Lesson 4
The わけ Family
- 1 〜わけだ ~wake da that's why / no wonder The moment the reason lands and you go "ah, that's why".
- 2 〜わけではない ~wake de wa nai it's not that… Correcting an impression — "it's not that I…".
- 3 〜わけがない・はずがない ~wake ga nai / hazu ga nai there's no way "There is simply no way" — denial with full confidence.
- 4 〜とは限らない ~to wa kagiranai not necessarily Showing that what everyone assumes is not always so.
- 5 〜ないことはない ~nai koto wa nai it's not impossible Neither a no nor a yes — the gentle middle answer.
- 6 〜ことは〜が ~koto wa ~ ga it's true that…, but Agreeing first, then adding your "but" — the polite way to disagree.
Lesson check
All 6 forms of this lesson together — pick the right one from its look-alikes, the way the exam does. 6/8 completes the lesson.
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「田中さんは10年アメリカに住んでいたの？英語が上手な＿。」 — fill the blank.
💡 Hint:Learning the reason: 'ah, so that's why!'
〜わけだ = 'no wonder', once the reason is clear. わけではない and わけがない say the opposite, and とは限らない doesn't take the な of 上手な.
「日本の料理が嫌いな＿。ただ、生の魚が苦手なんだ。」 — fill the blank.
💡 Hint:Correcting a wrong impression — notice ただ after it.
〜わけではない = 'it's not that ~', correcting an impression. わけだ means 'no wonder', and とは限らない / ないことはない don't attach to 嫌いな.
「あんなにまじめな彼が、うそをつく＿。」 — which says 'there's no way he'd lie'?
💡 Hint:Denial with complete confidence.
〜わけがない = 'there's no way'. わけではない only partly denies, and ないことはない can't attach to つく.
「必ずしも高い店の料理がおいしい＿。」 — fill the blank.
💡 Hint:What ending does 必ずしも call for?
必ずしも〜とは限らない = 'not always ~'. わけがない is a total denial and わけだ confirms ('no wonder') — neither goes with 必ずしも.
「さしみはあまり好きじゃないけど、食べられ＿。」 — which says 'it's not that I can't eat it'?
💡 Hint:Neither 'yes I can' nor 'no I can't'.
Vない＋ことはない = 'it's not that I can't' (a soft yes). 食べられるわけがない means 'no way I can eat it', which clashes with けど.
「このアパートは駅まで歩いて3分。近い＿、家賃が高い。」 — fill the blank.
💡 Hint:3 minutes really is close — admit it first, then add 'but'.
A ことは A が = 'it is ~, but…' (agree first, then object). After '3 minutes', わけがない and わけではない deny it's close, and とは限らない says it isn't necessarily close — none of them fits.
Which is unnatural?
💡 Hint:How does a な-adjective join とは限らない?
Before とは限らない a な-adjective takes だ or nothing (便利だとは限らない), never な — unlike わけ, which needs な.
「かぎは私が持っている。だから、彼が部屋に入れる＿。」 — which says 'he can't possibly get in'?
💡 Hint:I have the key — so is there any chance?
〜はずがない = 'it can't be' (like わけがない, a denial with grounds). わけではない only partly denies, and わけだ would mean 'so that's how he gets in' — the reverse.
Your score: /8