Home
Back

Dear visitor, if you know the answer to this question, please post it. Thank you!

Note that this thread has not been updated in a long time, and its content might not be up-to-date anymore.

understanding dialogue 2020/12/27 20:09
There's this piece of dialogue that I just can't understand:

"They kill people with no hesitation! こんな目にあわされて。。。It's no use!"

What is that part in the middle supposed to mean? Does it mean something like "you see it with your own eyes"? If it just mean to make eye contact, then it doesn't make sense at all.

Context: A witnesses someone being killed, attempts to negotiate, was told this by B.

Thanks in advance!
by Commando (guest)  

Re: Need help understanding dialogue 2020/12/28 11:23
こんな目 is a phrase of such a (miserable) situation (condition, experience, occasion, etc.).
it uses as こんな目にあう.
other similar words are 痛い目にあう、つらい目にあう, 悲しい目にあう、etc.
by ken (guest) rate this post as useful

Re: Need help understanding dialogue 2020/12/28 11:26
While me/目 literally means "eye," it can also be used to mean "situation," and 「〜前にあう」means "to have/encounter a 〜 situation."

So given the context of the dialogue, 「こんな目にあわされて...」 would mean "To be put into such a situation...," Since we're talking about people being killed, a more natural-sounding translation would be "To have such a horrible thing done to them..."
by . . . . (guest) rate this post as useful

reply to this thread