Japanese with Manga

Interrupted in a restroom stall with 話しかける

Vocabulary Explanation: Words ending in 掛ける

Inside a restroom stall, Mina, a girl with long light hair, turns toward the door and shouts with a startled face.
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In the girls’ restroom, Sanae and Yukari wonder whether Nishikata and Takagi are dating. Sanae teases Yukari by calling out to Mina, who is inside a stall, that Yukari wants to flirt with boys. When Mina doesn’t answer, Sanae keeps shouting her name.

ミナ:
「もう！！　サナエちゃん急(きゅう)に話(はな)しかけないでよ！！」
“Geez!! Sanae, don't talk to me out of nowhere!!”
ミナ:
「おしっこ出(で)そうだったのに止(と)まっちゃったよ！！」
“I was just about to pee, and now it stopped!!”

Key Points

1話(はな)しかける, speaking to someone
  • 話(はな)す means to speak. Adding かける aims the speech at a person, so 話(はな)しかける means to speak to someone or start a conversation with them.
  • The person spoken to takes に: サナエちゃんが私(わたし)に話(はな)しかける. Mina leaves out 私(わたし)に because it’s obvious she means herself.
2Complaining with 〜ないでよ
  • 話(はな)しかけないで is a casual way to say “don’t talk to me”. It is short for 話(はな)しかけないでください.
  • よ at the end pushes the complaint at Sanae, which fits Mina’s exasperated もう！！.
3出(で)そうだった, about to happen
  • 〜そう after a verb stem means something looks like it’s about to happen. 出(で)そうだった means it was just about to come out.
4のに and 〜ちゃった for a ruined moment
  • のに links what was about to happen with the disappointing result: she was about to go, and yet it stopped.
  • 止(と)まっちゃった is the casual form of 止(と)まってしまった. The ちゃう shows Mina’s frustration that it stopped.

Vocabulary

(Suddenly)

急(きゅう)に means suddenly or without warning. 急(きゅう)には often comes before something that’s hard to do on such short notice.

(To speak to)

話(はな)しかける is to speak to someone or start a conversation with them, usually someone who wasn’t already talking with you. The person spoken to takes に.

(To go out)

出(で)る means to go out or leave. It is also used when something appears or is produced.

(To stop)

止(と)まる is to stop moving or stop happening. It is used for vehicles, machines, and things like bleeding or hiccups.

See Also

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