n da kedo. Honban de sūgaku ga zenzen tokenakatta.
Yeah … I always got an A in the mock exams, so I was supposed to pass. But in the real exam I couldn't do the maths at all.
Chiharu
そっか…。つらかったね。何がいけなかったと思う？
Sokka… Tsurakatta ne. Nani ga ikenakatta to omou?
I see … That must have been hard. What do you think went wrong?
Kaito
もっと早く過去問をやっておけばよかった。それに、部活を三年の夏まで続けるべきじゃなかったのかも。部活と勉強の両立なんて、できるわけがなかったんだよ。
Motto hayaku kakomon o yatte okeba yokatta. Sore ni, bukatsu o sannen no natsu made tsuzukeru beki ja nakatta no kamo. Bukatsu to benkyō no ryōritsu nante, dekiru wake ga nakatta n da yo.
I should have started on past papers earlier. And maybe I shouldn't have stayed in my club until the summer of my final year. There was no way I could manage both the club and studying.
Chiharu
そんなことないよ。部活で頑張ったことが、無駄になるわけがないでしょ。実は私も、第一志望に落ちて、一年浪人したんだよ。
Sonna koto nai yo. Bukatsu de ganbatta koto ga, muda ni naru wake ga nai desho. Jitsu wa watashi mo, daiichi shibō ni ochite, ichinen rōnin shita n da yo.
That's not true. All the effort you put into your club can't possibly be wasted. Actually, I failed to get into my first choice too, and spent a year retaking.
Kaito
え、千春おばさんが？知らなかった。
E, Chiharu-obasan ga? Shiranakatta.
What, you did, Aunt Chiharu? I didn't know that.
Chiharu
うん。私は勉強法が間違ってたの。暗記ばかりで、問題を解く練習をあまりしなかった。もっと先輩に相談すればよかったと、ずいぶん後悔したよ。
Un. Watashi wa benkyōhō ga machigatteta no. Anki bakari de, mondai o toku renshū o amari shinakatta. Motto senpai ni sōdan sureba yokatta to, zuibun kōkai shita yo.
Yes. I was studying the wrong way. I just memorised things and hardly practised solving problems. I really regretted not asking older students for advice.
Kaito
浪人していた一年は、どうだった？
Rōnin shite ita ichinen wa, dō datta?
What was that year of retaking like?
Chiharu
大変だったけど、予備校に行くかわりに、毎日図書館で勉強したの。毎朝同じ時間に起きるようにしたら、生活のリズムもできたよ。
Taihen datta kedo, yobikō ni iku kawari ni, mainichi toshokan de benkyō shita no. Maiasa onaji jikan ni okiru yō ni shitara, seikatsu no rizumu mo dekita yo.
It was tough, but instead of going to a prep school, I studied at the library every day. Once I made a point of getting up at the same time every morning, I got into a good routine.
Kaito
俺も浪人して、もう一回挑戦しようかな。でも、また落ちたらと思うと怖い。
Ore mo rōnin shite, mō ikkai chōsen shiyō ka na. Demo, mata ochitara to omou to kowai.
Maybe I'll take a year too and try again. But I'm scared when I think I might fail again.
Chiharu
怖いのは当然だよ。でも、失敗から学んだ人は強いから。後悔したことを一つずつ直していけば、きっと大丈夫。
Kowai no wa tōzen da yo. Demo, shippai kara mananda hito wa tsuyoi kara. Kōkai shita koto o hitotsu zutsu naoshite ikeba, kitto daijōbu.
Of course you're scared. But people who've learned from failure are strong. If you fix the things you regret one at a time, you'll be fine.
Kaito
ありがとう。今度こそ、ちゃんと計画を立てて頑張るよ。
Arigatō. Kondo koso, chanto keikaku o tatete ganbaru yo.
Thanks. This time I'll make a proper plan and really go for it.
Understand
Regrets: I should have …
～ばよかった (-ba yokatta), literally “it would have been good if …”, is the everyday way to say “I wish I had …, I should have …”: (sōdan sureba yokatta), I should have asked for advice. For something you wish you hadn't done, use the negative: (iwanakereba yokatta), I wish I hadn't said it. ～たらよかった (-tara yokatta) means the same.
～ておけばよかった (-te okeba yokatta) adds (oku), to do in advance: I should have done it beforehand. ～べきだった (beki datta) is stronger and sounds like a judgement: (tsuzukeru beki ja nakatta), I shouldn't have carried on. ～はずだった (hazu datta) says what was supposed to happen but didn't: (ukaru hazu datta), I was supposed to pass.
| Pattern | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| ～ばよかった (-ba yokatta) | I wish I had …, I should have … | (motto benkyō sureba yokatta) |
| ～なければよかった (-nakereba yokatta) | I wish I hadn't … | (iwanakereba yokatta) |
| ～ておけばよかった (-te okeba yokatta) | I should have … beforehand | (kakomon o yatte okeba yokatta) |
| ～べきだった (-beki datta) | should have … (a judgement) | (hayaku hajimeru beki datta) |
| ～はずだった (-hazu datta) | was supposed to … | (ukaru hazu datta) |
No way: わけがない; instead: かわりに
～わけがない (wake ga nai) means “there's no way that …”, a strong denial based on reasoning: (dekiru wake ga nai), there's no way I could do it. It follows a plain form; な-adjectives take (na): (kantan na wake ga nai), it can't possibly be easy. Don't confuse it with (wake de wa nai), it's not that …, which only softens.
～かわりに (kawari ni) means “instead of” after the dictionary form or noun + (no): (yobikō ni iku kawari ni), instead of going to a prep school; (niku no kawari ni sakana), fish instead of meat. It can also mean “in return for”: (sūgaku o oshiete morau kawari ni, Eigo o oshieru), in return for help with maths, I teach English.
School and exams in Japan
Most students take entrance exams, (juken), for high school and university. Many go to a (juku), an evening cram school, and sit mock exams, (moshi), which grade their chances (A is best) for each (shibōkō), the school they're aiming for.
Students who fail and try again the next year are called (rōnin), after the samurai who had no master; many spend that year at a (yobikō), a full-time prep school. School clubs, (bukatsu), take up a lot of time, and most students leave them in the summer of their final year.
| Japanese | Meaning |
|---|---|
| (juken) | taking entrance exams |
| (juku) | cram school (after school) |
| (moshi) | mock exam |
| (shibōkō) | the school or university you're aiming for |
| (rōnin) | a student retaking exams after leaving school |
| (yobikō) | full-time prep school for university exams |
New words
- 志望校shibōkōthe school or university you're aiming for · しぼうこう; (daiichi shibō), first choice
- 模試moshimock exam · もし; (ē hantei), grade A: a good chance of passing
- ～はずだったhazu dattawas supposed to … · after a plain form
- 過去問kakomonpast exam papers · かこもん; (mondai o toku), to solve problems
- 部活bukatsuschool club activities · ぶかつ
- 両立ryōritsudoing two things at once, balancing · りょうりつ; (A to B o ryōritsu suru), to balance A and B
- ～わけがないwake ga naithere's no way that …, can't possibly … · after a plain form; な-adjectives take な
- 落ちるochiruto fail (an exam); to fall · おちる; (shiken ni ochiru); (kowai), scary, afraid
- 浪人rōnina student retaking entrance exams · ろうにん; (rōnin suru); Kaito calls himself (ore), a rough, casual “I” used by young men
- 勉強法benkyōhōway of studying, study method · べんきょうほう; -法 (-hō), method; (shippai), failure
- 暗記ankilearning by heart, memorising · あんき; school subjects: (sūgaku), maths; (Eigo), English
- 先輩senpaisenior, an older student or colleague · せんぱい; opposite: (kōhai)
- 予備校yobikōprep school (for university exams) · よびこう
- ～かわりにkawari niinstead of; in return for · after the dictionary form or noun + の
Practise
1.Which sentence means “I should have studied more”?
2.Put the words in order.
Tap the words below in the right order.I should have started on past papers earlier.
3.Match the Japanese with the English.
Pick a word on the left, then its meaning on the right.
4.Kaito says (ryōritsu nante, dekiru wake ga nakatta). What does he mean?
5.Which fits? ___ (Instead of going to a prep school, I studied at the library.)
6.You arrive at a restaurant and it's full. How do you say “I should have booked in advance”?
0 of 6 exercises done.
Say it out loud
もっと早く始めればよかった。
Motto hayaku hajimereba yokatta.
I wish I'd started earlier.
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.