A Picture on the Wall

A Picture on the Wall

Once upon a time, there was a man who lived with his wife in a small apartment. They had a large painting in the living room, and it was the only picture they had. They loved it very much.

One morning, the man found that the picture was tilted toward the right a little bit. He fixed the position and made it straight. 

The next morning, he saw that the picture was tilted again toward the same direction. So again, he made it straight. This happened every morning for two or three weeks.

He finally realized that there might be something wrong with his eyes. So he went to see his eye doctor. 

The man explained his problem to the doctor. The doctor said, "Oh, your wife came here this morning and told me the same thing, except that the picture was tilted toward the left."

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壁に掛かった１枚の絵

昔ある所に、小さなアパートに妻と二人暮らしの男がいた。二人とも絵が好きだったが、リビングにある大きな1枚が、所有する唯一の絵だった。二人はその絵を大変気に入っていた。

ある朝、男は、絵が僅かながら右に傾いているのに気がついた。彼は絵を真っ直ぐ水平にした。しかし翌朝見ると、また、絵が同じ向きに傾いていたので、再度、傾きを直した。

その後も、毎朝同じ事が二、三週間も続いた。とうとう、彼は自分の目がおかしいのではないかと思い、近くの眼科医に相談に行った。

彼は医師に事のなり行きを伝えた。彼の訴えを聞いて、医師がこう言った。「あれ、今朝も、あなたの奥さんがここに来て、同じ事をおっしゃってましたよ。でも、絵は左に傾いていたそうですよ。」

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A Picture On The Wall
壁に掛かった１枚の絵

壁（かべ）：a wall, the wall

掛かる (かかる) : to be hung on (verb)

壁に掛かる : to be hung on the wall (verb)

壁に掛かった。: It is hung on the wall. (situation)

１枚（いちまい）：one thing which is thin or flat, for examples: a coin, a sheet, a picture, a dish, etc.

絵 (え) : a drawing, a paint, a picture which you painted (noun, art)

壁に掛かった絵 : a picture (/pictures) on the wall

絵を掛ける（えをかける）：to hang a picture (/pictures) (verb)

壁に絵が掛かっている： A picture is on the wall. Pictures are on the wall.

１枚の絵 : one picture, one drawing, one paint

Once upon a time, there was a man who lived with his wife in a small apartment. 
昔ある所に、小さなアパートに妻と二人暮らしの男がいた。

昔(むかし): a long time ago, many years ago

ある所(あるところ): somewhere, a certain place

昔ある所に: Once upon a time

小さい (ちいさい) : small (adjective)

小さな : small (only before noun)

アパート : an apartment

小さなアパート : a small apartment 

このアパートは小さい。: This apartment is small. (Don't say "このアパートは小さな。")

小さなアパートに : in an small apartment

暮らす (くらす) : to live your daily life (verb)

アパートに(/で)暮らす  : You live in an apartment.

妻 (つま) : wife

妻と暮らす : You live with your wife.

一人 (ひとり) : one person

二人 (ふたり) : two people

暮らし(くらし) : your daily life (noun)

一人暮らし (ひとりぐらし) : a situation when you live alone

二人暮らし (ふたりぐらし) : a situation when two people live together

妻と二人暮らし : a situation when you live with your wife (Two people live together)

小さなアパートに一人暮らし : a situation when you live alone in a small apartment

小さなアパートに妻と二人暮らし : a situation when you and your wife live together in a small apartment

私 (わたし) : I/my/me

私は、一人暮らしです。: I live alone.

私は、妻と二人暮らしです。: I live with my wife.

男 (おとこ) : a man

男がいた。: There was a man.

妻と二人暮らしの男 : a man who lives with his wife (noun clause)

妻と二人暮らしの男がいる。: There is a man who lives with his wife.

昔ある所に、妻と二人暮らしの男がいた。: Once upon a time, there was a man who lived with his wife.

They had a large painting in the living room, and it was the only picture they had. 

二人とも絵が好きだったが、リビングにある大きな1枚が、所有する唯一の絵だった。

二人 (ふたり) : two people 

二人とも : both two people 

絵 (え) : a drawing, a painting, a picture (noun)

好き (すき) : You like it.

絵が好き : You like paintings, drawings, pictures, etc.

二人とも絵が好きである。 : They both love pictures/drawings/paintings.

好きだった。 : You liked it.

二人とも絵が好きだった。 : They both loved pictures/drawings/paintings.

好きだったが、..... : You liked it but .....

二人とも絵が好きだが、..... : They both love pictures, etc. but .......

二人とも絵が好きだったが、..... : They both loved pictures, etc. but .......

リビング: the living room

リビングにある絵 : a picture in the living room

一枚 (いちまい) : one sheet, one coin, one carpet, etc. (something which is flat or thin)

リビングにある1枚 : the one in a living room (something which is flat or thin)

大きな (おおきな) : large (adjective with a following noun)

大きな1枚 : a large one which is flat or thin (picture, coin, sheet of paper, carpet, etc.)

大きな絵 : a large painting, drawing, etc.

所有 (しょゆう): owning something (noun)

所有する : to own something (verb)

唯一 (ゆいいつ) : a situation when something is only one

唯一の絵 : only picture

所有する唯一の絵 : the only picture which you have

所有する唯一の絵である。: It is the only picture you have.

所有する唯一の絵だった。: It was the only picture you had.

リビングにある1枚が、唯一の絵だった。: You had a painting in the living room, and it was the only picture there.

They loved it very much.

二人はその絵を大変気に入っていた。

二人 (ふたり) : two people

絵 (え) : a drawing, a painting, a picture

その絵 : the picture which has already been mentioned

大変 (たいへん) : very much

気 (き) : mind, air

入る (はいる) : to enter (verb)

入っている (はいっている) : You are in it. (current situation)

気に入る (きにいる) : to like something (verb)

気に入っている (きにいっている) : You like it. (current situation)

大変気に入っている : You like it very much.  (current situation)

気に入っていた。: You liked it.  (past situation)

二人は気に入っていた。: They, as two people, liked it.

彼 (かれ) : he/his/him

彼はそれを気に入っている。: He loves it.  It is one of his favorite one.

彼女（かのじょ）：she / her

彼女はそれを気に入っていた。: She loved it.

私（わたし）：I / my/ me

漫画（まんが）：a manga

私はこの漫画が気に入っています。: I love this manga. This is one of my favorite mangas.

お父さん（おとうさん）：dad

彼氏（かれし）：your boy friend

私の彼氏：my boy friend

お父さんは、私の彼氏が気に入らないみたいです。: It seems that my dad doesn't like my boyfriend.

One morning, the man found that the picture was tilted toward the right a little bit. 
ある朝、男は、絵が僅かながら右に傾いているのに気がついた。

朝(あさ) : morning

ある朝 : one morning

男 (おとこ) : a man, the man, male

絵 (え) : a drawing, a painting, a picture

僅か（わずか）: small amount

僅かに / 僅かながら: a little bit, slightly (adverb)

右（みぎ）：right, right side

左（ひだり）：left, left side

右に : to the right

傾く（かたむく）：to tilt (verb)

傾いている（かたむいている）：It is tilted. (current condition/situation)

絵が傾いている: The picture is tilted.

僅かに傾いている: It is tilted a little bit.

僅かながら傾いている。: It is tilted a little bit.

左に傾いている: It is tilted toward the left.

絵が僅かながら傾いている。: The picture is tilted a little bit.

絵が右に傾いている : The picture is tilted toward the right.

絵が僅かながら左に傾いている : The picture is tilted toward the left a little bit.

気 (き) : mind, air

気がつく：to notice, to realize (verb)

彼 (かれ) : he/his/him

気がついた。: You found it. You noticed it. You realized it.

彼は、気がついた。: He found it. He noticed it. He realized it.

ある朝、彼は、気がついた。: One morning, he noticed it.

傾いているのに気がついた。: You found that it was tilted. ("傾いている" may sound like present tense. However, this phrase is past tense as it ends with "気がついた" which is the past tense.)

ある朝、彼は、絵が傾いているのに気がついた。: One morning, he found that the picture was tilted.

He fixed the position and made it straight. 
彼は絵を真っ直ぐ水平にした。

彼 (かれ) : he/his/him

絵 (え) : a picture, a drawing, a painting

真っ直ぐ (まっすぐ) : a situation or condition when something is straight

真っ直ぐな : straight (adjective)

真っ直ぐに : straight (adverb)

真っ直ぐにする: to make something straight, to straighten (verb)

水平 (すいへい) : a situation or condition when something goes toward horizontal direction

垂直 (すいちょく) : a situation or condition when something goes toward vertical direction

水平の / 水平な : horizontal (adjective)

垂直の / 垂直な : vertical (adjective)

水平に : horizontally (adverb)

垂直に : vertically (adverb)

線 (せん) : a line

水平線 (すいへいせん) : a horizontal line

水平にする : to arrange something in a horizontal direction so it will not be tilted (verb)

垂直にする : to arrange something in a vertical direction so it will not be tilted (verb)

彼はした : He did it.

真っ直ぐにした : You made it straight.

水平にした : You made it horizontal.

垂直にした : You made it vertical.


The next morning, he saw that the picture was tilted again toward the same direction. So again, he made it straight. 

しかし翌朝見ると、また、絵が同じ向きに傾いていたので、再度、傾きを直した。

しかし: however

翌日 (よくじつ) : the next day

朝 (あさ) : morning

翌朝 (よくあさ) : the next morning

見る（みる）：to see, to look, to watch, to pay an attention (verb)

それを見ると : if you see it (condition), as you saw it, when you saw it (past event)

しかし翌朝見ると、... : The next morning, you saw it, and/then/but  ......

また : again

絵 (え) : a picture

同じ (おなじ) : same

向き (むき) : the direction

同じ向き : the same direction

同じ向きに : toward the same direction

傾く (かたむく) : to be tilted (verb), to lean toward something (verb)

傾いている (かたむいている) : It is tilted. (current condition)

傾いていた (かたむいていた) : It was tilted. (past condition)

絵が傾いている。 : The picture is tilted. (current condition)

同じ向きに傾いている : It is tilted toward the same direction. (current condition)

また、絵が傾いていた。: The picture was tilted again. (past condition)

同じ向きに傾いていた : It was tilted toward the same direction. (past condition)

ので : so, as a result, therefore (reason, purpose)

傾いていたので : because/as it was tilted (reason)

傾いていたので、.... : It was tilted. So, ......

再度 (さいど): again, one more time

傾き (かたむき): a slant

直す (なおす): to fix, to correct, to adjust, to make something right condition or situation (verb)

直した。: You fixed it. You corrected it.

再度、直した。: You fixed it again.

再度、傾きを直した。: You made it straight again.

This happened every morning for two or three weeks.

その後も、毎朝同じ事が二、三週間も続いた。

後 (あと / ご) : after, later

その後 (そのご) : after that

その後も：before and also after that (The same situation or condition is continuing.)

毎日 (まいにち) : every day

朝 (あさ) : morning

毎朝 (まいあさ) : every morning 

同じ（おなじ）：same

事（こと）：a thing, an event, an issue, the fact, something which you have just mentioned (This part is used to make a noun or noun clause.)

同じ事（おなじこと）：the same thing (noun)

二、三週間 (に、さんしゅうかん) : two or three weeks

二、三週間も : for as long as two or three weeks (You probably felt that it lasted too long or longer than enough.)

続く（つづく）：It continues. It happens again and again. It keeps in the same condition or situation. It lasts.

続いた: It continued. It happened again and again. It kept in the same condition or situation. It lasted.

その後も、同じ事が続いた: The same thing happened again and again after that as it had happened before. 

二、三週間も続いた。: It continued as long as for two or three weeks. It happened again and again for two or three weeks.

二、三日 (にさんにち) : two or three days

二、三年 (にさんねん) : two or three years

二、三秒 (にさんびょう) : two or three seconds

二、三分 (にさんぷん) : two or three minutes

二、三時間 (にさんじかん) : two or three hours

He finally realized that there might be something wrong with his eyes. So he went to see his eye doctor.

とうとう、彼は自分の目がおかしいのではないかと思い、近くの眼科医に相談に行った。

とうとう : finally, in the end, after working hard, after having a hard time

彼（かれ）：he / his / him

自分 (じぶん): oneself, myself/yourself/himself/herself (depends on who you are talking about)

目 (め) : an eye, eyes

自分の目 : one's eye(s), his eyes (in this context)

おかしい: strange, something wrong, not good, not fine, funny, There is a problem.

ではないか: It may/might/could be true. 

思う（おもう）：to think (verb). You think so. You wonder. You believe.

思った。(おもった) : You thought.

とうとう、彼は思った。: He finally thought so.

おかしいのではないかと思った。: You thought that it might be wrong/strange/funny.

彼は自分の目がおかしいのではないかと思った。: He thought that there might be something wrong with his eyes.

彼は自分の目がおかしいのではないかと思い、...... : He thought that there might be something wrong with his eyes and/then/so ......

近く (ちかく): somewhere near to your place

眼科 (がんか) : ophthalmology (noun), the ophthalmology department (noun)

眼科医 (がんかい) : an eye doctor

近くの眼科医 : an eye doctor near to your house

相談 (そうだん) : consulting with someone (noun)

相談する（そうだんする）：to consult with someone (verb)

眼科医に相談する: to talk with an eye doctor about your medical condition (verb)

行く(いく): to go somewhere (verb)

眼科医に相談に行く: to go to see an eye doctor (verb)

行った。(いった) : You went somewhere. You have gone. You left for something.

とうとう、彼は行った。: He finally went there.

彼は眼科医に相談に行った。: He went to see his eye doctor.

とうとう、彼は眼科医に相談に行った。: He finally went to see his eye doctor.

The man explained his problem to the doctor.
彼は医師に事のなり行きを伝えた。

彼 (かれ) : he/his/him

医師（いし）：a doctor

事（こと）：an event, an issue, the matter, something which you have just mentioned

成り行き(なりゆき): the course of events, the result of events, how something has been going on

事のなり行き : what has happened to you, the situation which you have been in (noun clause)

伝える（つたえる）：to tell, to notify, to report, to inform 

伝えた。: You told someone about it.

彼は伝えた。: He told someone about it.

彼は医師に伝えた。: He told his doctor about it.

事のなり行きを伝えた。: You told someone what have been happening to you.

The doctor said, "Oh, your wife came here this morning and told me the same thing, except that the picture was tilted toward the left."

彼の訴えを聞いて、医師がこう言った。「あれ、今朝も、あなたの奥さんがここに来て、同じ事をおっしゃってましたよ。でも、絵は左に傾いていたそうですよ。」

彼 (かれ) : he/his/him

訴え（うったえ）：a compliant

彼の訴え: his compliant (of his eye problem in this context)

聞く（きく）：to hear, to listen (verb)

聞いて、.....(きいて） : You heard it and/then .....

彼の訴えを聞いて、……: You heard his compliant and/then ……

医師 (いし) : a doctor

言う (いう) : to say, to tell (verb)

言った (いった) : You said. You told.

医師が言った : The doctor said.

こう言った : You said this.

医師がこう言った : The doctor said this.

あれっ？：Oh!, Oh no!, Look! (Depends on the context)

今朝 (けさ) : this morning 

あなた : you/your

奥さん (おくさん) : your wife, someone's wife (casual, friendly expression)

あなたの奥さん  : your wife (casual, friendly expression)

来る(くる): Someone comes.

来た（きた）：Someone came. 

来て！(きて！) : Come! Follow me! (casual, spoken expression)

ここ : here

ここに来た：Someone came here.

あなたの奥さんが来た。: Your wife came.

あなたの奥さんがここに来た。: Your wife came here.

あなたの奥さんがここに来て、.... : Your wife came here and/then ......

同じ (おなじ) : same

事 (こと) : an event, an issue, the fact, something which you have just mentioned

同じ事 : the same thing, the same event, the same action, the same issue, the same problem

おっしゃる : Someone says it. (polite, friendly expression)

奥さんが、おっしゃる: You wife says it. (polite, friendly expression)

おっしゃいました: He or she said it.

おっしゃっていました: He or she was saying it. He or she told me.

あなたの奥さんがおっしゃってました : You wife was saying it. Your wife told me.

同じ事をおっしゃってましたよ。: He or She told me the same thing. (casual, spoken expression)

でも : but, however, though, except

絵 (え) : a drawing, a painting, a picture

傾く (かたむく) : to lean toward a certain direction (verb)

絵は傾いている。: The picture is tilted. (current condition)

絵は傾いていた: The picture was tilted. (past condition)

絵は傾いていた。: The picture was tilted.

左に傾いていた。: It was tilted the left.

絵は左に傾いていた。: The picture was tilted the left.

.......そうですよ : Someone told me that ........ I heard that ...... It seems that ......

傾いていたそうです。: Someone told me that it was tilted.

傾いていたそうですよ。: Someone told me that it was tilted. (casual, spoken expression)

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