Quotes
Japanese meaning of …だがそろそろ自分を信じていい頃だ…
— Coach Anzai ／ SLAM DUNK
Voice sample:
…だがそろそろじぶんをしんじていいころだ… (...Daga sorosoro jibun o shinjite ii koro da...)
English Translation:
...But it's about time you believed in yourself...
Work: SLAM DUNKCharacter: Coach AnzaiEmotion: Love & Kindness Cool & SeriousScene: Encouragement Advice
Original Scene & Cultural Context
Scene in the Original Work:
In SLAM DUNK vol. 26, during the Inter-High second-round game against Sannoh, Coach Anzai says this to Mitsui, who has been struggling with his time away from basketball.
日本語で読む
『SLAM DUNK』26巻、インターハイ2回戦の山王工業戦。バスケから離れていた時間に苦しんできた三井に、安西先生がこう言う。
Cultural Context:
Mitsui had stayed away from basketball for about two years after a knee injury in his first year of high school.
日本語で読む
三井は高校1年のときのひざのけがをきっかけに、約2年間バスケから離れていた。
Grammar & Learning Points
Grammar Point
•「だが」= but. •「そろそろ」= about time, soon. •「〜ていい」= it's OK to ~. •「頃」= the (right) time.
日本語で読む
•「そろそろ」は「もうすぐ、ちょうどよい時期」。•「〜ていい」は許可。•「頃」はおよその時期。
Trap for English Speakers
そろそろ means "soon" or "about time", not "slowly" (that's ゆっくり). 頃 is a rough point in time, as in 子どもの頃 (when I was a child).
日本語で読む
「そろそろ」は「ゆっくり」ではなく「もうすぐ」。「頃」は「子どもの頃」のように、だいたいの時期を表す。
Example
Example 1Basic Example
発表の前に原稿を何度も確認する新人に、上司は「…だがそろそろ自分を信じていい頃だ…」と声をかけた。
To a new employee who kept checking her script before every presentation, her boss said, "...But it's about time you believed in yourself..."
Example 2Applied Example
（健康診断の前日だけ腹筋を始めた父に、母が）…だがそろそろ体重計を信じていい頃だ…
(Mom, to Dad, who started doing sit-ups only the day before his health check) "...But it's about time you believed the scale..."
Quick check
Meaning
What does 「…だがそろそろ自分を信じていい頃だ…」 mean?