Lesson #26: 気持ちを切り替えてやってみようよ (Kimochi o kirikaete yatte miyō yo)

Cheering up a koohai who is feeling down

English Title: Cheering up a koohai who is feeling down

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Role-play Setup

You’re a mechanic at an auto repair shop. Your koohai has just been reprimanded by your supervisor for changing the order of car repairs without permission. After the supervisor leaves, you notice your koohai looking dejected and want to cheer him up by sharing your own similar experiences.

Full Script & Explanation

The Reprimand

Supervisor

整備する車の順番は守ってください。
Seibi suru kuruma no junban wa mamotte kudasai.
Please fix the cars in the right order.

A superior needs to give clear instructions about how to perform work, including instructions about the right order in which to perform tasks. In this case, the speaker is using 「守ってください」, a direct order, to give very clear (and strict) instructions. She is letting the listener know not to make decisions on their own, and to follow the rules that are in place.

Supervisor

今回は手伝ってもらったからよかったけど、次回からは一人で納期に間に合うようにやってくださいね。
Konkai wa tetsudatte moratta kara yokatta kedo, jikai kara wa hitori de nōki ni ma ni au yō ni yatte kudasai ne.
This time, you had help. But next time, you’ll be on your own. So keep your deadlines.

It seems like there was a risk of missing a deadline. The phrase「～てもらったからよかったけど」shows that the listener had help from other people this time, which ended up saving the day. However, if he hadn’t had this help, things might not have turned out so well. It’s important for a company to protect its deadlines. The order in which work is done is decided in a way that allows the company to meet its deadlines. So, it’s important to stick to that order.

Koohai (Wada)

はい…。
Hai…
Understood.

The speaker is responding, but it’s clear he can’t yet accept his mistake.

Reaching Out

You (Senpai)

お疲れ様、何かあったの？
Otsukaresama, nanika atta no?
Hey. Did something happen?

The speaker notices that his koohai is feeling down, and reaches out to him. The question「何かあったの？」uses「の？」instead「んですか」to be more casual. Questions like「何があったの」「どうしたの？」are a direct way to ask what happened. In contrast,「何かあったの？」is more indirect. This question doesn’t explicitly imply that there was a problem, so it’s a kinder way to ask about the situation.

Koohai (Wada)

いや、別に、何でもないです。
Iya, betsu ni, nandemo nai desu.
Oh, no. Nothing, really…

It seems clear that the speaker still hasn’t processed his own emotions, or at least that he’d rather not talk about things right now.

You (Senpai)

よかったら、聞くよ。
Yokattara, kiku yo.
I’ll listen if you want.

This phrase starts off with「よかったら」. This means「無理に話す必要はないけれど、話したかったら話して」(You don’t have to talk about it, but I’ll listen if you would like.) and shows consideration of the listener’s feelings. It doesn’t seem that the listener is ready to speak yet, so this sentence hopefully will soften his resolve. It’s a kind way for the speaker to let the listener know that he is here for him.

You (Senpai)

話してみたら？
Hanashite mitara?
Why don’t you talk about it?

The phrase「話してみたら？」is a shortened version of「話してみたら（どうですか。）」. The conjugation「～てみたら」uses～てみる, or “to try something.” Rather than directly commanding with「話してよ」or「話せよ」, 「話してみたら？」is a casual suggestion that invites the listener to speak.

Opening Up

Koohai (Wada)

実は… 車の整備の順番を、自分の判断で変えてしまったんです。
Jitsu wa… kuruma no seibi no junban o, jibun no handan de kaete shimatta n desu.
Well… I changed the order of the repairs on my own.

The phrase「実は」can be used in a variety of ways. In this case, it’s being used to preface an unpleasant new topic, and to explain the situation. The conjugation「～てしまった」shows the speaker’s feelings of regret. We can understand that the speaker regrets his decision to change the order of the repairs.

Koohai (Wada)

そのほうが早く終わると思ったんですよね…。
Sono hō ga hayaku owaru to omotta n desu yo ne…
I thought my way would be faster.

The phrase「そのほう」means the speaker’s way. The speaker is explaining why he made the decision to change the order. It seems he thought that he would finish faster by doing it his way.

You (Senpai)

あぁ、そうだったんだ。
Ā, sō datta n da.
I see.

This phrase allows the speaker to let the listener know that he has understood him, and that he is taking in the information.

Sharing Experience

You (Senpai)

僕もはじめは、マイペースに仕事をしすぎて、怒られてばかりだったよ。
Boku mo hajime wa, maipēsu ni shigoto o shisugite, okorarete bakari datta yo.
When I first started, I worked too slowly, and I got scolded a lot.

The speaker is sharing his similar experience as a newer employee. The phrase マイペース is a 和製英語 (Japanified English phrase) coming from the English “my pace.” It means to do something slowly, without much regard for others. The 「すぎて」in 「マイペースに仕事をしすぎて」is used to emphasize that the speaker worked too slowly. The phrase「～てばかり」means that the same sort of situation kept repeating itself. The phrase「～てばかり」can be used in phrases like「失敗してばかり」(just keep failing)「注意されてばかり」(just keep getting scolded)「わからないことばかり」(many things I didn’t understand). The speaker is sharing that he, too, has found himself in similar situations.

You (Senpai)

段々、ペースも身に付いてくるよ。
Dandan, pēsu mo mi ni tsuite kuru yo.
Over time, you’ll find the right speed.

The phrase「身に付く」means 「できるようになる」. It can be seen in phrases like「仕事が身に付く」(learning how to do one’s job)「日本語が身に付く」(learning Japanese). The word「段々」means 少しずつ or 徐々に (gradually). The speaker is empathizing with the listener, and letting him know that he will eventually figure out the right speed for this job over time, and not to worry.

Koohai (Wada)

そんなもんですかね…。
Sonna mon desu ka ne…
I guess so.

This phrase is a form of「そのようなものでしょうか」. Although the speaker is still not fully convinced, he’s letting his senpai know that he has understood what he is trying to say: that he will figure out the right pacing over time. The phrase「そのようなもの＝そんなもん」means「それが普通・一般的、よくあること」. The particle「ね」in「かね」shows that the speaker is confirming. A similar construction is「かな」. The phrases「そうかな」and「そんなもんかな」can be used in a similar way, but 「かな」is generally used when one isn’t actually looking for an answer (perhaps when talking to oneself).

KEY PHRASE

You (Senpai)

うまくいかないこともあるよ。気持ちを切り替えてやってみようよ。
Umaku ikanai koto mo aru yo. Kimochi o kirikaete yatte miyō yo.
Sometimes things don’t go right. Cheer up, and let’s move on.

The speaker is trying to cheer up his koohai by saying to not worry, and that these things happen. The particle「よ」is used at the end of these sentences, so it’s easy to tell that the speaker is trying to cheer the listener up. Rather than dwelling on it, the speaker is urging the listener to cheer up and think about the future, and to move on. The word「切り替える」can be used in many other phrases beside「気持ちを切り替える」(change one’s mood), like 「ハンコから署名に切り替える」(transitioning from hanko to signatures)「やり方を切り替える」(changing the way of doing something).

Koohai (Wada)

はい、ありがとうございます。
Hai, arigatō gozaimasu.
Okay. Thank you.

Koohai (Wada)

がんばります！
Ganbarimasu!
I’ll do my best!

This phrase shows that the speaker is ready to move on, and ready to get back to work.

Vocabulary

整備 (seibi) - maintenance
整備 means maintenance. It can refer to tasks like repairing cars, exchanging parts, or doing inspections. By doing these things, a car may be ready to drive again, or perhaps even as good as new. The word 整理 is similar, but this word means to put something in order or organize.
Example: 整備士 (maintenance technician)
Example: 整備済み (done with maintenance)
Example: 車両の整備 (repairing a car)

がんばります (ganbarimasu) - I’ll do my best
The word「がんばります/ がんばる」is commonly used in Japanese. It means to do one’s best, or to put in effort. The phrase「がんばってね」(Do your best), though meant positively, may end up causing pressure depending on the situation. For people who are already doing their best, it may be a hard phrase to hear; how can you try harder when you’re already trying your hardest? Instead, try「一緒にがんばりましょう」 to show that the listener isn’t alone, and that you are in it with them.
Example: 病気の人にがんばってと言わないほうがいい。(It’s better not to say がんばって to people who are ill.)
Example: 会社の運動会でリレーの選手に「がんばって」と大声で叫んだ。(At the company field day, we all yelled「がんばって」 to the relay runners.)

Cultural Notes

Supporting Koohai in Japanese Workplace

In Japanese workplace culture, the senpai-koohai relationship is important:

  1. Senpai responsibility - Senior workers are expected to mentor and support junior colleagues
  2. Sharing experiences - Talking about your own mistakes helps normalize the koohai’s experience
  3. Indirect encouragement - Rather than direct criticism, offer perspective and encouragement
  4. Building resilience - Help koohai understand that mistakes are part of learning

The Concept of “Ganbare”

While「がんばって」(do your best) is commonly used, be careful:

Grammar Points

Using「～てばかり」to Express Repetition

Pattern: Verb te-form + ばかり

This pattern indicates that the same thing keeps happening repeatedly.

Examples:

Using「～すぎる」to Express Excess

Pattern: Verb stem + すぎる

This pattern means “too much” or “excessively.”

Examples:

Using「身に付く」

This phrase means to acquire a skill or ability through practice.

Examples:

Tips from this Dialogue

How to Comfort a Troubled Colleague

  1. Notice - Pay attention to coworkers’ emotional states
  2. Invite - Offer to listen without pressuring:「よかったら、聞くよ」
  3. Empathize - Share similar experiences to normalize their feelings
  4. Encourage - Help them look forward:「気持ちを切り替えて」
  5. Support - Show you believe in them

The Importance of Work Pace

Japanese workplaces value:

Keego (Polite Language)

見る (miru) - to see/watch
Polite/Respectful Forms:

Kanji

写 - copy, photograph
Reading: しゃ (sha), うつ (utsu)
Example: 写真 (shashin - photo), 複写 (fukusha - copy), 写す (utsusu - to copy)

Source

Based on NHK WORLD-JAPAN’s “Easy Japanese for Work” Lesson #26
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/tv/easyjapaneseforwork/skit26.html