Let’s learn Japanese with Killua’s quote from Hunter x Hunter.
CONTENTS
Video
Killua’s Quote
Japanese: お前は光だ。ときどきまぶしすぎてまっすぐ見られないけど、それでもお前のそばにいていいかな？
Romaji: omae wa hikari da. tokidoki mabushisugite massugu mirarenai kedo, soredemo omae no soba ni ite ii kana?
English: You are light. Sometimes, you are too bright to look straight at but even so, can I stay by your side?
Analysis
お前は光だ
It’s the sentence “A は B だ” meaning “A is B“. The A is お前 meaning “you” and the B is 光 meaning “light” so お前は光だ means “you are light”.
ときどきまぶしすぎてまっすぐ見られないけど、それでもお前のそばにいていいかな？
ときどき means “sometimes”.
まぶしすぎてまっすぐ見られない, it’s the sentence “Adjective すぎて Verb Negative Potential Form” meaning ”so adjective that one cannot do something“ or “too adjective to do something”. When the adjective is an i-adjective, so in this case まぶしい meaning “bright”, remove the い in the end and attach すぎて. And the verb negative potential form is 見られない. It is the negative form of 見られる which is the potential form of 見る meaning “to look“ and まっすぐ means “straight” so まぶしすぎてまっすぐ見られない means “too bright to look straight at”.
けど means “but” in a casual way.
それでも means “even so” or “even still”.
お前 followed by the possessive particle の means “your” and そば is “the area around the object” so お前のそば means “your side” or ”near you”.
に is the location particle used with a stative verb. And the stative verb here is いて which is the te-form of いる meaning “to be” or “to stay“.
A verb Te-Form followed by いい means “it is ok to do something” or “can do something”. So お前のそばにいていい means “it is ok to be near you” or “can stay by your side”.
かな used in a question indicates that the speaker is asking a question in a humble way.
Difference between そば, 近く, 横 and 隣:
- そば and 近く – the object is located within a close radius to another object.
- 近く is a bigger radius than そば.
偶然近く (そば) まで来たから、寄っただけ。
gūzen chikaku (soba) made kita kara, yotta dake.
I happened to come near your place so I just stopped by.
- 横 and 隣 – the object is located next to each other
- 隣 is usually used for the object which is the same type or category of the other object.
辞書はテレビの横にあります。
jisho wa terebi no yoko ni arimasu.
The dictionary is next to the TV.
韓国は日本の隣の国です。
kankoku wa nihon no tonari no kuni desu.
Korea is a neighbouring country of Japan.
Examples
Adjective + すぎて + Verb Negative Potential (so … that one cannot do ~/too … to do ~)
その猫は走るのが速すぎて、捕まえられなかった。
sono neko wa hashiru no ga haya sugite, tsukamae rarenakatta.
The cat ran so fast that I couldn’t catch it.
今日は眠すぎて授業に集中できない。
kyō wa nemu sugite, jugyō ni shūchū dekinai.
I am too sleepy to concentrate on the class today.
そのカバンは重すぎて持ち上げられなかった。
sono kaban wa omo sugite, mochiage rarenakatta.
The bag was too heavy to lift up.
Difference between “Adjective すぎて Verb Potential-Form ない” and “Verb Dictionary-Form には Adjective すぎる”:
- Adjective すぎて Verb Potential-Form ない – emphasises that you CANNOT do it
- Verb Dictionary-Form には Adjective すぎる – you might be able to do it if you try, but it’s difficult
それでも (even so/even still)
風邪をひいて熱がある。それでもパフュームのコンサートに行く！
kaze o hiite netsu ga aru. soredemo pafyūmu no konsāto ni iku!
I caught a cold and have a fever. Even still, I will go to the Perfume concert!
恋人と別れた。それでも前に進まないといけない。
koibito to wakareta. soredemo mae ni susumanai to ikenai.
I broke up with my partner. Even so, I have to move forward.
毎日一生懸命働いている。それでもお金がない。
mainichi isshōkenmei hataraite iru. soredemo okane ga nai.
I work hard everyday. Even still, I don’t have money.
Verb Te-Form + いい (it’s ok to do …/can do …)
お腹すいたから、おやつ食べていい？
onaka suita kara, oyatsu tabete ii?
I’m hungry so can I eat snacks?
この本、借りていいかな？
kono hon, karite ii kana?
Can I borrow this book, I wonder?
テスト中に辞書を使っていいですか？
tesuto chū ni jisho o tsukatte ii desu ka?
Can I use a dictionary during the test?
It’s the grammar “a verb te-form + も + いい” but the も is often omitted in colloquial speech.
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