Japanese と思いきや grammar toomoikiya
Japanese と思いきや grammar toomoikiya :
JLPT level : N1
Formation :
～と思いきや
Meaning and how to use :
Expresses the meaning “When anticipating something, the result is the opposite of what the speaker expected.”
i thought… but… , not as what expected
Examples:
この試合は日本のチームが絶対に勝つと思いきや、最終山田選手のせいで惜敗しました。
Kono shiai ha nippon no chīmu ga zettai ni katsu to omoi ki ya, saishuu yamada senshu no sei de sekihai shi mashi ta.
I thought the Japan team would win this match for sure but unfortunately, they lost because of the player Yamada.
彼女の力でぜひできると思いきや、彼女は小さいミスで失敗しました。
Kanojo no chikara de zehi dekiru to omoi ki ya, kanojo ha chiisai misu de shippai shi mashi ta.
I thought with her skills she could definitely do it but she couldn’t because of a small mistake.
このプログラムはうまく行われるかと思いきや、思いがけなく悪い評判があって、停止されました。
Kono puroguramu ha umaku okonawareru ka to omoi ki ya, omoigakenaku warui hyouban ga atte, teishi sare mashi ta.
I thought this program would’ve been done well, but because of some bad comments it got postponed.
今日仕は早く終わると思いきや、突然データがなくなってもう一度やりなきゃいけなくて残業することになった。
Kyou shigoto ga hayaku owaru to omoi ki ya, totsuzen dēta ga nakunatte mouichido yari naki ?ikenakute zangyou suru koto ni natta.
I thought the works today would’ve been done quick, but because of the data loss, I have to work extra again.
子供を関心すると思いきや、あの子は「いらない」と怒鳴り返します。
Kodomo o kanshin suru to omoi ki ya, ano ko ha ‘ira nai’ to donarikaeshi masu.
I thought I was caring for my children but he/she yelled “I don’t need”.
Notes:
+) Can also use the structure 「かと思いきや」 (Example 3)
+) Old, out-dated structure, mostly used in writings.
Related structures :
above is Japanese と思いきや grammar toomoikiya. if you don’t understand the signs we used in fomation, you can find their meaning here : signs used in Japanese grammar structures.
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