About the talk
Idioms, Stage 1chunk 20 of 21Talking & listening
Four fixed hanashi remarks about where a discussion stands.
- hanashi ga chigauthat's not what we agreed; that's a different matterliterally “the talk is different”
- hanashi ni naranaihopeless, not even worth discussingliterally “it doesn't become a conversation”
- hanashi wa betsuthat's a different storyliterally “the talk is separate”
- hanashi ga hayaithat makes it easy, that saves explainingliterally “the talk is quick”
Mix-ups hanashi ga chigau (not what we agreed) vs hanashi wa betsu (a separate matter); hanashi ni naranai (hopeless) vs hanashi ga hayai (that makes it easy).
hanashi ga chigau
polite hanashi ga chigaimasu
“the talk is different”
that's not what we agreed; that's a different matter
In English: that wasn't the deal
The complaint when the terms or plan turn out different from what you were told: chotto, hanashi ga chigau ja nai (hey, that's not what you said). It also means 'that's a different matter': sore to kore to wa hanashi ga chigau (those are two different things), akaji ni naru nara hanashi ga chigau (if we'd lose money, that changes things). There it overlaps with hanashi wa betsu.
e, kyuuryou sagaru no? hanashi ga chigau yo.
What, my pay's going down? That's not what we agreed.
え、給料下がるの？話が違うよ。
e, kyuuryou ga sagaru n desu ka? hanashi ga chigaimasu yo.
My pay is going down? That's not what we agreed.
え、給料が下がるんですか？話が違いますよ。
Written 話が違う · はなしがちがうHeard 76× in 3.17 million lines of film and TV subtitlesLearn alongside hanashi ni naranai, hanashi wa betsu, hanashi ga hayaiMain list chigau (Stage 3)
hanashi ni naranai
polite hanashi ni narimasen
“it doesn't become a conversation”
hopeless, not even worth discussing
Dismisses an offer, an excuse or someone's performance as too poor to even talk about: kono nedan ja hanashi ni naranai (at this price, forget it). Said of a person, ano hito ja hanashi ni naranai means there's no reasoning with them.
Casual: hanashi ni nannai.
ichiman en? sore ja hanashi ni naranai yo.
Ten thousand yen? That's not even worth discussing.
一万円？それじゃ話にならないよ。
ichiman en desu ka? sore ja hanashi ni narimasen yo.
Ten thousand yen? That's out of the question.
一万円ですか？それじゃ話になりませんよ。
Written 話にならない · はなしにならないHeard 61× in 3.17 million lines of film and TV subtitlesLearn alongside hanashi ga chigau, hanashi wa betsu, hanashi ga hayaiMain list naru (Stage 1), -nai (Stage 1)
hanashi wa betsu
polite hanashi wa betsu desu
“the talk is separate”
that's a different story
In English: that's a different story
Follows a condition that changes your answer: X nara hanashi wa betsu da (if it's X, that changes things), typically when an offer gets better. hanashi ga chigau can say the same thing (X nara hanashi ga chigau), but its everyday use is the complaint that a deal was changed on you.
ogori nara hanashi wa betsu da yo.
If it's your treat, that's a different story.
おごりなら話は別だよ。
kyuuryou ga agaru nara hanashi wa betsu desu kedo ne.
If the pay went up, that'd be a different story.
給料が上がるなら話は別ですけどね。
Written 話は別 · はなしはべつHeard 45× in 3.17 million lines of film and TV subtitlesLearn alongside hanashi ga chigau, hanashi ni naranai, hanashi ga hayaiMain list betsu (Stage 4), -nara (Stage 2)
hanashi ga hayai
polite hanashi ga hayai desu
“the talk is quick”
that makes it easy, that saves explaining
Said when the other person already knows or agrees, so you can skip the explaining: sore nara hanashi ga hayai (well, that makes it easy). Said of a person, it means they catch on fast. It has nothing to do with talking fast, which is hayakuchi.
Also: hanashi wa hayai.
shitteru nara hanashi ga hayai ne.
If you already know, that makes it easy.
知ってるなら話が早いね。
gozonji nara hanashi ga hayai desu.
If you already know, that makes things easier.
ご存じなら話が早いです。
Written 話が早い · はなしがはやいHeard 17× in 3.17 million lines of film and TV subtitlesLearn alongside hanashi ga chigau, hanashi ni naranai, hanashi wa betsuMain list hayai (Stage 3), -nara (Stage 2)