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sensei ni sakubun wo tensakusite moratta ato, onazi matigai wo sinai you ni nooto ni utusimasita.

先生せんせい　に　作文さくぶん　を　添削てんさくして　もらった　あと、　同おなじ　間違まちがい　を　しない　よう　に　ノート　に　写うつしました。sensei ni sakubun wo tensakusite moratta ato, onazi matigai wo sinai you ni nooto ni utusimasita.
After having the teacher correct my composition, I copied it into my notebook so that I would not make the same mistakes.
FromLesson 61inHardcore Japanese

Questions & Answers about sensei ni sakubun wo tensakusite moratta ato, onazi matigai wo sinai you ni nooto ni utusimasita.

Why is もらった used in 添削してもらった?

～てもらう means to receive the favor of someone doing something for you.

So 先生に作文を添削してもらった means:

  • the teacher corrected the essay
  • and the speaker sees that as something done for them

This is different from just saying:

  • 先生が作文を添削した = The teacher corrected the essay.
  • 作文を添削された = The essay was corrected / I was corrected, with a more passive feel.

Using ～てもらう adds the nuance that the speaker benefited from the teacher’s correction.

What does 先生に mean here? Why is it に and not が?

In ～てもらう, the person who does the action is usually marked with に.

So in:

  • 先生に作文を添削してもらった

the roles are:

  • 先生に = by/from the teacher
  • 作文を = the essay
  • 添削してもらった = received the favor of having it corrected

If you used 先生が, that would not fit this grammar pattern naturally.
With ～てもらう, the doer of the helpful action is typically marked by に.

What exactly is the role of 作文を?

作文 means composition / essay, and を marks it as the direct object of 添削する.

So:

  • 作文を添削する = to correct an essay

In the larger sentence:

  • 先生に作文を添削してもらった

    it means:

  • I had/received the teacher’s correction of my essay

So 作文を belongs with 添削してもらった, not with 写しました.

How does あと work in this sentence?

あと means after.

Here it follows a plain past clause:

  • 先生に作文を添削してもらったあと

This means:

  • after I had my essay corrected by the teacher
  • or more naturally, after the teacher corrected my essay

This whole part sets up the time for the main action:

  • ノートに写しました = I copied/wrote it into my notebook.

So the structure is:

Very common pattern:

  • 食べたあと、勉強した。 = After eating, I studied.
  • 見たあと、感想を書いた。 = After watching it, I wrote my thoughts.
Why is it しないように? What does ように mean here?

In this sentence, ～ないように means so as not to... or in order not to...

So:

  • 同じ間違いをしないように

means:

  • so that I wouldn’t make the same mistake again
  • in order not to make the same mistake

This pattern is very common when talking about purpose or intention, especially with avoiding something:

  • 忘れないようにメモする。 = I make a memo so I won’t forget.
  • 遅れないように早く出た。 = I left early so I wouldn’t be late.

So in your sentence, the speaker copied something into a notebook for the purpose of avoiding the same mistake later.

Why is it 間違いをしない instead of something like 間違えない?

Both ideas exist in Japanese, but 間違いをする is a very common expression meaning to make a mistake.

So:

  • 間違いをする = make a mistake
  • 同じ間違いをしない = not make the same mistake

You may also see:

  • 間違えないように = so as not to get it wrong / so as not to make a mistake

But 同じ間違いをしない is very natural and directly parallels English not make the same mistake.

What does 同じ間違い mean exactly? Is it one identical mistake?

同じ間違い literally means the same mistake, but in natural use it often means:

  • the same kind of mistake
  • repeating an error of the same type

It does not always mean one single exact identical error in a narrow sense.
For example, if a teacher corrected the same grammar problem several times, 同じ間違いをしないように can mean so I won’t repeat that kind of mistake.

So the nuance is often broader than just one specific instance.

What is being copied in ノートに写しました?

The verb 写す means to copy, transcribe, or write down from another source.

In this sentence, the direct object is omitted, but from context it is probably something like:

  • the corrected essay
  • the teacher’s corrections
  • the correct forms
  • the parts that had mistakes

So ノートに写しました means:

  • I copied it into my notebook
  • I wrote it down in my notebook

Japanese often omits obvious objects when the context makes them clear.

Why is ノートに marked with に?

Here に marks the destination/location that something is written into.

So:

  • ノートに写す = copy/write it into a notebook
  • 紙に書く = write it on paper
  • 黒板に書く = write it on the blackboard

This に is not the same as the に in 先生に.

They have different functions:

  • 先生に = the person who did the helpful action
  • ノートに = the place/destination where something was copied
  • ように = part of a grammar pattern meaning so that

Japanese uses に for many different roles, so it is important to understand it from the pattern, not translate it the same way every time.

Who is the subject of the sentence? Is it I?

Yes, the implied subject is most naturally I.

Japanese often leaves out the subject when it is obvious from context.
In this sentence, the person who:

  • received the teacher’s correction
  • wanted to avoid making the same mistake
  • copied it into a notebook

is almost certainly the speaker.

So a natural full English understanding is:

  • After my teacher corrected my essay, I copied it into my notebook so I wouldn’t make the same mistake again.

Even though Japanese does not explicitly say 私 here, it is strongly understood.

Why is the sentence in past tense with もらった and 写しました?

Both actions are being described as completed events.

  • 添削してもらった = received correction / had it corrected
  • 写しました = copied it

The sequence is:

  1. the teacher corrected the essay
  2. after that, the speaker copied something into a notebook

So the past tense shows that the whole event already happened.

Also note the mixed style:

  • もらった is plain past
  • 写しました is polite past

This kind of mixing can happen in speech or writing, though in carefully consistent style you might also expect:

  • 添削してもらったあと、…写した。 or
  • 添削してもらったあと、…写しました。

The main clause here ends politely, which is common enough.

Could this sentence be said with 添削してくれた instead of 添削してもらった?

Yes, but the focus changes slightly.

  • 先生が作文を添削してくれた
    = The teacher corrected my essay for me.

This focuses more on the teacher as the person kindly doing the action.

  • 先生に作文を添削してもらった
    = I received the favor of having my essay corrected by the teacher.

This focuses more on the speaker’s side: I got the benefit of that action.

Both can be natural, but ～てもらう is especially common when the speaker talks about receiving help or having someone do something for them.

Is 写しました the same as 書きました?

Not exactly.

  • 書く = to write
  • 写す = to copy / transcribe

So ノートに写しました implies the speaker wrote something down from an original source, such as:

  • the corrected essay
  • the teacher’s notes
  • the correct version

If you said ノートに書きました, it would simply mean I wrote it in my notebook, without clearly showing that it was copied from something else.

Using 写しました is more precise here because the speaker is transferring corrected material into their notebook for study.

What is the overall structure of the sentence?

It breaks down like this:

  • 先生に作文を添削してもらったあと、

    • after I had my essay corrected by the teacher

  • 同じ間違いをしないように

    • so that I would not make the same mistake again

  • ノートに写しました。

    • I copied it into my notebook.

So the full logic is:

  1. teacher corrected essay
  2. speaker wanted to avoid repeating mistakes
  3. speaker copied the corrected material into a notebook

It is a very typical Japanese sentence structure:

  • background/action first
  • purpose next
  • main action at the end

That is why the final verb 写しました is especially important: it completes the whole sentence.

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