Japanese with Manga

Re-learning how to swim with 〜直す

Grammar Explanation: Doing better with 〜直す

Manga panel from ご注文はうさぎですか？ showing example of Re-learning how to swim with 〜直す.
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Cocoa shows off her front crawl swimming form, while on her back flapping her arms.

シャロ:
「泳(およ)ぎ方(かた)を覚(おぼ)え直(なお)した方(ほう)がいいわね」
“You'd better learn how to swim over again.”
Literal: “It would be better to relearn the way to swim.”

Key Points

1覚(おぼ)え直(なお)す means learning again with a correction
  • Syaro says Cocoa needs to replace her mistaken swimming method, not repeat the same practice unchanged.
2覚(おぼ)える uses its stem before 直(なお)す
  • 覚(おぼ)える becomes 覚(おぼ)え, then 直(なお)す creates the corrective repetition verb.
3た方(ほう)がいい turns the redo into advice
  • 覚(おぼ)え直(なお)した方(ほう)がいい means Cocoa would be better off relearning how to swim.

See Also

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