2級 Grammar 16-20

This is the last of the grammar that I've already learned. After today, it'll come slower, and it'll be newer to me, so it'll probably make less sense.

16) かけだ　・　かけの　・　けける
unfinished...

Used to talk about something that has been begun, but not yet completed. A 食べかけの bento is one that someone has started to eat, but not yet finished.

Ex: 明日の予定は忘れかけていた。

17) がたい
hard to...
difficult to...
cannot be...

This is attached most often in the following ways: 理解しがたい、想像しがたい、信じがたい、表しがたい、耐えがたい、許しがたい、得がたい, so you can see that it's used mostly for abstract concepts and not like, "Man, tying my shoe is really difficult when I have gloves on." It's more like, "It's really difficult for me to understand why you've been trying to tie your shoes with gloves on for the last ten minutes."

Ex: あの二人はいつも喧嘩しているから、なんでつきあっているか理解しがたい。

18)　がちだ　・　がちの
is always...
is often...
tends to...

Make a note about my translation as "is always..." I don't mean it in the literal sense, but rather in the hyperbolic, "That dude is ALWAYS getting sick," sense because... that's what がちだ　means. Again, as is so often the case with Japanese constructions or Yo-ji-juku-go, even, it's mainly intended for negative usage.

Ex: 日本に始めて来て、日本語で喋ろうとしたけど、間違えがちだった。

19)　かと思うと　・　かと思ったら　・　と思うと　・　と思ったら
before you know it...
at almost exactly the same time...
あっという間に。。。(although, I'm getting some flack from Yuri over this definition. She says they're like the same meaning, but you wouldn't replace one with another. Except that when we looked at the examples in my book, she agrees that all of the と思ったらs could be restated using あっという間に. I'm still posting it 'cause it helps me understand the construction conceptually... but be warned: Japanese girlfriends may balk.)

This one is used when saying "As soon as A happens, along comes B," and it expresses the speaker's surprise over the fact that B comes. It's most often appropriate when A and B are opposites.
It had just started raining when the clouds went away and the sun came out, とか。。。

Ex: 彼女が僕に怒ったかと思うと、すぐ許してくれた。

QUESTION FOR THE NIRAV: Why and how do you know when to use か at the beginning?

20) か～かないかのうちに
as soon as...
right after...

This one is also defined as "at almost exactly the same time" but it doesn't express any subjective suprise. It's just objective order. As soon as the light turned green, I hit the gas.

Ex: 私は、早起きがすごい苦手です。毎朝、アラームがなっても、ずっとずっと、ふとんの中にいます。お兄さんは逆です。目が覚めるか覚めないかのうちに立ち上がります。