Japatan
性格
せいかく
personality, character
兄と私は、性格がまったく違う。
My older brother and I have completely different personalities.
N2 Day 14
あの人のことだから Knowing that person
Learn to say without (ever) doing ~ with 〜ことなく, and knowing ~ (as he/she always is), surely ~ with 〜のことだから. Then read a conversation about a very meticulous coworker.
About 25 minutes · 8 words · grammar · reading · quiz
- Words
- Grammar
- Read
- Quiz
- Done
Today's words
真面目
まじめ
serious, diligent, honest
彼はとても 真面目で、宿題を忘れたことがない。
He is very diligent and has never forgotten his homework.
頼る
たよる
to rely on, to depend on
困ったときは、一人で悩まずに友達に 頼ってください。
When you're in trouble, don't worry about it alone; rely on your friends.
信頼
しんらい
trust, confidence
店長は、アルバイトのみんなから 信頼されている。
The store manager is trusted by all the part-time workers.
欠かす
かかす
to miss, to go without (usually in the negative)
祖父は毎朝の散歩を 欠かさない。
My grandfather never misses his morning walk.
几帳面
きちょうめん
meticulous, methodical
几帳面な姉は、毎日使ったお金を全部ノートに書いている。
My meticulous older sister writes down all the money she spends each day in a notebook.
相変わらず
あいかわらず
as usual, as ever
久しぶりに会った先生は、相変わらず元気そうだった。
My teacher, whom I met for the first time in a while, looked as healthy as ever.
遅刻
ちこく
being late, lateness
電車が止まって、会議に 遅刻してしまった。
The train stopped, and I was late for the meeting.
Today's grammar
〜ことなく
Without (ever) doing ~
Formation
- V辞書形 + ことなく
A formal version of ないで or ずに. It is often used to say that something one might expect to happen did not happen at all. It frequently appears with emphatic words, as in 一日も休むことなく (without missing a single day). It is used in writing, speeches and news.
Examples
父は三十年間、一日も休むことなく店を開け続けた。
My father kept the shop open for thirty years without missing a single day.
失敗を恐れることなく、新しいことに挑戦してほしい。
I want you to take on new challenges without being afraid of failure.
〜のことだから
Knowing ~ (as they always are), surely ~
Formation
- N + のことだから
Used to guess what someone will do or be like, based on their well-known character or habits. The second half is a guess such as きっと〜だろう, に違いない, はずだ or かもしれない. It works for both good and bad traits. The noun is often described, as in まじめな佐藤さん (serious Sato).
Examples
まじめな佐藤さんのことだから、約束の時間にはきっと来るだろう。
Knowing how serious Sato is, he'll surely come at the promised time.
料理が好きなリンのことだから、今日もおいしいものを作ってくれるに違いない。
Lin loves cooking, so I'm sure she'll make something delicious for us today too.
Read
佐藤さんのコーヒー Mr. Sato's coffee
リン田中さん、佐藤さんがまだ来ていませんね。今日は大事な発表の日なのに。Tanaka, Mr. Sato isn't here yet. Even though today is the day of the big presentation.
田中大丈夫だよ。佐藤さんのことだから、もう準備は全部終わっているよ。Don't worry. Knowing Mr. Sato, he's already finished all the preparation.
リン佐藤さんって、本当に几帳面な性格ですよね。机の上もいつもきれいだし。Mr. Sato really is a meticulous person, isn't he? His desk is always tidy, too.
田中うん。この十年間、一度も遅刻することなく働いてきたんだって。Yeah. I hear he's worked for the past ten years without being late even once.
リン十年も? だから、みんな佐藤さんを信頼しているんですね。Ten years? No wonder everyone trusts him.
田中そうそう。困ったときは、つい佐藤さんに頼っちゃうんだよね。Exactly. When I'm in trouble, I end up relying on him.
リン毎朝のコーヒーも欠かさないって聞きました。I heard he never goes without his morning coffee, either.
田中そう。雨の日も雪の日も、駅前の店で同じコーヒーを買ってくるんだ。相変わらず真面目だよね。Right. Rain or snow, he buys the same coffee at the shop in front of the station. Serious as ever.
リンあ、佐藤さんからメッセージです。「すみません、今日は少し遅れます」……えっ?Oh, a message from Mr. Sato. "Sorry, I'll be a little late today." ...What?
田中えっ、あの佐藤さんが? 何があったの?What, Mr. Sato? What happened?
リン「コーヒーの店がまだ開いていないので、店の前で待っています」だそうです。He says, "The coffee shop isn't open yet, so I'm waiting in front of it."
田中……佐藤さんのことだから、コーヒーなしでは一日が始まらないんだろうね。...Knowing Mr. Sato, his day just can't start without coffee.
Tap a line to see the translation.
Check your understanding
R1二人は佐藤さんがどんな人だと話しているか。
Answer and explanation
Answer: 1 几帳面で、十年間一度も遅刻したことがない人
Lin says he has a meticulous personality, and Tanaka says he has worked for ten years without being late once. Option 3 is the opposite: other people rely on Mr. Sato.
R2佐藤さんが今日遅れるのはどうしてか。
Answer and explanation
Answer: 3 コーヒーの店が開くのを待っているから
Mr. Sato's message says the coffee shop isn't open yet, so he is waiting in front of it. Snow is only mentioned to say he buys coffee every day, rain or snow; it is not the reason he is late.
Quiz
1弟は（ ）な性格で、使った物はいつも元の場所に戻す。
Answer and explanation
Answer: 3 几帳面
My younger brother is meticulous and always puts things back where they were. 几帳面 means careful about every detail. 不思議 (strange), 深刻 (serious) and 贅沢 (luxurious) do not match the description.
2彼女は一度も休む（ ）、最後まで走り続けた。
Answer and explanation
Answer: 1 ことなく
She kept running to the end without resting even once. 〜ことなく means without doing ~ and often goes with 一度も. The other choices do not mean without resting.
3彼女は毎日のピアノの練習を、一日も（ ）ことがない。
Answer and explanation
Answer: 4 欠かした
She has never missed a single day of her daily piano practice. 欠かす means to skip something you always do. 遅刻する would need 練習に, not 練習を, and 頼る / 信頼する do not fit the meaning.
4A「田中さん、まだ来ないね。」
B「田中さん（ ）、きっとまた道に迷っているんだよ。」
Answer and explanation
Answer: 2 のことだから
A: Tanaka still isn't here. B: Knowing Tanaka, they're surely lost again. 〜のことだから is used to make a guess based on what you know about someone. からといって needs a contrasting ending.
5社長は社員から信頼されている。
Answer and explanation
Answer: 3 しんらい
信頼 is read しんらい (trust). The sentence means "The company president is trusted by the employees."
6十年ぶりに会った友達は、（ ）よく笑う人だった。
Answer and explanation
Answer: 1 相変わらず
The friend I met for the first time in ten years still laughed a lot, as ever. 相変わらず means unchanged, the same as before. The other words do not go naturally with よく笑う.
7この店は三十年間、一日も（ ）ことなく営業を続けている。
Answer and explanation
Answer: 4 休む
This shop has stayed open for thirty years without closing even a single day. ことなく follows the dictionary form of a verb, so 休むことなく is correct.
8朝、バスが来なくて、学校にちこくしそうになった。
Answer and explanation
Answer: 2 遅刻
ちこく is written 遅刻 (being late): 遅 as in 遅い and 刻 as in 時刻. 違 and 達 look similar but are different characters. The sentence means "The bus didn't come in the morning, and I was almost late for school."
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