Wasted effort with せっかく〜のに
Grammar: Unsorted » せっかく〜のに
せっかく〜のに expresses disappointment that an opportunity or someone’s effort went to waste: “even though we had the chance” or “even though you went to the trouble”.
Usage Notes
The situation reflecting the effort appears between せっかく and のに.
Further Reading
- How to use せっかく (maggiesensei.com)
Examples
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...”
Supplemental Examples
Try finding this grammar in the following examples:
