Japanese with Manga

Quoting a reward with って

Grammar Explanation: Quoting and reporting with と and って

Manga panel from 月のお気に召すまま showing example of Quoting a reward with って.
月のお気に召すまま » Volume 1 » Page 41

Ayumu tries to throw a basketball into the basket, only to have it bounce back and hit her in the face. After waking in the infirmary, she learns from her friend that Luna carried her there. When Luna denies it, Ayumu says she would have been happy if he did.

歩(あゆむ):
「ご褒美(ほうび)もあげたのに…」
“I would have even given you a reward...”
月(るな):
「ご褒美(ほうび)って…　どんな……？」
“A reward... What kind?”
Literal: “Reward, you say...? What kind...?”

Key Points

1って quotes the word Luna is reacting to
  • Luna repeats ご褒美(ほうび) with って to mean something like “When you say ‘a reward’…”
  • This is conversational って, the casual counterpart of quotative と, used here to pick up Ayumu’s exact word before asking about it.
2あげたのに sets up “I would have given it, though…”
  • あげた is “gave” from Ayumu’s point of view, with Luna as the implied receiver.
  • のに leaves a disappointed or wistful contrast hanging: if Luna had admitted helping her, she would have given him the reward.
3どんな……？ asks “what kind?”
  • Luna omits the noun after どんな, so the full idea is どんなご褒美(ほうび)？ “What kind of reward?”

Vocabulary

(To give)

あげる is to give something to someone else. After a て-form verb, it means doing something for someone. It also means to raise something.

(What kind of)

どんな asks what kind of person or thing something is.

See Also

月のお気に召すまま © its respective creators. It is used here for educational commentary.