Lesson 189: きらいが ある・始末だ・までも ない・に 足る

N1 · Lesson 189 · 18 min — Comment on someone's bad habit, sigh about a result, say "no need," and praise something as "worth it." The night before the results, everyone waits at くまや.

Last lesson, everyone waited under the tree and prayed for good news. In this lesson you learn four very formal N1 expressions for judging things: きらいが ある (a bad tendency to ~), 始末しまつだ (end up in a bad state), までも ない (no need to ~), and に 足たる (worth ~). Let's read the comic first!

After this lesson, you can:

• Use きらいが ある to politely comment on a bad tendency ("tends to ~"): リンは 心配しんぱいしすぎる きらいが ある
• Use 始末しまつだ to sigh "it ended up ~ (a bad outcome)": 四杯目よんはいめを 頼たのむ 始末しまつだ
• Use までも ない / には 及およばない to say "no need to ~": 言いう までも ない
• Use に 足たる to say "worth ~, good enough to ~": 信頼しんらいに 足たる 仲間なかま

The Night Before the Result

The review is over, and the result comes out tomorrow. Everyone gathers at くまや to wait. (信頼しんらい = trust, 仲間なかま = companion, 緊張きんちょう = nervousness, 〜杯目はいめ (はいめ / ばいめ / ぱいめ) = the ~th bowl)

きらいが ある = a bad tendency to ~; 始末しまつだ = end up ~ (bad result); までも ない = no need to ~; に 足たる = worth ~. Tomorrow, the result is finally revealed!

Words for this lesson: judging and waiting

• 〜きらいが ある (kirai ga aru): a (bad) tendency to ~
• 〜始末しまつだ (shimatsu da): end up in the state of ~ (bad)
• 〜までも ない (made mo nai): no need to ~
• 〜には 及およばない (ni wa oyobanai): no need to ~ (polite, to someone)
• 〜に 足たる (ni taru): worth ~, good enough to ~
• 信頼しんらい (shinrai): trust
• 仲間なかま (nakama): companion, friend
• 緊張きんちょうする (kinchō suru): nervousness
• 四杯目よんはいめ (yonhaime): the fourth bowl (or cup)
• 頼たのむ (tanomu): to ask a favor; (in a shop) to order
• 眠ねむれない (nemurenai): can't sleep
• 当あたり前まえ (atarimae): of course, natural
• 食たべすぎ (tabesugi): overeating (noun)
• 大おおげさ (ōgesa): exaggerated, making a fuss
• 物事ものごと (monogoto): things, matters
• 抱かかえ込こむ (kakaekomu): to carry (a problem) alone
• 寝坊ねぼうする (nebō suru): oversleeping
• とうとう (tōtō): finally, in the end (after some time). It can be good or bad. With 始末しまつだ, it points to a bad ending.
• 尊敬そんけい (sonkei): respect
• 証拠しょうこ (shōko): proof, evidence
• 満足まんぞくする (manzoku suru): satisfaction, satisfied
• 取とるに 足たらない (toru ni taranai): not worth mentioning, trivial
• 価値かち (kachi): value, worth
• わざわざ (wazawaza): going out of one's way
• 健康けんこう (kenkō): health

Grammar 1 / 4: きらいが ある

V dictionary form / Nの + きらいが ある: has a (bad) tendency to ~. リンは 心配しんぱいしすぎる きらいが ある = Rin tends to worry too much.

• Form: V dictionary / ない form, N の + きらいが ある: Verbs use the dictionary form: 言いう きらいが ある. You can also use the ない form: 人ひとの 話はなしを 聞きかない きらいが ある. Nouns take の: 食たべすぎの きらいが ある (食たべすぎ is 食たべすぎる with the る removed, meaning "eating too much"). The particle is always が: きらいが ある. It often appears with 〜すぎる.
• Meaning: a (bad) tendency to ~: This is not a one-time thing. It is a personality trait or habit that someone naturally has, and it is almost always a flaw. The speaker stands to the side and comments calmly, so it sounds softer than direct criticism.
• Difference from がち: 〜がち means "it often happens" (frequency), and it can be used in casual speech: 休やすみがちだ. きらいが ある is more about a personality tendency, and it sounds written, like a teacher's comment.

• リンは 心配しんぱいしすぎる きらいが ある。 — Rin tends to worry too much.
• 先生せんせいは 食たべすぎの きらいが ある。 — Sensei tends to eat too much.
• 熊太くまたは 物事ものごとを 大おおげさに 言いう きらいが ある。 — Kumata tends to exaggerate things.
• 彼かれは 何なんでも 一人ひとりで 抱かかえ込こむ きらいが ある。 — He tends to carry everything alone.

Grammar 2 / 4: 始末しまつだ

V dictionary form + 始末しまつだ: (things got worse and worse) it ended up in ~. 緊張きんちょうして、四杯目よんはいめを 頼たのむ 始末しまつだ = I was so nervous that I even ordered a fourth bowl.

• Form: V dictionary form (ない form) + 始末しまつだ: Put it at the end of the sentence: 〜遅おくれる 始末しまつだ. Before it, there is often 〜て / 〜ても to show what happened. とうとう or the さえ (even ~) you already learned often appear too. You can also use the ない form: 連絡れんらくも しない 始末しまつだ.
• Meaning: end up in the state of ~: Things got worse and worse, and finally the worst, most extreme result appeared. The speaker sounds blaming, sighing or helpless.
• Difference from あげく: 〜たあげく follows the た form and focuses on "after a long struggle." 始末しまつだ follows the dictionary form at the end of the sentence and focuses on "how awful the result is."

• 緊張きんちょうして、四杯目よんはいめを 頼たのむ 始末しまつだ。 — I was so nervous that I ended up ordering a fourth bowl.
• 熊太くまたは 何度なんど 言いっても 寝坊ねぼうして、とうとう 試験しけんに 遅おくれる 始末しまつだ。 — Even after being told many times, Kumata kept oversleeping, and he ended up late for the exam.
• 急いそいで 出でかけて、財布さいふさえ 忘わすれる 始末しまつだ。 — He rushed out of the house and ended up forgetting even his wallet.
• 先生せんせいは 道みちに 迷まよって、とうとう 駅員えきいんさんに 案内あんないして もらう 始末しまつだ。 — Sensei got lost, and in the end he even had to ask a station worker to guide him.

Grammar 3 / 4: までも ない (+ には 及およばない)

V dictionary form + までも ない: no need to ~. V dictionary form / N + には 及およばない: (politely) you don't need to ~. 言いう までも ない = needless to say.

• Form: V dictionary form + までも ない / には 及およばない: 言いう までも ない, 聞きく までも ない. Before には 及およばない you can also put a noun: 心配しんぱいには 及およびません (no need to worry).
• Meaning: no need to ~: Something is too obvious or too easy, so you don't need to go out of your way to do it. 言いう までも ない = everyone knows it, so there's no need to say it.
• Difference from ことは ない: 〜ことは ない advises the other person "you don't need to do that": 心配しんぱいする ことは ない. までも ない means "it doesn't reach that level," and often feels like "it's too obvious."

• 言いう までも ないが、結果けっかは 明日あしただ。 — Needless to say, the result comes out tomorrow.
• この 問題もんだいは 簡単かんたんだから、先生せんせいに 聞きく までも ない。 — This question is easy, so there's no need to ask the teacher.
• 言いう までも なく、健康けんこうが 一番いちばん 大切たいせつだ。 — Needless to say, health is the most important thing.
• わざわざ 来くる には 及およびません。 — You don't need to come all the way here.

Grammar 4 / 4: に 足たる

V dictionary form / N + に 足たる + N: worth ~, good enough to ~. 信頼しんらいに 足たる 仲間なかま = a companion worth trusting.

• Form: V dictionary form / N + に 足たる + N: 信頼しんらいに 足たる 人ひと, 信しんじる に 足たる 証拠しょうこ. It mostly goes before a noun and describes it.
• Meaning: worth ~, good enough to ~: It means "has enough value or qualities to ~." The word before it is often 信頼しんらい, 尊敬そんけい, 満足まんぞくする or 信しんじる. It is formal, written praise. The negative is often the fixed phrase 取とるに 足たらない (not worth mentioning).
• Difference from に 堪たえる / に 堪たえない: に 堪たえない from the last lesson is mostly negative: 見みるに 堪たえない = too awful to look at. The positive に 堪たえる mostly follows 見みる, 読よむ or 聞きく (worth seeing). に 足たる is a positive "worth," and mostly follows 信頼しんらい, 尊敬そんけい or 満足まんぞくする. For "worth eating" in daily life, 価値かちが ある sounds more natural.

• ぼくには 信頼しんらいに 足たる 仲間なかまが いる。 — I have friends worth trusting.
• 彼かれは 尊敬そんけいに 足たる 先輩せんぱいだ。 — He is a senior worth respecting.
• 信しんじる に 足たる 証拠しょうこは まだ ない。 — There is no proof yet that is good enough to believe.
• 満足まんぞくする に 足たる 結果けっかが 出でた。 — I got a result good enough to be satisfied with.
• それは 取とるに 足たらない 問題もんだいだ。 — That is a trivial little problem.