Stories · part 1 — this one time

Open a story and paint the scene vividly.

「あるとき〜」と、情景を描いて物語を語り始められるようになりましょう。

Key English phrases

This one time, I ~
Picture this: ~
I'll set the scene
It started innocently enough

Example conversation

AGot any good travel stories?
BOh, this one time, I got completely lost in Tokyo at 2am.
APicture this for me.
BOkay, set the scene: no phone battery, no Japanese, and the last train gone.
AHow did it start?
BInnocently enough — I just went for a late-night snack!

In context

Everyone needs one go-to story, and this is mine. This one time, I got hopelessly lost in Tokyo at two in the morning. Picture this: dead phone, no Japanese, and the last train long gone. It started innocently enough — I'd just popped out for a late-night snack. Setting the scene properly is half the fun of telling a story; you want your listener right there with you in that empty station. Do you have a go-to story like that?

When to use it · practice

Drew asks for a good story. Open with 'this one time' and set the scene.
Drewが面白い話を求めます。「あるとき〜」で始め、情景を設定しましょう。
Pull Drew into the moment. Set the scene vividly.
Drewをその場に引きこみましょう。情景を生き生きと描きましょう。
Show how ordinary it began. Say it started innocently.
ありふれた始まりを示しましょう。「ごくふつうに始まった」と言いましょう。

Practice this for real

Say these phrases out loud with instant pronunciation feedback tuned for Japanese speakers.

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