I've found that having a short English equivalent for grammar elements / sentence patterns as I encounter them in
Sou Matome N2 Grammar helps me to retain them
. If nothing else, the analysis required to boil them down certainly helps them stick.
Expressions from week one
さびし
げ -
a expression of loneliness (on someone's face, etc.)
病気
がち -
get sick
often
忘れ
っぽい - forgetful-
ish
疲れ
気味 -
feeling somewhat tired
帰れる
ものなら -
if it were that I could return - Requires a potential before it!
暑い
ものだから -
it's because it's hot
知らなかったん
だもの -
because I didn't know
持っている
ものの -
even though I have
車
はもとより自転車
も - (don't have a) car
or even a bicycle - I checked this with Kiyoshi and he confirmed that it emphasizes that, while the reader might expect that the speaker doesn't own a car, the lack of a bicycle would be unexpected.見た目
はともかく味
は -
Whether or not it looks good, the taste is...
旅行
はまだしも -
Can handle travel (but not something else)
仕事の話
は抜きにして -
Omitting work talk
Ex: 田中さん抜きではパーティーは始められません - We can't start the party without Tanaka.
心配
でたまらない -
So worried
that I can't stand it.
何もすることがなくて、暇
でしょうがない -
Of course I'm bored
うるさく
てかなわない -
Can't bear the noise
残念
でならない -
Very disappointed
Expressions from week two
努力の
かいがあって - My labor
paid off/were worth it as... [The かい from this and かいもなく almost certainly means "value, effect, worth": 効 or 詮]
手術の
かいもなく - The surgery
wasn't worth it / didn't pay off
やり
がい -
Worth doing. Also: 教え
がいのある生徒 = Students
worth teaching.
借金し
てまで -
to go so far as getting a loan
読み
かける -
haven't finished reading. 読み
かけの本 - books I
haven't finished reading
読み
切る - Read entirely. [This seems to have the meaning of "until it's all used up": 疲れ切った = very tired.]
あり
える・あり
うる -
Possible to be. [うる apparently can't be negative.]
やり
ぬく - to do
until completed
忘れない
うちに -
While in a state of not forgetting
終わる
か終わら
ないかのうちに -
As soon as it ended. ]Lit: While it could have been done or not been done.]
こども
にしたら - こども
には =
to a kid
本当だ
としたら - 本当
なら =
if that were true
行く
としても -
Even if I go
社会参加
を目的
として -
With public participation
as a goal
家族
とともに - 家族
と一緒に ＝ With my family
増加
に伴って -
In connection with the increase. [According to
this, can't be used for "
with a person".
This Stack Exchange post makes it clear that using を instead of に can invert the relationship.]
I'm a few days into the book and working to come up with good English versions of each pattern. More to come!
