Breakdown of wakaranai tokoro ha sukuriinsyotto wo totte, ato de minaosimasu.
Questions & Answers about wakaranai tokoro ha sukuriinsyotto wo totte, ato de minaosimasu.
Why is there no particle between 分からない and ところ?
Because 分からない is modifying ところ directly.
This is a very common Japanese structure: a verb or adjective-like expression comes before a noun and describes it.
- 分からないところ = the part(s) I don’t understand
- literally: not-understand part/place
There is no word like that or which needed here, and no particle goes between them.
Other similar examples:
- 食べたいもの = the thing(s) I want to eat
- 昨日見た映画 = the movie I saw yesterday
- 難しい問題 = a difficult problem
So 分からないところ is just a noun phrase meaning the part I don’t understand.
What does ところ mean here? Does it literally mean place?
Not literally, at least not in the physical sense.
ところ often does mean place, but it also has a wider meaning: part, point, aspect, or bit of something.
In this sentence:
- 分からないところ = the part(s) I don’t understand
For example, if you are reading a textbook, watching a video, or studying notes, ところ refers to the unclear section, not a physical location.
This use is extremely common in Japanese.
Why is は used after ところ?
は marks 分からないところ as the topic of the sentence.
So the structure is:
- 分からないところは = as for the parts I don’t understand...
Then the rest of the sentence says what the speaker does with those parts:
- スクリーンショットを撮って、後で見直します
= I take screenshots of them and review them later.
A helpful way to feel the structure is:
- As for the parts I don’t understand, I screenshot them and look at them again later.
If you used を instead, the sentence would need a different structure, because 分からないところ is not being treated as the main direct object here; it is being introduced as the topic.
Why is を attached to スクリーンショット and not to 分からないところ?
Because the direct object of 撮る is スクリーンショット.
The speaker is not literally taking the unclear part; they are taking a screenshot of it.
So:
- スクリーンショットを撮る = to take a screenshot
Meanwhile:
- 分からないところは = as for the part I don’t understand...
The sentence leaves out some information that is understood from context, something like:
- 分からないところは、(その部分の)スクリーンショットを撮って、後で見直します。
- As for the parts I don’t understand, I take screenshots (of those parts) and review them later.
Japanese often omits things that are obvious from context.
Why is 撮る used for screenshots? Isn’t that verb for photos?
Yes, and that is normal.
In Japanese, 撮る is used for taking photos, videos, and also screenshots.
- 写真を撮る = take a photo
- 動画を撮る = record a video
- スクリーンショットを撮る = take a screenshot
So even though in English we may think of screenshots as something slightly different, Japanese still commonly uses 撮る here.
In casual speech, people also often shorten スクリーンショット to:
- スクショ
So you may hear:
- 分からないところはスクショして、後で見直す
- I screenshot the parts I don’t understand and look over them later.
What is the role of 撮って?
撮って is the て-form of 撮る.
Here it connects two actions in sequence:
- スクリーンショットを撮って = take a screenshot
- 後で見直します = review it later
So the sentence means:
- I take a screenshot, and then I review it later.
The て-form often works like:
- and
- then
- after doing...
In this sentence, it links actions smoothly rather than making two separate sentences.
What does 後で mean here, and why is there a で?
後で means later or afterward.
- 後 = after / later
- 後で = later; at a later time
The で here is part of the fixed expression 後で, which is very commonly used to mean later.
Examples:
- 後で電話します。 = I’ll call later.
- 後でやります。 = I’ll do it later.
You can think of 後で as one chunk to memorize.
Also, 後 can be written:
- 後で
- あとで
Both are common.
What does 見直します mean? Is it just to look?
It is more specific than just look.
見直す usually means:
- look over again
- review
- recheck
- go back and look at again
So in this sentence, the speaker is not just glancing at the screenshot later. They mean they will revisit it to study or confirm it.
Compare:
- 見る = to see / look
- 見直す = to look again / review / recheck
This makes 見直します a very natural choice for study-related situations.
Who is doing the action? There is no I in the sentence.
The subject is omitted, which is very normal in Japanese.
From context, the sentence naturally means:
- I take screenshots of the parts I don’t understand and review them later.
Japanese often leaves out subjects like I, you, or they when they are obvious from context.
So although the sentence has no explicit 私, it is still perfectly natural.
If you wanted to include it, you could say:
- 私は分からないところはスクリーンショットを撮って、後で見直します。
But in many situations, that sounds less natural than simply omitting 私は.
Why is 分からない used instead of 知らない?
Because 分からない means don’t understand, while 知らない means don’t know.
In this sentence, the speaker is talking about a part of something—such as a lesson, explanation, or text—that they do not understand. So 分からない is the right choice.
Compare:
- 分からないところ = the part I don’t understand
- 知らない言葉 = a word I don’t know
If you used 知らないところ, it would usually sound like a place I don’t know or something unfamiliar in a different sense, not an unclear part of a lesson.
Is this sentence polite or casual?
It is polite, because it ends with 見直します.
- 見直します = polite
- 見直す = casual/plain
A casual version would be:
- 分からないところはスクリーンショットを撮って、後で見直す。
Or even more casual and conversational:
- 分からないところはスクショして、後で見直す。
So the original sentence is appropriate in polite conversation, presentations, or when speaking respectfully.
Is it normal to write spaces like this?
No, normally Japanese is written without spaces.
The natural written form is:
- 分からないところはスクリーンショットを撮って、後で見直します。
Spaces are often added only in beginner materials to make the sentence easier to read.
So if you see this in real Japanese text, it will usually appear without spaces.
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