How to Say ‘That sounds rough.’ in Japanese
それは大変でしたね。
sore wa taihen deshi ta ne
[soh-reh wah tai-hen DEH-shee tah neh]
🇯🇵 In Japan: This is the go-to sympathetic reply when someone shares a hassle like a delay or packed train. It acknowledges their trouble without needing any further comment.
Phrase Breakdown
それは
sore wa
that (topic)
それ (sore) means 'that'. は is read 'wa'. The Japanese 'r' is a light tap.
それは本です。
That is a book.
Words in this phrase
それ
sore
[soh-reh]
that
Refers to something just mentioned by the other person.
それは魅力的なお話ですね。
That sounds very appealing.
は
wa
[wah]
topic marker
は marks the topic of the sentence.
空席はありますか。
Are there any seats available?
大変でしたね。
taihen deshi ta ne
must have been tough
大変 (taihen) means 'tough' or 'terrible'. でしたね (deshita ne) shows sympathy about the past.
仕事が大変でしたね。
Work was tough, wasn't it?
Words in this phrase
大変
taihen
[tai-hen]
serious, difficult
A state that requires a lot of effort or is dangerous.
大変な作業。
A difficult task.
でし
deshi
[DEH-shee]
was (polite copula stem)
Stem of the polite copula です in its past form, combined with た to make でした.
昨日は雨でした。
It was rainy yesterday.
た
ta
[tah]
past tense ending
This ending completes the polite past tense form.
空席がございまし た。
There were vacant seats.
ね
ne
[neh]
isn't it?; right?
A sentence-ending particle used to seek agreement or add warmth.
すばらしい経験ですね。
That's wonderful experience, isn't it?
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