Japanese with Manga

Visiting at every break with 〜ごとに

Grammar Explanation: Every 〜 with 〜ごとに

Manga panel from ふだつきのキョーコちゃん showing example of Visiting at every break with 〜ごとに.
ふだつきのキョーコちゃん » Volume 1 » Page 11

Due to concern about his sister’s ribbon, which seals away her need to attack people for their blood, Kenji takes every opportunity he can to check up on her in at school.

キョーコ:
「休(やす)み時間(じかん)ごとに来(こ)ないでって言(い)ってるでしょー、そんなに心配(しんぱい)しなくても大丈夫(だいじょうぶ)だって！」
“I'm telling you, you don't need to check up on me every break period. I'll be fine even without you worrying about me!”
Literal: “I told you not to come every break period, right? I'm saying I'll be okay even if you don't worry that much!”
ケンジ:
「いや…　リボンが緩(ゆる)んだりしてないかと。」
“No, I'm just checking whether your ribbon's come loose.”
キョーコ:
「それくらい自分(じぶん)でやるよ！」
“I can handle that much on my own!”

Key Points

1休(やす)み時間(じかん)ごとに = “at every break”
  • Noun + ごとに means “every [noun interval]”, so 休(やす)み時間(じかん)ごとに means “every break period”.
2来(こ)ないでって言(い)ってる is quoted casual speech
  • 「来(こ)ないで」 means “don’t come”, and って言(い)ってる means “(I) keep saying”.
3Tone: frustrated, not formal
  • The stretched でしょー sounds conversational and annoyed, which fits Kyoko’s exasperated “I keep telling you…”
  • 「そんなに心配(しんぱい)しなくても大丈夫(だいじょうぶ)だって！」 pushes back against his overprotectiveness: “I’ll be fine even if you don’t worry that much.”
4Kenji’s reply shows what he is worried about
  • 「リボンが緩(ゆる)んだりしてないかと」 means “whether the ribbon has come loose or something like that”.
  • The たりして softens it slightly, giving an example-type feeling rather than naming only one exact problem.

Vocabulary

(To come)

来(く)る means to come or move toward the speaker or the place being discussed.

(To say)

言(い)う means to say or tell. It can also mean to call something by a particular name.

(Worry)

心配(しんぱい) means worry, concern, or anxiety about what might go wrong. With する, it means “to worry”.

(All right)

大丈夫(だいじょうぶ) means all right, okay, safe, or no problem. It is a common word of reassurance.

See Also

ふだつきのキョーコちゃん © its respective creators. It is used here for educational commentary.