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a cinch, easy to do
TSUMA:
Kono nimotsu, suimasen kedo, todana ni shimatte. Anata nara, asameshi-mae deshō?
OTTO:
Ii yo. Shokuji no ato de, shimatte oku yo.
WIFE:
Could you put this luggage away in the closet, please? For you, its so easy.
HUSBAND:
Sure. I'll put them away right after I finish eating.
Asameshi-mae means something that is a cinch or a piece of cake. Literally "before breakfast," the phrase implies that something requires little energy and can be done with hardly any effort.
EXAMPLES
1. Kare ni totte, Eibun no tegami o kaku no wa asameshi-mae da.
It's a cinch for him to write a letter in English.
2. Otto ni wa, katei no daiku-shigoto nado, asameshi-mae da.
Taking care of the carpentry work around the house is a cinch for my husband.
3. Kanojo ni totte, kyoshitsu nofuriiki o akaruku suru no wa asameshimae datta.
It was easy for her to brighten up the classroom atmosphere.
4. Nihon no keizai-ryoku nara, ano kuni o enjo suru no wa asameshi-mae desu.
Providing support for that country is a simple matter considering Japan's economic might.
ato no matsuri
too late
SEITO:
Konna ni shiken ga muzukashiin' dattara, motto benkyō shite okeba yokatta.
SENSEI:
Ima kara itte mo, ato no matsuri da yo. Kondo ganbarinasai.
STUDENT:
If I had known that the exam was going to be this difficult, I would have studied harder.
TEACHER:
It's too late to say that now. You'd better try harder next time.
Ato no matsuri, literally "after a festival," means being too late for something. This expression comes from going to the site of a festival after it's over and seeing the floats and stalls that have served then-purpose and no longer have any use.
EXAMPLES
1. Kare ni ima sara ayamatte mo, ato no matsuri deshō ne.
Even if I apologize to him now, probably the damage is already done.
2. Ima goro, shōbōsha ga kite mo, ato no matsuri desu yo.
Even if the fire engines came now, it's too late for them to be of any help.
3. Saishūkai ni niten ireta ga, ato no matsuri datta.
We scored two points in the last inning, but it was too late.
4. Ima sugu ni, taisaku o kangaenai to, ato no matsuri ni narimasu yo.
If we don't think of a countermeasure right now, we'll have missed our chance to do anything.
5. Kyanseru shita kippu o kai-modosō to shita ga, ato no matsuri datta.
I tried to repurchase the cancelled ticket, but it was too late.
atogama ni suwaru
succeed or replace someone
KAISHAIN 1:
Buchō wa konogoro, byōkigachi de, dōmo taishoku suru rashii desu yo.
KAISHAIN 2:
So naru to, kare no atogama ni suwaru no wa, dare deshō ne.
EMPLOYEE 1:
The department chief tends to get sick a lot these days. It looks like he's going to have to retire.
EMPLOYEE 2:
In that case, I wonder who will replace him.
Atogama, literally "the following pot," refers to a replacement or successor. It is also used to refer to a second wife. An atogama was a pot put on the hearth when there was still heat remaining from the previous cooking. The phrase implies that very little time has passed before a successor, or a new wife, comes along.
EXAMPLES
1. Kachō ga mae no buchō no atogama ni suwatta.
The section chief replaced the department chief.
2. Buchō no atogama ni suwatta hito wa, kare hodo yūnō de wa nakatta.
The person who succeeded the department chief was not as capable as the chief had been.
3. Kare no atogama ni suwaritai hito wa ōzei iru.
Many people would like to step into his position.
4. Kanojo ga senpai no atogama ni suwaru koto ni natta.
She ended up replacing one of her seniors.
ba-chigai
out of place
(kaisha no keieisha no kaigi de)
KAISHAIN 1:
Kono kaigi ni, zuibun ba-chigai na hito ga kite imasu ne.
KAISHAIN 2:
Ē, tashika kare wa, tenisu no senshu deshita yo ne.
(at a company management conference)
EMPLOYEE 1:
There are people at this conference who really look quite out of place.
EMPLOYEE
