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恐縮
きょうしゅく
feeling grateful and sorry (for trouble caused)
お忙しいところをお手伝いいただき、恐縮です。
I'm very grateful that you helped me when you're so busy.
N1 Day 12
お礼とおわび Thanks and apologies
Learn ~ところを (said with consideration for the other person's situation) and ~ものを (expressing regret or dissatisfaction), and read a scene where an employee apologizes to a client.
About 25 minutes · 8 words · grammar · reading · quiz
- Words
- Grammar
- Read
- Quiz
- Done
Today's words
多忙
たぼう
very busy
多忙な毎日の中でも、彼は読書の時間を大切にしている。
Even in his busy days, he values his time for reading.
赴く
おもむく
to go to, to proceed to
部長は自ら現場に赴いて、状況を確かめた。
The department head went to the site himself and checked the situation.
怠る
おこたる
to neglect
毎日の練習を怠ると、すぐに腕が落ちる。
If you neglect daily practice, your skills soon decline.
悔やむ
くやむ
to regret
あの時すぐに謝っておけばよかったと、今でも悔やんでいる。
I still regret not apologizing right away at that time.
未然
みぜん
before something happens (未然に防ぐ: to prevent)
小さなミスに気づいたおかげで、大きなトラブルを未然に防げた。
Thanks to noticing a small mistake, we prevented a big problem before it happened.
手配
てはい
arrangement(s)
出張のホテルの手配を頼まれた。
I was asked to arrange the hotel for the business trip.
詫びる
わびる
to apologize
約束の時間に遅れたことを、心から詫びた。
I sincerely apologized for being late for the appointment.
Today's grammar
〜ところを
At a time when ~; despite ~; (caught) in the middle of ~
Formation
- V普通形 + ところを
- いA + ところを
- なA + な + ところを
- N + の + ところを
ところを has two main uses. (1) Considering the other person's situation, 'at a time when ~ (sorry / thank you),' common in polite phrases like お忙しいところを and お休みのところを; with 本来なら〜べきところを it means 'although I really should have ~.' (2) 'In the middle of ~ / at the moment of ~,' followed by verbs like 見られる (be seen), 見つかる (be caught), 助けられる (be rescued) or 起こされる (be woken).
Examples
お忙しいところを来ていただき、ありがとうございます。
Thank you for coming when you are so busy.
お休みのところを申し訳ありません。急ぎの連絡です。
I'm sorry to bother you on your day off. This is an urgent message.
〜ものを
If only ~; even though ~ (regret or reproach)
Formation
- V普通形 + ものを
- いA + ものを
- なA + な + ものを
ものを is close to のに. It expresses regret, disappointment, or dissatisfaction with someone about something that did not turn out as it could have. It often appears as 〜ば/〜たら…たものを, 'if only ~, I could have ~.' It can end the sentence to express the feeling alone, or continue with what actually happened.
Examples
一言相談してくれれば手伝ったものを、どうして黙っていたのか。
I would have helped if you had just asked me. Why did you keep quiet?
もう少し早く家を出ればバスに間に合ったものを。
If only I had left home a little earlier, I would have caught the bus.
Read
二百冊のノート Two hundred notebooks
田中佐藤部長、ご多忙のところをお越しいただき、誠に恐縮です。Mr. Sato, I'm truly sorry to have you come here when you're so busy.
田中本来なら、私どもがそちらに赴いてお詫びするべきでした。By rights, we should have gone to your office to apologize.
佐藤いえいえ、ちょうど近くに用事があったので。それで、ノートの件ですが……。Not at all, I happened to have business nearby. So, about the notebooks...
田中はい。御社の名前を入れたノートを二百冊手配いたしましたが、「佐藤商事」が「砂糖商事」と印刷されておりました。Yes. We arranged two hundred notebooks with your company's name, but "Sato Trading" was printed with the characters for "Sugar Trading."
田中印刷の前に一度確認していれば、未然に防げたものを……。確認を怠ったことを深く悔やんでおります。If only I had checked once before printing, it could have been prevented... I deeply regret neglecting to check.
田中正しいノートは、来週までに二百冊お届けいたします。We will deliver two hundred correct notebooks by next week.
佐藤そのことなんですが、実は社員に見せたら大笑いになりましてね。About that... actually, when I showed them to my staff, everyone burst out laughing.
佐藤「甘くて楽しそうな会社だ」と評判で、もう半分ぐらい使われているんですよ。They're popular, with people saying it sounds like a sweet, fun company, and about half are already in use.
田中えっ、そうなんですか。Oh, really?
佐藤ええ。ですから、正しいノートは百冊で結構です。残りは、このまま使わせてください。Yes. So one hundred correct notebooks will be enough. Please let us keep using the rest as they are.
田中ありがとうございます。今後は、必ず確認を徹底いたします。Thank you very much. From now on, we will be sure to check thoroughly.
Tap a line to see the translation.
Check your understanding
R1田中さんが悔やんでいるのはどんなことか。
Answer and explanation
Answer: 3 印刷の前に確認しなかったこと
Tanaka says the mistake could have been prevented if he had checked before printing, and that he deeply regrets neglecting to check.
R2佐藤部長は、正しいノートが何冊あればいいと言っているか。
Answer and explanation
Answer: 1 百冊
Mr. Sato says one hundred correct notebooks will be enough and asks to keep using the rest, because the misprinted ones became popular in his office.
Quiz
1社長は（ ）で、一週間先まで予定が埋まっている。
Answer and explanation
Answer: 2 多忙
The president is very busy, and his schedule is full for a week ahead. 多忙 means very busy, which matches the full schedule.
2会議室とお弁当の（ ）は、私がしておきます。
Answer and explanation
Answer: 4 手配
I'll arrange the meeting room and the boxed lunches. 手配 means making arrangements such as bookings and orders, often used as 〜の手配をする.
3毎日の点検を続けることで、事故を（ ）に防ぐことができる。
Answer and explanation
Answer: 1 未然
By continuing daily inspections, accidents can be prevented before they happen. 未然に防ぐ means to prevent something beforehand; 未然 is almost always used in this phrase.
4準備を（ ）と、本番で困ることになる。
Answer and explanation
Answer: 3 怠る
If you neglect your preparation, you'll be in trouble on the actual day. 怠る means to neglect what you should do. 準備を悔やむ and 準備を詫びる make no sense.
5お休みの（ ）突然お電話して、申し訳ありません。
Answer and explanation
Answer: 2 ところを
I'm sorry to call you suddenly on your day off. ところを is used when apologizing or thanking with consideration for the other person's situation, as in お忙しいところを.
6一言相談してくれれば手伝った（ ）、どうして一人で抱え込んだの？
Answer and explanation
Answer: 4 ものを
If you had just asked me, I would have helped. Why did you keep it all to yourself? 〜ば…ものを expresses regret or dissatisfaction that something did not happen.
7あと五分早く家を出ていれば、電車に間に合った（ ）。
Answer and explanation
Answer: 1 ものを
If only I had left home five minutes earlier, I would have caught the train. ものを at the end of a sentence expresses regret. ところを cannot end a sentence.
8来月から海外の支社に赴くことになった。
Answer and explanation
Answer: 3 おもむく
赴く is read おもむく. Its on-reading is ふ, as in 赴任. The sentence means "I'm going to a branch overseas from next month."
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