The trouble of forgetting about today with せっかく〜のに
Grammar Explanation: Wasted effort with せっかく〜のに
After Cocoa has a string of bad luck throughout the day, Chiya takes her to the tea shop where Syaro works to get her mind off everything that happened.
Just as Cocoa’s finally cheered up, Syaro comments to herself about her own bad luck, returning Cocoa to gloom.
- 千夜:
- 「せっかく今日の出来事忘れてたのについてないなんて言っちゃだめ！」
- “We went through the trouble to forgot about today, so don't say bad luck!”
- シャロ:
- 「よくわからないけどめんどくさい…」
- “I don't really understand, but this is a pain...”
Key Points
1せっかく〜のに marks a spoiled good result
- Cocoa had reached the welcome state of forgetting the day’s bad events, but Syaro’s comment threatens to undo that progress.
2忘れてた contracts 忘れていた
- 今日の出来事忘れてた means she had put what happened that day out of mind.
3言っちゃだめ is a casual prohibition
- 言っちゃ contracts 言っては. Chiya tells Syaro not to say ついてない, because it reminds Cocoa of her bad luck.
4けど links confusion to annoyance
- Syaro admits she does not really understand Chiya’s rule, but she can still tell that following it is a nuisance.
Vocabulary
せっかく (With much effort)
せっかく marks an effort or valuable opportunity that should not go to waste. Depending on the sentence, it can mean “after taking the trouble” or “since we have the chance”.
今日 (Today)
今日 means today. In formal writing, it can also mean the present day or current era.
言う (To say)
言う means to say or tell. It can also mean to call something by a particular name.
See Also
- Grammar: Wasted effort with せっかく〜のに
- Future entry: Past tense with 〜た・〜だ
- Grammar: Negation with 〜ない
- Kanji: Matters and events with 事
- Kanji: Now and the present with 今
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