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どうぞ、と言えた日
日本に来て半年、ジョンさんには、電車の中でずっとできないことがありました。席を譲ることです。譲ろうと思っても、「日本語が変だったらどうしよう」「断られたらどうしよう」と考えているうちに、相手が降りてしまうのです。
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John had been in Japan for six months, and there was one thing he still couldn’t do on the train: give up his seat. Even when he meant to, he would start thinking, “What if my Japanese sounds strange?” and “What if they say no?”, and while he was still thinking, the other person would get off.
その日の夕方、電車はすいていたので、ジョンさんは優先席に座っていました。二つ目の駅で、大きな紙袋を両手に持ったおばあさんが乗ってきて、ジョンさんの前に立ちました。今日こそ言おう。ジョンさんは立ち上がって、「どうぞ」と声をかけました。
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That evening the train was fairly empty, so John was sitting in a priority seat. At the second station, an old lady got on with a big paper bag in each hand and stood in front of him. Today he would finally say it. John stood up and said, “Please, take my seat.”
おばあさんは少し驚いた顔をして、それからにっこり笑いました。「ありがとう。でも、次で降りるから大丈夫よ。」立ち上がったものの、ジョンさんはどうしていいか分からず、もう一度座りました。顔が少し熱くなりました。
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The old lady looked a little surprised, then broke into a smile. “Thank you. But I’m getting off at the next stop, so I’m fine.” John had stood up, but he didn’t know what to do, so he sat back down. His face felt a little hot.
次の駅で、おばあさんは紙袋を持ち直して、ドアの前で振り返りました。「さっきは、うれしかったわ。」ドアが閉まってから、ジョンさんは優先席の上の窓を見上げました。つえをついた人、おなかの大きな人、小さな子どもを抱いた人などのマークが貼ってあります。座ってもらえなくても、声はかけられた。ジョンさんはひざの上のかばんを抱え直して、少しだけ笑いました。
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At the next station, the old lady got a better grip on her paper bags and turned round at the door. “That made me happy, just now.” When the doors had closed, John looked up at the window above the priority seats. There were stickers on it: a person with a walking stick, a pregnant woman, someone holding a small child, and more. She hadn’t taken the seat, but he had managed to speak up. John settled the bag on his lap and smiled, just a little.
Three expressions
今夜は早く寝ようと思います。
I think I’ll go to bed early tonight.
「〜ようと思う」: “I’m going to …”, “I mean to …”. The volitional form + 「と思う」 states your own plan; 「〜ようと思っても」 means “even if you mean to … (you can’t)”. In the story, 「譲ろうと思っても」 means “even when he meant to give up his seat”.
チケットは買ったものの、行けるかどうかまだ分かりません。
I’ve bought the ticket, but I still don’t know if I can go.
「〜たものの」: “although …, …”. The first half has already happened, but what follows doesn’t go as expected. It’s a little more written than 「〜たが」. In the story, 「立ち上がったものの」 means “he had stood up, but (he didn’t know what to do)”.
急がなくても、まだ間に合いますよ。
You don’t need to hurry; you’ll still make it.
「〜なくても」: “even if … not”. Change the 「い」 of the nai form to 「くても」. In the story, 「座ってもらえなくても」 means “even though she didn’t sit down”.
One small thing to do
Tip
Next time you take the train or bus, look at the signs above the priority seats and count how many kinds of people they show. If you’re not travelling today, try to remember whether the train or bus you usually take has signs like these.