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August 16, 2026

How to use

Designed to help you progress once you’re comfortable with the basics. Use it as supplementary material alongside your studies.

Pick a school grade or JLPT level and do this each day:

  1. Handwrite the passage in a notebook.
  2. Read the passage out loud.
  3. Understand the meaning of the passage (if you need help, check the English translation).
  4. Take note of the grammar points (try understanding them in Japanese first; if you need help, refer to the English translation).
N3高1 · High School 1August 16, 2026

はっぴゃくメートルそうのなつ

こうこうにねんせいのようすけは、りくじょうぶではっぴゃくメートルそうにうちこんでいる。なつやすみちゅうはまいにちれんしゅうしているのに、きろくはなかなかのびない。あせってばかりいると、ぎゃくにからだがかたくなってしまうと、コーチにしてきされた。はしればはしるほどはやくなるわけではないとわかってはいるが、それでもまいあさグラウンドにあしがむいてしまう。きょうのきろくはきのうよりすこしだけよかった。

文法

  • 「〜のに」は、前まえの事柄ことがらから予想よそうされる結果けっかとは逆ぎゃくの、意外いがいな結果けっかや不満ふまんな気持きもちを表あらわす表現ひょうげん。
  • 「〜てばかりいる」は、ある動作どうさや状態じょうたいを何度なんども繰くり返かえして、それ以外いがいのことをしていない様子ようすを表あらわす表現ひょうげんで、批判ひはん的てきな気持きもちを含ふくむことが多おおい。
  • 「〜ば〜ほど」は、同おなじ動詞どうしや形容詞けいようしを条件じょうけん形けいと基本きほん形けいで繰くり返かえすことで、一方いっぽうの程度ていどが増ませば、それに応おうじて他方たほうの程度ていども増ますことを表あらわす表現ひょうげん。
English

A Summer of the 800-Meter Race

Yosuke, a second-year high school student, is devoted to the 800-meter race on his track team. Even though he practices every day during summer break, his time barely improves. His coach pointed out that if he keeps being impatient, his body will only stiffen up instead. He understands that running more doesn't necessarily mean running faster, but even so, his feet carry him to the field every morning. Today's time was just a little better than yesterday's.

  • "~のに" expresses an unexpected or contrary result compared to what would be expected from the preceding statement, often carrying a nuance of dissatisfaction or surprise, meaning 'even though ~'.
  • "~てばかりいる" describes someone repeatedly doing (or staying in) a certain action or state and nothing else, often with a critical or disapproving nuance, meaning 'do nothing but ~' or 'keep on ~ing'.
  • "~ば~ほど" repeats the same verb or adjective in conditional and plain form to express that as the degree of one thing increases, the degree of another correspondingly increases, meaning 'the more ~, the more ~'.
All JLPT N3 paragraphs