Comparing here and there
Conversation phrases, Stage 1chunk 25 of 68What do you think
Compare Japan with home, or one thing with another.
- ... to kurabete dou?how does it compare with ...?
- sonna ni kawaranaiit's not that different; about the same
- nani ga ichiban chigau?what's the biggest difference?
- yappari ... ga ichibanyou can't beat ...; ... is the best after all
- sumiyasui?is it a nice place to live?; is it easy to live there?
Mix-ups sumiyasui is easy (yasui) to live in, not cheap.
... to kurabete dou?
polite ... to kurabete dou desu ka?
how does it compare with ...?
Asks someone who knows both things, such as two cities, jobs or versions, to compare them.
The answer usually uses yori (than): nihon yori takai (pricier than Japan).
nihon no seikatsu, kuni to kurabete dou?
How does life in Japan compare with back home?
日本の生活、国と比べてどう？
mae no shigoto to kurabete dou desu ka?
How does it compare with your last job?
前の仕事と比べてどうですか？
Written 〜と比べてどう？ · 〜とくらべてどう？ · 〜と比べてどうですか？Who you say it and hear itHeard 38× in 3.17 million lines of film and TV subtitles
sonna ni kawaranai
polite sonna ni kawaranai desu
it's not that different; about the same
Plays down a difference in price, taste or quality when someone asks which is better.
Kawaranai also means 'you haven't changed': zenzen kawaranai ne.
dotchi mo nedan wa sonna ni kawaranai yo.
They're not that different in price.
どっちも値段はそんなに変わらないよ。
nedan wa sonna ni kawaranai desu yo.
The price isn't that different.
値段はそんなに変わらないですよ。
Written そんなに変わらない · そんなにかわらない · そんなに変わらないですWho you say it and hear itHeard 4× in 3.17 million lines of film and TV subtitles
nani ga ichiban chigau?
polite nani ga ichiban chigaimasu ka?
what's the biggest difference?
Asks someone who has lived or worked in two places to name the main difference.
Set up the pair with ... to ... de (between ... and ...).
nihon to igirisu de, nani ga ichiban chigau?
What's the biggest difference between Japan and the UK?
日本とイギリスで、何が一番違う？
nihon to oosutoraria de, nani ga ichiban chigaimasu ka?
What's the biggest difference between Japan and Australia?
日本とオーストラリアで、何が一番違いますか？
Written 何が一番違う？ · なにがいちばんちがう？ · 何が一番違いますか？Who you say it and hear itHeard too rare in film subtitles to count
yappari ... ga ichiban
polite yappari ... ga ichiban desu ne
you can't beat ...; ... is the best after all
Said after comparing, or on coming back to something familiar like home, mum's cooking or a hot bath.
Yappari (yappa in fast speech) means 'as expected, after all'.
ryokou mo ii kedo, yappari ie ga ichiban da ne.
Travel's nice, but there's no place like home.
旅行もいいけど、やっぱり家が一番だね。
natsu wa yappari tsumetai biiru ga ichiban desu ne.
In summer, you can't beat a cold beer.
夏はやっぱり冷たいビールが一番ですね。
Written やっぱり〜が一番 · やっぱり〜がいちばん · やっぱり〜が一番ですねWho you say it and hear itHeard 4× in 3.17 million lines of film and TV subtitles
sumiyasui?
polite sumiyasui desu ka?
is it a nice place to live?; is it easy to live there?
Asked of someone who lives in a city, area or country you're curious about.
-yasui after a verb stem means 'easy to': tsukaiyasui (easy to use), wakariyasui (easy to understand).
oosaka tte sumiyasui? bukka wa dou?
Is Osaka a nice place to live? What are prices like?
大阪って住みやすい？物価はどう？
oosaka wa sumiyasui desu ka?
Is Osaka a nice place to live?
大阪は住みやすいですか？
Written 住みやすい？ · すみやすい？ · 住みやすいですか？Who you say it and hear itHeard 4× in 3.17 million lines of film and TV subtitles