Breakdown of butyou ha isogasii keredo, hiruyasumi ni watasi no denwabangou wo kiita.
はha
topic particle
私watasi
I
をwo
direct object particle
のno
possessive case particle
にni
time particle
忙しいisogasii
busy
聞くkiku
to ask
〜た〜ta
past tense
部長butyou
manager
けれどkeredo
but
昼休みhiruyasumi
lunch break
電話番号denwabangou
phone number
Elon.io is an online learning platform
We have hundreds of Japanese lessons and thousands of exercises.
Questions & Answers about butyou ha isogasii keredo, hiruyasumi ni watasi no denwabangou wo kiita.
What does the conjunction けれど mean and how does it differ from が and けれども?
けれど is a conjunction expressing concession, like “although” or “but.” You attach it to adjectives, verbs, or nouns to link two contrasting clauses. Compared to が, which is a more neutral “but” for directly joining clauses, けれど feels softer and slightly more informal. けれども is just a bit more formal or emphatic than けれど, but all three convey the sense of “however.”
Why is は used after 部長 in 部長は忙しい?
The particle は marks 部長 (“the department head”) as the topic of the sentence, indicating that what follows is a statement about him. So 部長は忙しい literally means “As for the department head, (he) is busy.” It sets up the context for the rest of the sentence.
Why do we say 昼休みに instead of just 昼休み or using で?
The particle に marks the specific time when an action occurs. 昼休みに means “during the lunch break.” Without に, 昼休み is just a noun with no clear role. While で can indicate the place or occasion of an action, に is the natural choice for pinpointing a time.
Who is the subject of 聞いた? It isn’t explicitly repeated in the second clause.
Japanese often omits subjects when they’re understood from context. Here, 部長 is the topic in the first clause, so it carries over: 部長 is also the one who 聞いた (“asked”).
Why is 電話番号 marked with を and why is it preceded by 私の?
電話番号 (“phone number”) is the direct object of 聞いた (“asked for”), so we use を to mark it. 私の is the possessive form of 私 (“I/me”), so 私の電話番号 means “my phone number.”
Why is 聞く used here for “ask for information”? Wouldn’t 尋ねる be more appropriate?
While 尋ねる can mean “to ask,” especially for directions or opinions, 聞く is the common verb when you’re requesting specific information or details (like a phone number). 電話番号を聞く is the usual expression for “ask someone for their phone number.”
The sentence feels casual. How would you make it more polite or formal?
You can add honorific language. For example:
部長はお忙しいですが、昼休みに私の電話番号をお聞きになりました。
Here, お忙しい is the honorific of 忙しい, and お聞きになりました is the honorific form of 聞いた.
What nuance does saying 忙しいけれど、昼休みに～聞いた convey?
It emphasizes that “even though the department head is busy, he still took the opportunity during lunch break to ask for my phone number.” The contrast highlights the action as noteworthy given how busy he is.