Was Broken

“My notebook computer was broken,” my student told me.

This is another problem rooted in direct translation. 壊れた is in past passive tense so Japanese assume that it must be the same in English, but it’s not.

“My laptop was broken” actually means the opposite. It was broken, but is okay now, that is no longer broken.

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❌ Something was broken.

⭕️ Something is broken.

⭕️ Something broke.

⭕️ Something doesn’t work.

⭕️ Something is out of order.

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こわれる 【壊れる】 〖破壊される〗【ばらばらになる】break*, be broken ; 【部分的に壊れる】be damaged ; 【完全に壊れる】be destroyed ; 【めちゃくちゃになる】be wrecked （⇨壊す）; 【ぼろぼろに崩れる】collapse, fall* apart ; 【機械などの調子が狂う】get* out of order ; 【故障する】break (down). ▸ 壊れたおもちゃ a broken toy.▸ 壊れ(やすい)物 （⇨壊れ物）▸ 花びんが床に落ちて壊れた The vase fell on the floor and broke (into [to] pieces). (!into [to] pieces では「粉々に」の意が出る) / The vase fell on the floor and smashed to pieces. (!前の言い方より強意的) ▸ 衝突で電車がめちゃめちゃに壊れたIn the collision the train was badly damaged [wascompletely wrecked]. (!後の方はまったく修理不可能なことを含意) ▸ この電話[コンピューター]は壊れている This telephone [PC] is out of order [is broken, doesn't work].▸ この洗濯機はまた壊れたThis washing machine has broken down again.▸ 縁談がこわれた The match [Their engagement] was broken (off).▸ 最後のところで商談がこわれた The deal collapsed [fell through] at the last moment.

Be Rain

❌ It will be rain tomorrow. 

It’s going to rain tomorrow. 

It's going to be rainy tomorrow.

It will rain tomorrow.

We'll have rain tomorrow.

雨が/は

▸ 今ひどく雨が降っています 

It's raining hard [drizzling] now.

▸ しとしと雨が降っています 

It's raining hard [drizzling] now.

▸ あすは雨が降るだろう 

It will rain tomorrow.

We will have rain tomorrow. 

(話し手のいる場所について述べるときは It より We を主語にする方が多い) 

▸ 雨が降り出した

It started to rain.

The rain began [started] to fall. 

▸ 雨が降りやんだ 

The rain has stopped.

▸ 雨はやみそうになかった 

The rain showed no sign of letting up. 

▸ 今年はあまり雨が降らなかった 

We haven't had much rainfall this year.

▸ 今朝から雨が降ったりやんだりしている 

It has been raining on and off since this morning.

The rain has been coming and going since this morning.

▸ 雨がだんだん強くなってきた 

It's raining harder.

The rain is getting heavier.

▸ 家を出た時は雨がひどく降っていたが, 今は小降りになった 

It was raining hard when I left home, but now it has let up.

▸ 曇り時々雨 (天気予報で) 

Cloudy with occasional showers.

After a long time

△ We met after a long time.

→ We met for the first time in a long time.

△ I went to a beer garden after a long time.

→ I went to a beer garden for the first time in a long time.

久しぶり

 

for the first time in a long time

for the first time in ages

for the first time in many years

((1) after a long time ともいう. (2) ｟書｠ では「長い時の経過[留守; 音信不通; 別離]の後で」の意で after a long interval [absence; silence; separation] などを用いることもある )

▸ 彼女から久しぶりに電話があった

I had a call from her for the first time in a long time [in many years].｟書｠I had a call from her after a long silence.

▸ あんなに魅力のある人に会ったのは久しぶりだ

It's [It's been] a long time since I met such a charming person.

▸ 久しぶりに最高のニュースを聞いたよ

That's the best news I've heard for a long time.

▸ 久しぶりですね

I haven't seen you for a long time

I haven't seen you for ages

It's been ages!

(It's) good to see you again.

(!最後の言い方は仕事上などの改まった場合に用いる.「お久しぶり」に続く表現としては How have you been? (どうしてたの)や I could hardly recognize you. (誰だか分からなかった)などがある)

―振り

 

1 【…の後】

after …;〖…以来〗since …;〖…の期間で初めて〗for the first time in 〘ten years〙.

▸ 私は8年ぶりで彼に会った

I saw him for the first time in eight years.I saw him after (an [╳the] interval of) eight years [after an eight-year interval]. (!after eight years' interval とはあまりいわない) 【この前会ってから8年になる】It's [It's been] eight years since I saw him last. (!最初の表現がいちばん口語的)

▸ 登山者は5日ぶりに[遭難後5日ぶりに]救出された

The climbers were rescued after five days [five days after the mountain accident].

▸ 今年は20年ぶりの暖冬です

This is the warmest winter in ｟主に米｠ [for ｟主に英｠] 20 years.This is the warmest winter (that) we have had in () [for ｟主に英｠] the past [last] twenty years.

▸ こんなくつろいだ気分になるのは何年ぶりかです

I feel more relaxed than I've felt in ｟主に米｠ [for ｟主に英｠] years. (!than 以下に否定が含意された言い方で, I haven't felt as relaxed in [for] years (as this). (as this は通例省略する)に相当する )