Lesson 83: 安いし、おいしいし

N4 · Lesson 83 · 18 min — Listing several reasons, and saying "because of ~"

Last lesson, everyone waited for the cherry blossoms under the tree. This lesson has three ways to give a reason: し (listing reasons), 〜て／〜くて／〜で (feeling something because of ~), and Nで (because of an event). We will also fix one very common mistake: ✗上手じょうずなし. Comic first!

After this lesson, you can:

• List several reasons: 安やすいし、おいしいし、くまやに しよう (It's cheap and tasty, so let's pick くまや)
• Say what caused a feeling: 手紙てがみを 読よんで、うれしかったです (I read the letter and felt happy)
• Give a cause with a noun: 雪ゆきで 電車でんしゃが 止とまりました (Because of the snow, the train stopped)

Tears at Graduation

March. The cherry trees have not bloomed yet. Today is graduation day at the language school! (卒業式そつぎょうしき = graduation ceremony)

〜し = listing several reasons. 〜て・〜くて・Nで = "because of ~". Next time: the graduation party at くまや! Neko-sensei will eat and eat...

Words for this lesson: graduation and "reasons"

• 卒業式そつぎょうしき (sotsugyōshiki): graduation ceremony
• 忙いそがしい (isogashii): busy
• 感動かんどう (kandō): being deeply moved
• ことば (kotoba): words, language
• 泣なく (naku): to cry
• おなかが すく (onaka ga suku): to be hungry
• 病気びょうき (byōki): illness, being sick
• かぜ (kaze): a cold
• 台風たいふう (taifū): typhoon
• 事故じこ (jiko): accident
• 遅おくれる (okureru): to be late, to be delayed
• びっくりする (bikkuri suru): to be surprised
• 困こまる (komaru): to be in trouble, to not know what to do
• 心配しんぱい (shinpai): worry
• 親切しんせつ (shinsetsu): kind

Grammar 1 / 3: Listing: し

Plain form + し = stack reasons one by one ("and... and... so..."). な-adjectives and nouns need だし.

• Plain form + し: stack reasons one by one: To say "it's A, and it's B, so...", put し after each reason in plain form: 安やすいし、おいしいし、くまやに しよう (It's cheap and tasty, so let's pick くまや). The conclusion at the end can be an opinion, a decision, an invitation, or a request.
• How each word type takes し: Verbs: 行いく／行いかない／行いった + し. い-adjectives: 安やすい／安やすくない + し. な-adjectives and nouns must add だ: 静しずかだし、雨あめだし. ✗上手じょうずなし is the most common mistake. Before し, use だ, not な. (な is for before a noun, as in 上手じょうずな 人ひと, or before ので, as in 上手じょうずなので.)
• One し is fine too: With just one し, you say "this is one reason, and there are others." It sounds softer than から: 今日きょうは 雨あめだし、うちで 休やすもう (It's raining today, so let's rest at home). It is often used with も: 時間じかんも ないし、お金かねも ないし (no time, no money either...).
• Compare with から and ので: から／ので usually give one main reason. し lists several reasons and sounds more casual. With a teacher, an elder, or in formal situations, use です／ます before し: 安やすいですし、おいしいですし; がんばりましたし.

• 安やすいし、おいしいし、くまやに しよう。 — It's cheap and tasty, so let's pick くまや.
• この 部屋へやは 広ひろいし、駅えきに 近ちかいし、好すきです。 — This room is spacious and close to the station. I like it.
• くまたくんは 親切しんせつだし、おもしろいし、いい 友ともだちです。 — Kumata is kind and fun, so he's a great friend.
• 今日きょうは 雨あめだし、うちで 映画えいがを 見みよう。 — It's raining today, so let's watch a movie at home.
• よく 寝ねたし、朝あさごはんも 食たべたし、今日きょうは 元気げんきです。 — I slept well and ate breakfast too, so I feel great today.
• 時間じかんも ないし、お金かねも ないし、旅行りょこうに 行いかない。 — I have no time and no money, so I won't go traveling.

Grammar 2 / 3: Cause: て

〜て／〜くて／〜で + feeling or state = (feeling) ~ because of ~. No request or invitation after it.

• The same て-form can show a cause: You already know that the て-form links actions in order, and that 〜くて／〜で can mean "and" for descriptions. When the second half is a feeling or state, the first half becomes the cause: 手紙てがみを 読よんで、うれしかったです (I read the letter and felt happy).
• How to form it: Verbs: て-form (聞きいて、読よんで). い-adjectives: い → くて (多おおくて、忙いそがしくて). な-adjectives: 〜で (心配しんぱいで、静しずかで). The negative ない works like an い-adjective: わからない → わからなくて.
• Second half: feeling, state, or can't do: Common endings: うれしい、びっくりする、困こまる、疲つかれる、たいへん, and the negative potential (寝ねられません). ラーメンが 大おおきくて、びっくりしました (The ramen was so big that I was surprised).
• No request, invitation, or decision in the second half: The cause in 〜て is a natural link. So the second half cannot be 〜て ください, 〜ましょう, or 〜う／〜よう (requests, invitations, your own decisions). To ask or invite, use から／ので: 忙いそがしいから、手伝てつだって ください (I'm busy, so please help me). (〜たい can sometimes follow, but から is the safest choice for beginners.)

• 手紙てがみを 読よんで、うれしかったです。 — I read the letter and felt happy.
• ラーメンが 大おおきくて、びっくりしました。 — The ramen was so big that I was surprised.
• 宿題しゅくだいが 多おおくて、たいへんです。 — There is so much homework. It's hard.
• 試験しけんが 心配しんぱいで、寝ねられません。 — I was worried about the exam and couldn't sleep.
• 道みちが わからなくて、困こまりました。 — I didn't know the way, so I was in trouble.
• 歩あるきすぎて、疲つかれました。 — I walked too much and got tired.

Grammar 3 / 3: Cause: Nで

Noun + で = because of ~ (病気びょうきで、雪ゆきで). Usually followed by a result, not a request or invitation.

• Noun + で = because of ~: When the cause is a noun, just add で: 病気びょうきで、かぜで、雪ゆきで、台風たいふうで、事故じこで、アルバイトで. The な-adjective 〜で from Grammar 2 (心配しんぱいで、静しずかで) looks the same as Noun + で and also means "because of ~". If you can't tell them apart, don't worry. You attach で the same way.
• Usually a result comes after: The second half is usually a result or state that happens naturally: 休やすむ、止とまる、遅おくれる、忙いそがしい、たいへん. 事故じこで バスが 遅おくれました (The bus was delayed because of an accident).
• Telling the three で apart: 学校がっこうで 勉強べんきょうする (place: at school). バスで 行いく (means: by bus). 雪ゆきで 遅おくれる (cause: because of snow). When unsure, try "because of ~" in English. If it fits, it's a cause.
• Nで and Nなので: Nで is short and common. Nなので states the reason more clearly and politely. Like 〜て, Nで cannot lead into a request or invitation: 台風たいふうなので、出でかけないで ください (✗台風たいふうで、出でかけないで ください).

• 病気びょうきで 学校がっこうを 休やすみました。 — I took a day off from school because I was sick.
• 雪ゆきで 電車でんしゃが 止とまりました。 — The trains stopped because of the snow.
• 事故じこで バスが 遅おくれました。 — The bus was delayed because of an accident.
• かぜで 声こえが 出でません。 — I can't speak because of a cold.
• 卒業式そつぎょうしきで 忙いそがしいです。 — I'm busy because of the graduation ceremony.
• 感動かんどうで ことばが 出でませんでした。 — I was so moved that I couldn't speak.