We were just talking about you with 〜のこと話す
Grammar Explanation: Referring to a person with 〜のこと
Kana waited years for her childhood friend Kosei, but when he transferred into her class, he turned out to be cold, and her feelings got her nowhere. She cut the hairstyle she’d kept for him and resolved to become a new person. Now she bursts into the newspaper club room with a cheerful hello.
- 部員Ⓐ:
- 「お 元気いーね奏ちゃん」
- “Whoa, you're full of energy, Kana.”
- 部員Ⓑ:
- 「あー 髪切ったんだー」
- “Oh, you cut your hair!”
- 「かわいー」
- “Cute!”
- 部長:
- 「ちょうどよかった 今奏ちゃんのこと話してたとこなんだ」
- “Perfect timing. We were just talking about you.”
Key Points
- 話す needs のこと to take a person: 奏ちゃんのことを話す is “talk about Kana”. In casual speech the を drops.
- 話してた is a casual 話していた, “were talking”.
- 〜ていたところだ means “was just in the middle of doing”. とこ is a casual ところ, and なんだ presents it as the explanation for ちょうどよかった.
- ちょうどよかった means “good timing” or “just the person we wanted”. The next page shows why: the club wants Kana to interview the new transfer student, Kosei.
- いーね, 切ったんだー, and かわいー stretch the vowels for a friendly, excited tone.
Vocabulary
いい (Good)
いい describes something good, nice, or fine. It can also mean “okay” or “that’s enough”. Its other forms come from よい, as in よくない and よかった.
髪 (Hair)
髪 is the hair on a person’s head.
切る (To cut)
切る is to cut something. It also means to end a phone call or turn something off.
かわいい (Cute)
かわいい describes someone or something small, sweet, or charming enough to make you feel fond of it. It is also written 可愛い.
ちょうど (Just)
ちょうど describes something that fits exactly, or happens at just the right time.
今 (Now)
今 is the present moment, or these days.
こと (Thing)
こと is an abstract thing, matter, or fact, as opposed to a physical object. It also turns a verb phrase into a noun, as in 見たことがある. It is also written 事.
話す (To talk)
話す is to talk or speak. It also means to tell someone something.
とこ (Place)
とこ is a casual, shortened form of ところ, “place”.
See Also
- Grammar: Referring to a person with 〜のこと
- Grammar: Timing of an action with 〜ところだ
- Kanji: Now and the present with 今