The Whimsical English Learner's Journal

  1. 意味 「さて、実はね…」「ちょっと話があってね…」 会話の中で、自分の考えや事情、少し複雑な説明を始めるときに使うフレーズ。 軽くカジュアルで親しみやすいトーン。 2. ニュアンス 相手に「これから大事な話をするよ」という印象を与える 直接的な「I want to tell you something」より柔らかい 時に「正直に言うと」「実はちょっと…」のニュアンスも含む 3. 例文 Well, here’s the thing: I can’t come to the party tonight. 　→ 実はね、今夜のパーティーには行けないんだ。 Well, here’s the thing… I think we need to change our plan. 　→ ちょっと話があるんだけど、計画を変えたほうがいいと思うんだ。 Well, here’s the thing: it’s not as easy as it sounds. 　→ 実はね、思ったより簡単じゃないんだ。 4. 言い換え・類似表現 “The thing is…” → 少し短め、同じニュアンス “Here’s the deal…” → 口語的で、少しくだけた表現 “Let me explain…” → 直接的に「説明するね」 “So, the thing is…” → カジュアル、話の導入として自然

  1. 義務・責任・予定を表す（最も基本） 意味: 「～することになっている」「～すべき」「～する予定だ」 構造: 主語 + be supposed to + 動詞の原形 例文: You are supposed to finish your homework before dinner. → 夕食前に宿題を終えることになっている。 He is supposed to call me at 8 p.m. → 彼は午後8時に電話することになっている。 The train is supposed to arrive at 7:30. → 電車は7時30分に到着する予定だ。 ポイント: 義務感やルール、予定を表すときに使う。 「should」と似ているが、 外部の期待やルール があるニュアンス。 2. 事実や期待と異なるとき（実際は…ではない） 意味: 「本来は～のはずだが、実際は違う」 構造: be supposed to + 動詞 （文脈で反対の意味になることが多い） 例文: The meeting was supposed to start at 9, but it hasn’t started yet. → 会議は9時に始まるはずだったが、まだ始まっていない。 He’s supposed to be here by now. Where is he? → 彼はもうここにいるはずなのに、どこにいるの？ ポイント: 「～するはずだったのに」というニュアンスを表す。 文脈によって、期待と現実のギャップを示す。 3. 慣用表現・口語での軽いニュアンス 意味: 「～することになっている」「～らしい」 会話では「常識や噂」を表すこともある。 例文: You’re not supposed to park here. → ここに駐車してはいけないことになっている。 I’m supposed to meet him tomorrow. → 明日彼に会うことになっている（予定）。 This is supposed to be easy. → これは簡単なはずだ（でも難しいかもしれないニュアンス）。 ...

 Today, the Tokyo Marathon took place. I went to cheer for my friend from high school, but there were so many runners that I couldn't find him, even though I used an app called Ōen Navi, which displays his running location.

I like to play video games. One of my favorite games is Fortnite. I play the game with my son on Saturday and Sunday nights. It is a kind of online survival game and one of the most popular games in the world. A total of 100 players join each game, and up to four members can form a team to fight against other teams. Players can collect weapons such as rifles and machine guns and use them to fight other teams. They can also collect materials to build walls for defense. There are many types of recovery items as well. The last surviving team is the winner. I like this game because I can share the joy with my son.

 My town, Ichihara City, is located in the central part of Chiba Prefecture. It takes about one to one and a half hours to travel from Tokyo. It is somewhat like a satellite town of both Tokyo and Chiba. The northwest side faces Tokyo Bay and is home to several chemical factories. On the other hand, there are many rice fields, as well as pear and strawberry farms. Ichihara is also famous for having numerous golf courses, though I no longer play golf. One of the highlights of my town is Ichihara Elephant Kingdom, where visitors can even ride an elephant. Another recommendation is to see the beautiful autumn leaves at Yoro Valley. It's truly a sight to behold during the fall season.

We are a family of six, including four sons, my wife, and me. My wife works at a nursery school as a nursery school teacher. Our eldest son graduated from university two years ago and works for an IT company. The second and third sons are both university students, and our youngest son is in elementary school. There is a wide age gap between my eldest and youngest sons—14 years, to be exact. My family used to be very lively, but it’s not as much now. The eldest son has already left home and lives on his own, while the second and third sons are both absorbed in their own worlds. The youngest son seems to want to play with them, though.