N3 Grammar ⑳ にしては / わりに
For / considering ~ — expressing a gap between expectation and reality
'For someone who's only been in Japan a year, his Japanese is great.' 'For the high price, the quality isn't very good.' Both patterns express a surprising mismatch.
What you'll learn
- にしては: 'for / considering ~' — the result is surprisingly better or worse than expected
- わりに: 'for the degree/level of' — emphasizes proportional comparison
- Opposite: だけあって = 'as expected from ~' (result MATCHES the expectation)
- にしては = binary (above/below); わりに = ratio-based contrast
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