sibaraku naoranai to iwareta node, sono aida ha hurui sumaho wo tukaukoto ni sita.

Because 直る means to be fixed / to get repaired and 直す means to fix something.

• 直る is intransitive: the thing itself gets repaired
• 直す is transitive: someone repairs it

So:

• スマホが直らない = the phone will not be fixed / won’t be repaired
• スマホを直さない = someone does not fix the phone

In this sentence, the speaker was told that the phone would not be repaired for a while, so 直らない is the natural choice.

Because the past part is 言われた — was told. The content of what was said is still expressed in its own natural form.

So the structure is:

• しばらく直らない = it won’t be fixed for a while
• と言われた = I was told that ...

Japanese often keeps the quoted content in plain form, even if the act of saying happened in the past.

So this means:

• I was told: It won’t be fixed for a while

not

• I was told: It wasn’t fixed for a while

Here と marks quoted content.

It connects what was said with the verb 言う.

So:

• しばらく直らない = it won’t be fixed for a while
• と = that / quotation marker
• 言われた = was told

Together:

• しばらく直らないと言われた = I was told that it would not be fixed for a while

This と is extremely common with verbs like:

• 言う = say
• 思う = think
• 聞く = hear/ask

言われた is the passive form of 言う.

• 言った = said
• 言われた = was told / was said to

In this sentence, the speaker is focusing on receiving the information, not on the speaker of the statement.

So:

• 店員がそう言った = the clerk said that
• そう言われた = I was told that

Japanese often uses the passive this way when English would naturally say I was told.

Japanese often leaves out information that is obvious from context.

Here, the person who said it might be:

• a repair shop employee
• a store clerk
• a technician
• someone handling the phone repair

Because the sentence is mainly about the result — the speaker decided to use an old phone — Japanese does not need to mention the person explicitly.

This kind of omission is very normal in Japanese.

ので means because, but it often sounds a little softer, more explanatory, and less direct than から.

So:

• 言われたので = because I was told that ...
• 言われたから = because I was told that ...

Both could work here, but ので often sounds a bit more neutral and matter-of-fact. It is very common when explaining a reason for a decision or action.

In this sentence, ので smoothly connects the reason and the result:

• Because I was told it would not be fixed for a while, I decided to use my old smartphone during that time.

しばらく means for a while / for some time.

It does not give a precise length. It just means the period will continue for some time.

In this sentence:

• しばらく直らない = it won’t be fixed for a while

So the speaker expects some waiting period, but the exact duration is not stated.

そのあいだ means during that time / in the meantime / meanwhile.

It refers back to the period just mentioned — the time during which the phone will not be fixed.

So:

• そのあいだ = during that period
• は adds contrast or sets the topic

The idea is something like:

• As for that period, I’ll use an old smartphone

The は can give a slight feeling of contrast, as in:

• during that time, at least, I’ll use the old phone

The は marks そのあいだ as the topic and can also add a mild contrastive nuance.

Without going too deeply into nuance, そのあいだは suggests:

• during that period, as for what I’ll do...

It helps frame the second half of the sentence.

Compare:

• そのあいだ、古いスマホを使うことにした = During that time, I decided to use an old smartphone
• そのあいだは、古いスマホを使うことにした = As for that period, I decided to use an old smartphone

The version with は feels a bit more like the speaker is setting that period apart from other times.

Verb dictionary form + ことにする means to decide to do something.

So:

• 使う = use
• 使うことにした = decided to use

This is a very common pattern.

Examples:

• 行くことにした = decided to go
• 勉強することにした = decided to study
• 古いスマホを使うことにした = decided to use an old smartphone

It expresses a decision made by the speaker.

Yes, but the meaning changes slightly.

• 使うことにした = decided to use
• 使うことにする = decide to use / will decide to use / make it a rule to use, depending on context

Here ことにした is more natural because the decision has already been made after hearing the repair news.

So the sequence is:

1. I was told it would not be fixed for a while.
2. Therefore, I decided to use my old smartphone.

古いスマホ means an old smartphone. It simply describes the phone as old.

That could mean:

• an older phone the speaker still has
• a previous phone that is not new

If the speaker wanted to emphasize the previous one, 前のスマホ could also be possible in some contexts. But 古いスマホ focuses on the phone being old, which is natural here.

It is omitted because it is understood from context.

Most likely, the omitted subject is the speaker’s current smartphone, such as:

• スマホがしばらく直らないと言われたので...

Japanese often omits words when they are obvious from the situation. Since the second half talks about using an old smartphone instead, it is easy to understand that the broken phone is the one that will not be repaired soon.

Yes. あいだ is the hiragana writing of 間 in this meaning.

So:

• そのあいだ
• その間

Both mean during that time / in the meantime.

In learner materials, hiragana is often used to make reading easier.

This sentence is actually not in polite です・ます style. It is in plain style:

• 直らない
• 言われた
• した

Japanese often uses plain forms inside a sentence, especially before grammar like:

• と
• ので
• ことにする

Even in polite speech, the clause before と is usually plain:

• 直らないと言われました

So the plain form here is normal and required by the grammar, not rude.

No. Standard Japanese normally does not use spaces like this.

It would usually be written as:

しばらく直らないと言われたので、そのあいだは古いスマホを使うことにした。

Spaces are often added in teaching materials to make the sentence easier for learners to read.