Sometimes pretending to be someone else with 〜ことがある

Manga panel from 三ツ星カラーズ showing example of Sometimes pretending to be someone else with 〜ことがある.
三ツ星カラーズ » Volume 8 » Page 107

Sacchan and Kotoha notice Yui walking with a couple of her friends from school. The two decide to sneak and follow after them. Sacchan notices Yui doesn’t act quite the same with these friends as she does with Sacchan and Kotoha.

さっちゃん:
「潜入(せんにゅう)作戦(さくせん)とかで別人(べつじん)になりきることがあるかもしれないから」
“Maybe it's because she's in an undercover operation or something that she sometimes pretends to be a different person....”
Literal: “Because maybe, during an infiltration mission or something, there are times when she fully becomes a different person...”
「学校(がっこう)の時(とき)の結衣(ゆい)は結衣(ゆい)らしさを消(け)してすごしてるのかもしれない」
“...that Yui at school might be trying to hide her true self.”
Literal: “Maybe Yui when she's at school spends her time erasing her Yui-ness.”

Key Points

1〜ことがある = “sometimes does”
  • Here 別人(べつじん)になりきることがある means “there are times when she fully acts like a different person”.
  • It describes something that happens on some occasions, not a one-time event happening right now.
2別人(べつじん)になりきる = “completely pretend to be a different person”
  • 「なりきる」 is stronger than just “become”. It means to thoroughly take on a role or persona.
3The clause before から gives the reason for the guess
  • The idea is “Maybe it’s because she sometimes has to pretend to be someone else…”
  • 「から」 links that imagined reason to the following speculation about Yui hiding her usual self at school.
4かもしれない appears twice to keep everything speculative
  • 「ことがあるかもしれない」 means even the “sometimes does that” part is only a guess.
  • The next line ends with のかもしれない, so Sacchan is building a theory rather than stating a fact.

Vocabulary

(Infiltration)

潜入(せんにゅう) means secretly entering or infiltrating a place or organization, often for spying or investigation.

(Strategy)

作戦(さくせん) means a plan for carrying out an operation. It often refers to military strategy, but it also works for everyday plans and schemes.

(Different person)

別人(べつじん) means a different person. Figuratively, it can describe someone whose appearance or behavior has changed beyond recognition.

(School)

学校(がっこう) means a school, where teachers provide organized instruction to students.

(Time)

時(とき) means time, a moment, or an occasion.

See Also

三ツ星カラーズ © its respective creators. It is used here for educational commentary.