Keeping your nerve
Idioms, Stage 3chunk 9 of 22Effort, ease & difficulty
Motivation rising and falling: warming to it, 'you can do it', talking of quitting, and finally giving up inside.
- sono ki ni naruwarm to the idea; get carried away, take it seriouslyliterally “come into that frame of mind”
- yareba dekiruyou can do it if you tryliterally “if you do it, you can”
- yowane o hakusay you can't take it, talk of giving upliterally “spit out weak sounds”
- kokoro ga orerulose the will to keep goingliterally “the heart snaps”
Mix-ups yowane o haku means saying aloud that you can't take it, while kokoro ga oreru means the will itself giving way inside.
sono ki ni naru
polite sono ki ni narimasu
“come into that frame of mind”
warm to the idea; get carried away, take it seriously
Most heard as sono ki ni nareba dekiru (you can if you put your mind to it), sono ki ni natte kita (I'm warming to it) and sono ki ni saseru (talk someone into it, or lead someone on). It is also taking praise or a joke at face value: homeraretara sugu sono ki ni naru (gets carried away as soon as he's praised), sono ki ni naru na yo (don't take it seriously). Not ki ni naru, which is being curious or bothered.
No intention at all: sono ki wa nai.
nanka sono ki ni natte kita
I'm kind of warming to the idea.
なんかその気になってきた
nandaka sono ki ni natte kimashita
I'm kind of warming to the idea.
なんだかその気になってきました
Written その気になる · そのきになるHeard 132× in 3.17 million lines of film and TV subtitlesLearn alongside yareba dekiruMain list sono (Stage 1), naru (Stage 1), ki ni naru (Stage 2)
yareba dekiru
polite yareba dekimasu
“if you do it, you can”
you can do it if you try
Encouragement (yareba dekiru yo) and praise after a success, often a little teasing: yareba dekiru jan (see, you CAN do it). The bookish source naseba naru is rarely said.
Stock praise: yareba dekiru ko (a kid who can do it when they try).
hora, yareba dekiru jan
See, you can do it when you try!
ほら、やればできるじゃん
hora, yareba dekiru ja nai desu ka
See, you can do it when you try!
ほら、やればできるじゃないですか
Written やればできるHeard 21× in 3.17 million lines of film and TV subtitlesLearn alongside sono ki ni naruMain list yaru (Stage 1), dekiru (Stage 1), -ba (Stage 2)
yowane o haku
polite yowane o hakimasu
“spit out weak sounds”
say you can't take it, talk of giving up
Admitting out loud that you're struggling or want to quit, often in the negative (yowane o haku na, no whining) or as a self-aware confession. Not monku o iu, which is complaining about others or things.
yowane hakitakunai kedo, mou genkai
I don't want to whine, but I'm at my limit.
弱音吐きたくないけど、もう限界
yowane wa hakitakunai n desu kedo, mou genkai desu
I don't want to whine, but I'm at my limit.
弱音は吐きたくないんですけど、もう限界です
Written 弱音を吐く · よわねをはくHeard 12× in 3.17 million lines of film and TV subtitlesLearn alongside kokoro ga oreruMain list -tai (Stage 2)
kokoro ga oreru
polite kokoro ga oremasu
“the heart snaps”
lose the will to keep going
A modern casual staple for giving up after setbacks or strain, mostly as kokoro oreta (that broke me) or kokoro oresou (about to give up), often without ga. Stronger than ki o otosu (be disappointed), and not romantic heartbreak, which is shitsuren.
Transitive: kokoro o oru (crush someone's spirit).
are de kanzen ni kokoro oreta
That completely broke me.
あれで完全に心折れた
are de kanzen ni kokoro ga oremashita
That completely broke me.
あれで完全に心が折れました
Written 心が折れる · こころがおれるHeard 8× in 3.17 million lines of film and TV subtitlesLearn alongside yowane o haku