Lesson 106: わけだ・わけではない・わけがない

N3 · Lesson 106 · 18 min — No wonder~, It's not that~, No way~: drawing conclusions, softening a denial, and strong denial

Rin visits Kumata's home and finally sees proof that "the bear's sister is a chick"! All three "わけ" patterns are about logic and reasons. Let's read the comic first!

After this lesson, you can:

• Use わけだ to say "No wonder~": that aha moment when you hear the reason
• Use 〜と いう わけだ to sum up a conclusion: "In other words~"
• Use わけでは ない (casual: わけじゃ ない) for "It's not that~", a gentle way to deny only part of something
• Use わけが ない for "No way~", and know that it does not mean "I'm unable to do it"

A Bear's Sister Is a Chick?

A rainy-season weekend. Rin visits Kumata's home. (熊くま = bear; 見みた目め = looks)

わけだ = no wonder; わけでは ない = it's not that; わけが ない = no way. Next lesson: Rin wants to ask a Kyoto tourist, but Manager Tanuki shakes his head.

Words for this lesson: the three わけ

• 〜わけだ (wake da): No wonder~ (you learn the reason and it all makes sense)
• 〜と いう わけだ (to iu wake da): in other words~ (sums up a conclusion)
• 〜わけでは ない (wake de wa nai): It's not that~ (denies only part of it)
• 〜わけじゃ ない (wake ja nai): It's not that~ (casual)
• 〜わけが ない (wake ga nai): No way~, how could it be~ (judging by common sense)
• 見みた目め (mitame): appearance, looks
• 決きまる (kimaru): to be decided, to be settled
• 仲なかが いい (naka ga ii): to get along well, to be close
• 熊くま (kuma): bear
• ひよこ (hiyoko): chick
• 毎週まいしゅう (maishū): every week
• 込こむ (komu): to be crowded
• すく (suku): to be empty, not crowded (shops, trains)
• 時差じさ (jisa): time difference
• 時計とけい (tokei): watch, clock

Grammar 1 / 3: わけだ

〜わけだ = no wonder~: you already know the result, and hearing the reason makes you say "Ah, I see!"; 〜と いう わけだ = in other words~

• 〜わけだ = no wonder~: You already know a result. Then you hear or find the reason and say: "I see, no wonder~." It often appears with だから or それで: だから 仲なかが いい わけだ.
• How to form it: Verbs and い-adjectives: plain form + わけだ (すいて いる わけだ / 高たかい わけだ). な-adjectives: 〜な わけだ (上手じょうずな わけだ). Nouns: 〜な わけだ or 〜と いう わけだ (a noun cannot connect to わけ directly). Polite form: 〜わけです.
• 〜と いう わけだ = in other words~: It sums up the facts before it into a conclusion, often with つまり: 時差じさは 1時間じかん。つまり、日本にほんは 10時じと いう わけだ. It is handy for working out numbers and checking what someone meant.
• Different from はずだ: はずだ (Lesson 62) is mainly for something not yet confirmed: "by logic, it should be~." わけだ means "it is already this way, and now I finally see why." (はずだ can also mean "no wonder," but at N3, just remember this main difference.)

• 今日きょうは 日曜日にちようびだ。店みせが 込こんで いる わけだ。 — Today is Sunday. No wonder the shop is so crowded.
• くまたは 毎日まいにち 練習れんしゅうして いる。上手じょうずな わけだ。 — Kumata practices every day. No wonder he's so good.
• A：この 店みせ、駅えきから 1分ぷんだよ。 B：それで 高たかい わけだ。 — A: This shop is only 1 minute from the station. B: No wonder it's so expensive.
• 台湾たいわんが 9時じなら、日本にほんは 10時じと いう わけです。 — If it's 9 o'clock in Taiwan, that means it's 10 o'clock in Japan.
• 1日にち 2時間じかん 勉強べんきょうすれば、1週間しゅうかんは 14時間じかんと いう わけです。 — If you study 2 hours a day, that means 14 hours a week.

Grammar 2 / 3: わけではない

〜わけでは ない = it's not that~: you deny an idea others might have, only in part, and it sounds softer

• 〜わけでは ない = it's not that~: You deny a thought or conclusion that people might jump to. It is not a total denial, so it sounds gentler than a plain "no."
• How to form it: Same as わけだ: plain form + わけでは ない (決きまる わけでは ない). な-adjectives: 〜な わけでは ない (好すきな わけでは ない). Nouns: 〜な (or 〜と いう) わけでは ない (a noun cannot connect to わけ directly). Polite: わけでは ありません. Casual: わけじゃ ない.
• Partial denial: みんな・いつも・ぜんぶ: Used with みんな・いつも・ぜんぶ, it means "not all / not always~": 高たかい 店みせが いつも おいしい わけでは ない (expensive shops are not always tasty).
• Gently explain the real reason: Great when you don't want to be misunderstood: 嫌きらいな わけでは ないんです。おなかが いっぱいなんです。 First deny what the other person guessed, then give the real reason.

• 日本人にほんじんが みんな 納豆なっとうが 好すきな わけでは ない。 — Not every Japanese person likes natto.
• 高たかい 店みせが いつも おいしい わけでは ない。 — Expensive shops are not always good.
• 家族かぞくは 見みた目めで 決きまる わけじゃ ない。 — Family isn't decided by looks.
• 嫌きらいな わけでは ないんです。おなかが いっぱいなんです。 — It's not that I dislike it. I'm just full.
• 日本語にほんごが ぜんぶ わかる わけでは ありません。ゆっくり おねがいします。 — It's not that I understand all Japanese. Please speak slowly.

Grammar 3 / 3: わけがない

〜わけが ない = no way~, how could it be~: a strong denial based on logic or reasons; it does not mean "unable to do it"

• 〜わけが ない = no way~: Based on common sense or reasons, you strongly deny that something could be true. It often carries surprise, disbelief or annoyance: 熊くまの 妹いもうとが ひよこな わけが ない!
• How to form it: Plain form + わけが ない (残のこす わけが ない). な-adjectives: 〜な わけが ない. Nouns: 〜な / 〜の わけが ない, so ひよこな / ひよこの and 本物ほんものの / 本物ほんものな are both fine (a noun cannot connect to わけ directly). Polite: わけが ありません. In speech が is often dropped: ある わけ ないよ.
• Not "unable to do it": "I can't swim" is about ability, so say 泳およげません (negative potential form). わたしが 泳およぐ わけが ない means "No way I'd go swimming," a judgment, not an ability.
• Similar to はずが ない: You learned はずが ない ("by logic, it shouldn't be so") in Lesson 62. The meanings are close. わけが ない is more casual and more emotional, while はずが ない sounds calmer.

• 熊くまの 妹いもうとが ひよこな わけが ない！ — A bear's sister can't be a chick!
• ねこ先生せんせいが ラーメンを 残のこす わけが ない。 — There's no way Neko-sensei would leave any ramen.
• 1000円えんの 時計とけいが 本物ほんものの わけが ない。 — A 1000-yen watch can't be real.
• 雨あめの 日ひに 富士山ふじさんが 見みえる わけが ない。 — No way you can see Mt. Fuji on a rainy day.
• 日本にほんに 来きた ばかりだから、ぜんぶ わかる わけが ないよ。 — You just arrived in Japan. How could you understand everything?