Lesson 152: あげく・つつある・一方だ・やら〜やら

N2 · Lesson 152 · 18 min — Struggling and ending up badly, changing step by step, getting more and more, and being swamped by one thing after another: year-end petitions and a construction countdown

Last lesson, Rin got a job offer from Tanuki Travel. This lesson has four ways to talk about processes and change: あげく (a bad result after a lot of trouble), つつ ある (changing right now), 一方いっぽうだ (changing in one direction without stopping), and やら〜やら (so many things at once!). Read the comic first!

After this lesson, you can:

• Use あげく to say "after a lot of effort, the (bad) result was...", and tell it apart from 末すえに (last lesson)
• Use つつ ある to say "is gradually...": 署名しょめいが 集あつまりつつ ある
• Use 一方いっぽうだ to say "keeps getting more and more...": 寒さむく なる 一方いっぽうだ
• Use やら〜やら to complain "what with this and that...": バイトやら 大掃除おおそうじやら

Petitions vs. Construction Countdown

After the job offer, the year-end arrives fast. Who is faster, the petition or the construction? (署名しょめい = petition signatures, 超こえる = to exceed, 迷まよう = to hesitate, 注文ちゅうもん = order, 減へる = to decrease)

あげく = a bad result after trouble; つつある = changing now; 一方いっぽうだ = keeps changing; やら = this and that. Next lesson: what did the newspaper print?

Words for this lesson: change, year-end and ordering

• 〜あげく（に） (ageku): after a lot of effort, (bad) result...
• 〜つつ ある (tsutsu aru): is gradually... (change in progress)
• 〜一方いっぽうだ (ippō da): keeps getting more and more... (only one direction)
• 〜やら〜やら (yara yara): what with A and B (a pile of things)
• さんざん (sanzan): thoroughly, to the extreme (e.g. over and over); badly
• 迷まよう (mayou): to hesitate, to be unable to decide; to get lost (道みちに 迷まよう)
• 注文ちゅうもん (chūmon): order (food); to order
• 工事こうじ (kōji): construction work
• 進すすむ (susumu): to move forward, to progress
• 増ふえる (fueru): to increase
• 減へる (heru): to decrease
• 近ちかづく (chikazuku): to get close, to approach
• 年末ねんまつ (nenmatsu): year-end
• 大掃除おおそうじ (ōsōji): big cleaning (year-end deep clean)
• 話はなし合あい (hanashiai): discussion, talking it over

Grammar 1 / 4: あげく

Verb ta-form / Noun の + あげく(に) = after a lot of trouble, the (bad) result is...: you spent lots of time and energy, and ended up with a disappointing result. 迷まよった あげく、全部ぜんぶ 注文ちゅうもんした = After hesitating for ages, I ordered everything.

• Form: V-ta form / Noun の + あげく(に): Verbs use the ta-form: 迷まよった あげく、探さがした あげく. Nouns add の: 話はなし合あいの あげく. You can also add に: あげくに.
• Meaning: after a lot of trouble, ...: The first half is something you spent lots of time on or repeated (often with さんざん or 長ながい 間あいだ). The second half is the final result.
• The result is usually bad: After あげく, you usually find failure, wasted effort, or something frustrating. Neko-sensei says he ordered everything, which is self-mocking (しちゃいました sounds like "oops, I did it again"). And Rin is the one paying, which is bad for his wallet. So あげく fits.
• Compare with 末すえに from the last lesson: 末すえに means "after a long process, finally...". The result can be good or bad, but it is often good: 練習れんしゅうした 末すえに、合格ごうかくした. あげく feels like "all that effort for nothing".

• 迷まよった あげく、全部ぜんぶ 注文ちゅうもんして しまった。 — After hesitating for ages, I ordered everything.
• さんざん 探さがした あげく、財布さいふは 見みつからなかった。 — After searching and searching, I still didn't find my wallet.
• 長ながい 話はなし合あいの あげく、何なにも 決きまらなかった。 — After talking for ages, we decided nothing.
• 道みちに 迷まよった あげくに、雨あめに 降ふられた。 — I was lost for ages, and in the end I got rained on too.
• 一時間いちじかん 待まった あげく、バスは 来こなかった。 — I waited an hour, and the bus never even came.

Grammar 2 / 4: つつある

Verb masu-form (drop ます) + つつ ある = is gradually...: the change has started and is moving step by step in some direction, but has not reached the end. 署名しょめいが 集あつまりつつ ある = The signatures are slowly increasing.

• Form: V-masu stem (drop ます) + つつ ある: 集あつまります → 集あつまり + つつ ある; 増ふえます → 増ふえ + つつ ある; なります → なり + つつ ある.
• Meaning: is gradually...: The change has started and is moving little by little in one direction. It is not finished. It often goes with 少すこしずつ (little by little).
• Only for verbs of "change": It works with verbs where a state changes: 増ふえる (increase) and 減へる (decrease), 変かわる, 集あつまる, 近ちかづく, and ~に なる. It also goes well with the next pattern, 一方いっぽうだ. For normal actions like 食たべる or 読よむ, just use ~て いる.
• Feeling: rather formal: It is common in news, reports and briefings. In the comic, Rin says it to Kumata, and Kumata laughs, "You sound like the news!" With friends, つつ ある can sound stiff.

• 署名しょめいが 少すこしずつ 集あつまりつつ ある。 — The signatures are increasing little by little.
• 谷中やなかの 町まちは 変かわりつつ ある。 — Yanaka is changing.
• 日本にほんに 来くる 観光客かんこうきゃくは 増ふえつつ ある。 — The number of tourists coming to Japan is increasing.
• 古ふるい 店みせは 減へりつつ あります。 — Old shops are gradually disappearing.
• リンの 日本語にほんごは 上手じょうずに なりつつ ある。 — Rin's Japanese is gradually getting better.

Grammar 3 / 4: 一方いっぽうだ

Verb dictionary form + 一方いっぽうだ = keeps getting more and more..., only in one direction: the change goes only one way and can't be stopped, often with worry. 工事こうじの 準備じゅんびは 進すすむ 一方いっぽうだ = The construction prep just keeps moving forward.

• Form: V dictionary form + 一方いっぽうだ: 進すすむ 一方いっぽうだ, 減へる 一方いっぽうだ, 増ふえる 一方いっぽうだ. Verbs of change like 増ふえる and 減へる are common here. Adjectives first become ~く なる: 寒さむく なる 一方いっぽうだ.
• Meaning: more and more...: The change continues in one direction. It doesn't stop, and it doesn't go back. It describes a continuing trend, not a one-time event.
• Often with worry (not always): It is often used for changes you don't want: 物価ぶっかが 上あがる, 体重たいじゅうが 増ふえる, お金かねが 減へる. But this is not a hard rule. Neutral or good trends can use it too.
• Compare with つつ ある: つつ ある means "is changing now" and calmly describes progress. 一方いっぽうだ means "keeps changing and can't stop", often (not always) with worry. 署名しょめいが 集あつまりつつ ある (is increasing) / 準備じゅんびは 進すすむ 一方いっぽうだ (just keeps moving forward, I'm worried).

• 工事こうじの 準備じゅんびは 進すすむ 一方いっぽうだ。 — The construction prep just keeps moving forward.
• 毎日まいにち 寒さむく なる 一方いっぽうです。 — It gets colder and colder every day.
• 物価ぶっかは 上あがる 一方いっぽうだ。 — Prices just keep going up.
• ラーメンを 食たべすぎて、体重たいじゅうが 増ふえる 一方いっぽうだ。 — I ate too much ramen, and my weight keeps going up.
• お金かねは 減へる 一方いっぽうだ。 — My money only gets less and less.

Grammar 4 / 4: やら〜やら

Noun / verb dictionary form + やら、~やら = what with A and B: you pick two from a big pile of things to say "so much is going on, I'm worn out". バイトやら 大掃除おおそうじやら = what with the part-time job and the big cleaning.

• Form: A やら、B やら: Add やら right after nouns or verb dictionary forms: バイトやら, 驚おどろくやら. Both parts need やら. This lesson only practices nouns and verb dictionary forms.
• Meaning: what with A and B: You give two examples from many things, hinting that there are more.
• It carries a feeling: It is often followed by "で + 大変たいへんだ / 忙いそがしい": so many things at once that you are worn out. Another classic use is mixed feelings: 驚おどろくやら 喜よろこぶやら (both surprised and happy).
• Compare with や and ~たり~たり: 本ほんや 服ふく = calm examples; ~たり~たり = a list of actions you do. やら〜やら means "a pile of things hits you at once", with complaint or excitement. Don't use it for a calm introduction.

• テストやら 署名しょめいやらで、大変たいへんだ。 — What with the exam and the petition, it's so hard.
• 年末ねんまつは バイトやら 大掃除おおそうじやらで 忙いそがしい。 — At year-end, what with the part-time job and the big cleaning, I'm super busy.
• 旅行りょこうの 前まえは、買かい物ものやら 準備じゅんびやらで 忙いそがしい。 — Before the trip, what with shopping and preparing, I'm super busy.
• 内定ないていの 電話でんわで、驚おどろくやら 喜よろこぶやら、大変たいへんだった。 — The job offer call came, and I was both surprised and delighted, totally overwhelmed.
• 部屋へやは 本ほんやら 服ふくやらで いっぱいだ。 — My room is packed with books and clothes (いっぱい = full).