Difficult to say with 〜づらい
Grammar Explanation: Difficult to do with 〜づらい
Takeo feels Rinko is keeping something from him, but can’t figure out what. Makoto and Ai meet with Rinko to confront her about it.
- 愛:
- 「言って! 猛男に言づらいんでしょ? 猛男に言わないから!」
- “Tell me! It's difficultto say to Takeo, right? But I won't tell Takeo!”
- 誠:
- 「絶対言う…」
- “She'll definitely tell him...”
Key Points
- 言いづらい = “difficult to say”
- 〜づらい attaches to the verb stem to express difficulty: Verb stem + づらい → “difficult to [verb]”
- Pattern: 言う → 言い (stem) + づらい → 言いづらい “difficult to say”
- The difficulty here is psychological/emotional (not physical inability)
- Contraction: 言いづらいんでしょ
- んでしょ is casual speech for のでしょう (seeking confirmation: “right?”, “isn’t it?”)
- Full form would be: 猛男に言いづらいのでしょう? → “It’s difficult to say to Takeo, right?”
- This makes Ai’s question more direct and empathetic
- から at the end = reassurance
- 猛男に言わないから is short for 猛男に言わないからね/から大丈夫 “I won’t tell Takeo, so (it’s okay)”
- The から at sentence-end provides a reason/reassurance, with the conclusion left implied
- This pattern shows Ai trying to create a safe space for Rinko to open up