Expecting a ball to the face with 〜のことだから
Grammar Explanation: Referring to a person with 〜のこと
Ayumu is fed up with her junior, Luna, who tops his class and is the ace of the track team. While she and a friend watch him play basketball, he teases her, and Ayumu insists she can make a shot too. Luna hands her a ball, but it’s half deflated.
- 月:
- 「歩先輩のことだから失敗して顔面にボールぶつけると思って……」
- “Knowing you, Ayumu, I figured you'd miss and get hit in the face with the ball...”
- 友達:
- 「だから柔らかいボールに？ 月くんやさし〜」
- “So that's why you gave her a soft ball? Luna, you're so sweet!”
- 歩:
- 「〜〜〜っっっ」
- “Nnngh...!”
Key Points
- Person ＋ のことだから bases a guess on what that person is like. Here the guess is unflattering: Ayumu is clumsy enough to hit herself with the ball.
- Luna calls her 歩先輩 to her face. Using a name plus 先輩 in place of “you” is normal toward an upperclassman.
- 〜て links the two steps: she misses, then gets hit in the face. ぶつける is “hit, bump against”, and the を after ボール has dropped.
- と思って gives the reason for what he did: “I thought (that would happen), so…”
- This is short for 柔らかいボールにした？, “you made it a soft ball?” 〜にする means “choose” or “make it”, and the verb is left out.
- やさし〜 stretches やさしい, “kind”, with the final い dropped.
Vocabulary
先輩 (Senior)
先輩 is a senior member of the same school, workplace, or group, usually someone who joined earlier or has more experience.
こと (Thing)
こと is an abstract thing, matter, or fact, as opposed to a physical object. It also turns a verb phrase into a noun, as in 見たことがある. It is also written 事.
ボール (Ball)
ボール is a ball. In Pokémon, it is short for モンスターボール, a Poké Ball.
ぶつける (To hit)
ぶつける is to hit or bump something against something else, or to throw something at a target. It can also mean venting feelings on someone.
思う (Think)
思う is to have a thought, feeling, belief, or hope about something.
柔らかい (Soft)
柔らかい describes something soft or yielding to the touch, like a cushion or a soft ball. It can also describe a gentle manner or flexible thinking.
くん (-kun)
くん is a suffix added to a name, usually for boys or for someone younger or of lower standing. It is also written 君.
やさしい (Kind)
やさしい describes someone who is kind, gentle, or considerate. In this sense it is written 優しい. Written 易しい, it means “easy”.
See Also
- Grammar: Referring to a person with 〜のこと
- Grammar: Quoting and reporting with と and って
- Kanji: Faces and surfaces with 面