hikkosita hi ni suidou ga denakute, sukosi komatta.

Questions & Answers about hikkosita hi ni suidou ga denakute, sukosi komatta.

Why is it 引っ越した日 and not something like 引っ越しの日?

引っ越した日 literally means the day (I) moved.

Here, the plain past form 引っ越した directly modifies the noun . This is a very common Japanese pattern:

  • 食べた人 = the person who ate
  • 行った場所 = the place (someone) went
  • 引っ越した日 = the day (someone) moved

You can also say 引っ越しの日, which means moving day. That version treats 引っ越し as a noun. Both are natural, but they feel slightly different:

  • 引っ越した日 = the day on which I moved
  • 引っ越しの日 = moving day

In this sentence, 引っ越した日 focuses a bit more on the completed action of moving.

How is read here?

In 引っ越した日, is read .

So the phrase is:

  • 引っ越した日ひっこした ひ

This is a common reading when means day in everyday expressions.

Why is there a after ?

The marks a specific point in time.

So:

  • 引っ越した日 = the day I moved
  • 引っ越した日に = on the day I moved

This use of is common with specific times:

  • 月曜日に = on Monday
  • 3時に = at 3 o’clock
  • その日に = on that day

Here it tells you when the problem happened.

What exactly does 水道 mean here?

水道 usually means water supply, running water, or plumbing/water service.

In this sentence, it does not mean just a physical pipe by itself. It refers to the water system in the home. So 水道が出ない means something like:

  • the water wasn’t running
  • the water service wasn’t working
  • no water came out

In English, we might say the water wouldn’t run rather than the water supply didn’t come out, but the Japanese expression is normal.

Why is it 水道が and not 水道を?

Because 水道 is the subject of 出なくて.

The verb 出る is an intransitive verb, so it normally takes , not :

  • 水が出る = water comes out / runs
  • お湯が出る = hot water comes out
  • 涙が出る = tears come out

So in this sentence, 水道が出ない means the water service/running water does not function.

Is 水道が出ない natural? I thought people usually say 水が出ない.

Yes, 水が出ない is probably the most basic and common way to say the water won’t come out.

But 水道が出ない is also used and can sound like:

  • the running water isn’t working
  • the water service is out

So:

  • 水が出ない focuses more directly on the water itself
  • 水道が出ない can focus more on the water system/service

Both are understandable and natural in the right context.

What form is 出なくて?

出なくて is the negative て-form of 出る.

The steps are:

  • 出る = to come out
  • 出ない = does not come out
  • 出なくて = not coming out, and...

This form is often used to connect clauses, especially when the first clause gives a reason or situation that leads to the second clause.

So here:

  • 水道が出なくて、少し困った
  • The water didn’t run, so I was a little troubled.
Why is it 出なくて instead of 出ないで?

This is a very common learner question.

Both forms can be similar, but here 出なくて is the natural choice because it expresses a state/cause that leads to the result.

  • 出なくて、困った = it didn’t come out, so I had trouble

By contrast, 〜ないで often means without doing something:

  • 朝ご飯を食べないで出かけた = I went out without eating breakfast

So 水道が出ないで would sound strange here, because the water is not choosing to avoid coming out. The sentence is talking about a condition causing trouble, so 出なくて fits much better.

Does 出る literally mean to exit here?

Basically yes, but in Japanese 出る is used much more widely than English exit.

Here it means to come out or to run:

  • 水が出る = water comes out / runs
  • お湯が出る = hot water comes out
  • せきが出る = a cough comes out / you cough
  • 結果が出る = results come out

So in this sentence, 出る is the normal verb for water coming from a tap.

What does 少し困った mean exactly?

困った is the past plain form of 困る, which means:

  • to be troubled
  • to have a problem
  • to be bothered
  • to not know what to do

So 少し困った means:

  • I was a little troubled
  • it was a bit of a problem
  • I had a little trouble

It does not necessarily mean a huge disaster. It can be quite mild, especially with 少し.

Why does Japanese use 少し here? Is it just a little?

Yes, 少し means a little or a bit.

It often softens what you say. Japanese speakers frequently understate discomfort or inconvenience. So:

  • 困った = I was troubled / it was a problem
  • 少し困った = I was a little troubled / it was a bit of a problem

In natural English, you might translate the whole sentence as:

  • I had a bit of trouble because the water wasn’t running on the day I moved.
Who is the subject of 困った?

The subject is omitted, but it is understood to be the speaker: I.

Japanese often leaves out subjects when they are clear from context. So the sentence really means something like:

  • (私は) 引っ越した日に水道が出なくて、少し困った。
  • On the day I moved, the water wasn’t running, and I was a little troubled.

The I is not stated because it is obvious.

Is the て-form here just joining two actions, or does it show reason?

Here it mainly shows reason/cause.

  • 水道が出なくて = because the water didn’t run
  • 少し困った = I had a little trouble

So the relationship is not just A and B happened. It is more like:

  • A happened, and because of that, B happened

A natural English translation is:

  • The water wasn’t running, so I had a bit of trouble.
Why is the whole sentence in plain style?

The sentence ends in 困った, not 困りました, so it is plain style.

Plain style is common in:

  • casual conversation
  • diary-style writing
  • storytelling
  • informal written examples

A polite version would be:

  • 引っ越した日に水道が出なくて、少し困りました。

The meaning is the same; only the level of politeness changes.

Could this sentence be translated more naturally than word-for-word English?

Yes. A very literal translation is:

  • On the day I moved, the water didn’t come out, so I was a little troubled.

But more natural English would be:

  • On the day I moved, the water wasn’t running, so I had a bit of trouble.
  • When I moved in, the water didn’t work, which was a bit of a problem.

That sounds more natural in English while keeping the original meaning.

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How do verb conjugations work in Japanese?
Japanese verbs conjugate based on tense, politeness, and mood. For example, the polite present form adds ‑ます to the verb stem, while the past tense uses ‑ました. Unlike English, Japanese verbs don't change based on the subject — the same form works for "I", "you", and "they".

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