Japanese with Manga

Better to give up fortune telling 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 give up fortune telling with 〜た＋方がいい.
ご注文はうさぎですか？ » Volume 1 » Page 100

Cocoa did fortune telling for her friends, only for all their fortunes to happen to her in a bad way.

チノ:
「ココアさんは人(ひと)の不幸(ふこう)の身代(みが)わりになる才能(さいのう)があるんですか？」
“Cocoa, do you have a talent for taking on other people's misfortune?”
リゼ:
「今後(こんご)占(うらな)いやめた方(ほう)がいいぞ自分(じぶん)のために」
“For your own sake, you had better stop fortune telling from now on.”
Literal: “From now on, the direction of having stopped fortune telling is good, for your own sake.”
ココア:
「なんで!?」
“Why!?”

Key Points

1占(うらな)いやめた方(ほう)がいい advises Cocoa to stop
  • Rize recommends giving up fortune telling after its predictions have caused Cocoa trouble.
2The past form supports a present recommendation
  • やめる becomes やめた before 方(ほう)がいい; English expresses the result as “you had better stop”.
3ぞ makes the warning forceful
  • 自分(じぶん)のために says the advice is for Cocoa’s own sake, and final ぞ adds Rize’s firm tone.
4才能(さいのう)があるんですか asks for an explanation
  • Chino wonders whether a talent for taking on other people’s bad luck explains Cocoa’s string of misfortune.

Vocabulary

(Talent)

才能(さいのう) means talent or aptitude in a particular field. It often suggests a natural gift, though training can also develop it.

(From now on)

今後(こんご) means from now on or in the future.

See Also

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