Breakdown of sukkari kuraku natte ita node, kaeri wa basu ni notta.
はwa
topic particle
にni
destination particle
なるnaru
to become
のでnode
reason particle
Questions & Answers about sukkari kuraku natte ita node, kaeri wa basu ni notta.
Why is it 暗く and not 暗い before なる?
Because 暗い is an -i adjective, and when an -i adjective is used before なる to mean become ..., it changes to its -ku form.
- 暗い = dark
- 暗くなる = to become dark
So:
- 暗い by itself describes something: It is dark
- 暗くなる means a change: It becomes dark
This is a very common pattern:
- 寒い → 寒くなる = become cold
- 早い → 早くなる = become early / become fast
- 明るい → 明るくなる = become bright
What does すっかり mean here?
すっかり means something like completely, entirely, or thoroughly.
In this sentence, it emphasizes that it was not just a little dark—it had become fully dark.
So:
- 暗くなった = it got dark
- すっかり暗くなった = it got completely dark / it was totally dark by then
It often adds a feeling that a change has been completed.
Other examples:
- すっかり忘れた = I completely forgot
- すっかり元気になった = recovered completely / became totally well
Why does it say なっていた instead of just なった?
