Breakdown of jibun de kimeru no de wa naku, onseiannai ni shitagau.
Questions & Answers about jibun de kimeru no de wa naku, onseiannai ni shitagau.
The sentence has a very common contrast pattern:
- A のではなく、B
- not A, but B
- or more naturally, rather than A, do B
So here:
- 自分で決める = decide by yourself
- のではなく = rather than / instead of
- 音声案内に従う = follow the voice guidance
So the whole sentence means something like:
- Rather than deciding for yourself, follow the voice guidance.
It contrasts two actions:
- deciding on your own
- following the guidance
In 自分で, the で does not mean location here. It marks the idea of by oneself or on one’s own.
So:
- 自分で決める = decide for oneself / decide on one’s own
This is a very common pattern:
- 自分でやる = do it yourself
- 自分で選ぶ = choose for yourself
- 自分で作る = make it yourself
In this sentence, 自分で emphasizes that the person is making the decision independently, without relying on the guidance.
