Japanese with Manga

Better to do light stretches before swimming with 〜た＋方がいい

Grammar Explanation: Giving advice with 〜た＋方がいい

Manga panel from ご注文はうさぎですか？ showing example of Better to do light stretches before swimming with 〜た＋方がいい.
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Before Cocoa teaches Rize how to swim, Syaro stops her with a suggestion.

シャロ:
「泳(およ)ぐなら念(ねん)のため軽(かる)くストレッチした方(ほう)がいいと思(おも)うの」
“If you're going to swim, I think you had better do some light stretching just in case.”
Literal: “If you're going to swim, I think the direction of having done light stretching is good, just in case.”
ココア:
「さすがシャロちゃん」
“That's Syaro for you.”

Key Points

1ストレッチした方(ほう)がいい gives advice
  • Syaro recommends stretching before swimming; she does not compare two literal directions.
2The past form appears before 方(ほう)がいい
  • する becomes した, but the recommendation concerns what the listeners should do next.
3と思(おも)うの softens the recommendation
  • と思(おも)う frames the advice as Syaro’s judgment, and 念(ねん)のため gives the precautionary reason.
4さすがシャロちゃん praises an expected strength
  • さすが means Syaro has lived up to Cocoa’s favorable expectations.

Vocabulary

(Light)

軽(かる)い means light in weight. It can also describe something minor, mild, or easy to do.

(Think)

思う(おもう) means to think, feel, believe, expect, or hope.

See Also

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