Deciding Whether to Continue a Hobby | Learn Japanese in English

Sentence explanations

1. 絵画教室を続けたいかどうかわかりません。

   I am not sure whether I want to continue the painting class.

   絵画

   painting

   教室

   class / classroom

   続けたい

   want to continue

   かどうか

   whether or not

   わかりません

   am not sure

   More detail

   絵画 means “painting” here. It is a noun and can also modify another noun in a compound: 絵画教室 means “painting class,” not two separate actions. 教室 means “class” or “classroom.” In 絵画教室, the compound identifies the class’s subject. The following を marks this class as the object of the verb phrase that comes next. 続けたい expresses “want to continue.” Its base verb is 続ける (“to continue”); 続けたい adds the Japanese -たい form to express the subject’s desire. The form is nonpast, so it presents the desire as current rather than placing it in a completed past situation. In this sentence, the intended subject is the speaker, as shown by the translation. Example: 仕事を続けたいです。 — “I want to continue the job.” かどうか turns the preceding proposition into an embedded “whether or not” question. The pattern …かどうか is useful when the speaker is uncertain about the truth of a proposition: 行くかどうか means “whether [someone] will go.” Here, it follows 絵画教室を続けたい and creates “whether I want to continue the painting class.” わかりません is the polite negative form of わかる, “to understand” or “to know.” In this sentence, it means that the speaker cannot determine their own answer, so “I am not sure” is the natural translation. わかりません is polite; the less formal negative form is わからない. Together, 絵画教室を続けたい means “want to continue the painting class,” and 絵画教室を続けたいかどうか means “whether I want to continue the painting class.” Adding わかりません produces the complete meaning: “I am not sure whether I want to continue the painting class.”

2. 興味が薄れてきたのですか。それとも、決まった予定が負担になりすぎていますか。

   Are you losing interest, or is the fixed commitment too much?

   興味

   interest

   薄れてきた

   has been fading

   のですか

   is it that…?

   それとも

   or instead

   決まった

   fixed

   予定

   commitment

   負担

   burden

   なりすぎていますか

   is it too much?

   More detail

   興味 means “interest” here: something a person has in an activity or topic. It is a noun, as in 興味がある (“to be interested”) and 興味を持つ (“to take an interest”). 薄れてきた comes from the intransitive verb 薄れる, “to fade” or “to grow weaker.” The てくる pattern presents a change developing toward the present; with た here, the utterance asks about a change that has occurred and is relevant now. Thus 興味が薄れてきた means that interest has been fading, rather than that someone deliberately made it weaker. のですか is an explanatory question pattern. It turns the preceding statement into a request for confirmation or explanation: 〜のですか is roughly “is it that …?” In this sentence, the implied subject is the person being addressed, as reflected by the fixed translation “Are you losing interest?” それとも introduces the alternative in a question: “or instead.” It contrasts the first possible explanation with the next one; it is not simply an additional “and.” 決まった is the attributive form of 決まる, “to be decided” or “to be fixed.” It describes 予定, so 決まった予定 is a plan or schedule that has already been settled. The past-looking form here marks the settled status of the plan, not necessarily an event that happened in the past. 予定 means a plan, schedule, or planned commitment. In this sentence, together with 決まった, it corresponds to “the fixed commitment” in the translation. A reusable pattern is 予定がある (“to have plans”); 予定を決める instead means “to decide a plan,” with a person actively deciding it. 負担 is a noun meaning a burden or strain. 負担になる means “to become a burden” or “to feel burdensome,” with なる showing a change into that condition. Here 決まった予定 is understood as the thing that may be burdensome. なりすぎていますか is built from なる (“become”), 〜すぎる (“too much”), and ていますか, a question about the current situation or resulting state. 負担になりすぎていますか therefore asks whether something has become too burdensome or is too much. The 〜すぎる pattern can attach to other verb forms too, as in 食べすぎる (“eat too much”); it is not part of the noun 負担. Taken together, 興味が薄れてきたのですか asks whether the addressee’s interest has been fading. それとも presents a second possibility, 決まった予定が負担になりすぎていますか, asking whether the settled commitment has become too burdensome. The whole utterance is therefore: “Are you losing interest, or is the fixed commitment too much?”

3. どちらも少しあります。絵を描くのは好きですが、教室がストレスに感じられます。

   A bit of both. I like painting, but the class feels stressful.

   どちらも

   both

   少し

   a little

   あります

   there is; there are

   絵

   picture; painting

   描く

   draw; paint

   のは

   as for …ing

   好き

   like; be fond of

   ですが

   but; however

   教室

   classroom; class

   ストレス

   stress

   感じられます

   feels; can be felt

   More detail

   どちらも means “both” and refers to the two alternatives already presented in the preceding question. どちら is the “which of two” word, and も adds the sense that both alternatives are included. Here it supports the translation “a bit of both,” rather than identifying either alternative alone. 少し means “a little” or “a small amount.” It can modify an amount, as it does here, and can also modify an action in other sentences. In どちらも少しあります, it indicates that there is a small amount of each side being acknowledged. あります is the polite nonpast form of ある, used for existence or availability of nonliving things and abstract matters. In this sentence, it presents a small amount as existing on both sides; the polite ending ます makes the statement suitable for ordinary polite conversation. ある is generally used for nonliving or abstract things, whereas いる is generally used for people and animals. 絵 means “picture” or “painting.” The appropriate English choice depends on the activity around it: with 描く, it can refer to something drawn or painted. The character itself does not say that the picture is already finished. 描く is the dictionary form meaning “to draw” or “to paint.” Japanese uses this one verb for both activities when producing a picture, so the translation “painting” is supported by the context, even though “draw” is also a possible basic gloss. The pattern 絵を描く means “draw/paint a picture.” Example: 毎日絵を描く。 — “I draw or paint every day.” のは turns the preceding verb phrase into a topic: 絵を描くのは is “as for drawing/painting.” Here の nominalizes 絵を描く, and は marks that activity as the topic for the following evaluation. This pattern is reusable with other verbs, such as 読むのは好きです — “I like reading.” 好き is a な-adjective expressing liking or preference. In this sentence, 絵を描くのは好き means “drawing/painting is liked,” naturally rendered as “I like drawing/painting.” Japanese commonly marks what is liked with が, as in 絵が好きです; the topic pattern here instead uses のは for the activity. 好き is not the verb “like” in Japanese grammar. ですが is the polite connective meaning “but” or “however.” Here it follows 好き, so it connects the polite evaluation 好きです to the contrasting clause. A plain counterpart is だが, but だが is a separate plain-style form, not the base form of the observed word. 教室 means “classroom” and can also be translated as “class” when the context treats the class as the relevant activity or setting. The sentence does not require 教室 to mean only the physical room; the fixed translation supports the broader reading “the class.” ストレス is a loanword meaning “stress.” In ストレスに, に marks the state or characterization into which something is experienced: the class is experienced as stress or as stressful. This is different from using ストレス simply as a noun naming stress in isolation. 感じられます is the polite nonpast form of 感じられる, related to 感じる “to feel.” In this sentence, the fixed translation supports the reading “feels,” so 教室がストレスに感じられます presents the class as being experienced as stressful. 感じられる can have other uses, including a potential reading such as “can be felt,” but that is not the intended reading here. The が after 教室 marks the thing that is experienced, and に marks how it is experienced. Together, どちらも少しあります gives “There is a little of both,” or naturally “A bit of both.” Then 絵を描くのは好きですが says “I like drawing/painting, but,” with the activity made the topic by のは. Finally, 教室がストレスに感じられます says that the class is experienced as stressful. The complete meaning is: “A bit of both. I like painting, but the class feels stressful.”

4. その趣味が、リラックスするものから別の義務に変わったのかもしれません。

   Maybe the hobby changed from relaxing to another obligation.

   その

   that; the

   趣味

   hobby

   リラックスする

   relax

   もの

   thing; something

   別の

   another; different

   義務

   obligation

   変わった

   changed

   かもしれません

   may be; perhaps

   More detail

   その appears before the noun it describes. It is the prenominal form meaning “that” or “the … in question”; here, the fixed translation identifies the referent as the hobby. Its specific grammatical form does not by itself identify a particular distance or gender. 趣味 means “hobby” or “pastime.” It is a noun, so it can be followed by が to mark it as the subject of a description or change. Example: 趣味があります。 — “I have a hobby.” リラックスする means “to relax.” する is the verb “do,” and in this expression it forms the verb “relax.” The form リラックスする is the non-past form, used here inside a phrase describing what the もの is. Example: 音楽を聞いてリラックスする。 — “I relax by listening to music.” もの literally means “thing” and can refer broadly to something characterized by a preceding description. In リラックスするもの, the preceding verb phrase describes something that is relaxing or serves as something for relaxing; it does not mean that もの itself is the verb “relax.” Japanese pattern: Verb + もの, “a thing that …” or “something that …”. 別の means “another” or “different,” and it comes before the noun it modifies. 別 is the “different/separate” part, while の links it to the following noun. Here, 別の義務 means “another obligation,” with 別の describing 義務. 義務 means “obligation” or “duty.” It is a noun. In this utterance, it is presented as the new kind of thing the hobby has become, not as an action performed by the speaker. 変わった is the past form of 変わる, “to change” or “to become different.” The form 変わる is intransitive: the subject changes or becomes something, rather than directly changing an object with this verb. 変わる → 変わった marks a completed change in the past. Example: 予定が変わった。 — “The plan changed.” かもしれません expresses possibility politely: “may …” or “perhaps …”. Attached after the plain-form predicate 変わった, it makes the whole statement tentative: 変わったかもしれません means “may have changed” or “perhaps changed.” It is not a definite assertion that the change occurred. Together, その趣味が marks the hobby as the subject. リラックスするものから sets the starting state, with から meaning “from,” and 別の義務に sets the resulting state, with に marking what something changes into. 変わったかもしれません says that this change may have happened. The whole utterance therefore means: “Maybe the hobby changed from something relaxing into another obligation.”

5. はい、楽しいものというより、別のやるべきことに感じられます。

   Yes, it feels less like fun and more like another task.

   はい

   yes

   楽しい

   fun; enjoyable

   もの

   thing; activity

   というより

   rather than

   別の

   another; different

   やるべきこと

   thing to do; task

   感じられます

   feels; seems

   More detail

   はい is a confirmation meaning “yes.” It can stand alone or confirm what follows. 楽しい means “fun” or “enjoyable” here. It is an い-adjective: the form before a noun is still 楽しい, as in 楽しい時間 (“an enjoyable time”). Its negative form is 楽しくない (“not enjoyable”). In this sentence, it describes もの. もの literally means “thing,” but after a description it can refer more broadly to an activity or experience. Thus 楽しいもの means “something fun” or “a fun activity” here. The form もの should not automatically be translated as a physical object. というより is a reusable comparison pattern meaning “rather than” or “more accurately, ... than ...”. In AというよりB, the speaker presents B as a better description than A. Here, 楽しいものというより introduces “rather than something fun”; the comma then leads to the more accurate description. 別の means “another” or “different” and modifies the noun that follows. It is invariable here; it does not change for number or gender. For example, 別の方法 means “another method.” やるべきこと means “a task” or, more literally, “something that should be done.” やる is the plain form of “do,” and べき follows a verb to express what ought to be done. こと makes the action into a noun-like expression: やるべきこと is “the thing one should do.” The expression does not itself specify who must do it; that depends on context. 感じられます means “feels” or “seems” in this utterance. It comes from 感じる (“to feel”), with られる marking a felt or perceivable impression, followed by the polite nonpast ending ます. This form presents the description as an impression rather than as a direct identification. For example, 難しく感じられます means “It feels difficult.” Together, 楽しいものというより sets up a correction in description: the activity is not being characterized primarily as fun. 別のやるべきこと gives the stronger comparison, “another task” or “another thing that should be done.” With 感じられます, the complete utterance means: “Yes, it feels less like fun and more like another task.”

6. その代わりに、家で気軽に練習する形に切り替えてもよいでしょう。

   You could switch to casual practice at home instead.

   その代わりに

   instead

   家

   home; house

   気軽に

   casually; without pressure

   練習する

   to practice

   形

   form; arrangement

   切り替えて

   switching over; changing to

   てもよいでしょう

   could; it would be all right to

   More detail

   その代わりに means “instead” or “in its place.” 代わり is a noun meaning a replacement or substitute, and に makes the expression function adverbially. Here it presents the proposed practice arrangement as an alternative to the approach discussed earlier. 家 means “home” or “house.” In this sentence, 家で means “at home”: で marks the place where the practice happens. Example: 家で勉強する。 — “I study at home.” 気軽に means doing something without pressure, hesitation, or a heavy sense of obligation. It is the adverbial form of the na-adjective 気軽な; the ending に allows this descriptive word to modify 練習する. Example: 気軽に話してください。 — “Please feel free to talk.” 練習する means “to practice.” 練習 is the noun “practice,” and する turns it into the verb “to practice.” The form shown is the non-past form, which can be used after 気軽に and before 形 to describe the type of arrangement. Example: 毎日発音を練習する。 — “I practice pronunciation every day.” 形 literally means “form” or “shape,” but it can also mean a format or arrangement. In 練習する形, it helps describe an arrangement organized around practicing: roughly, “a format in which one practices.” It does not mean a physical shape here. Example: 短い時間で続ける形にする。 — “I’ll make it an arrangement that continues in short periods.” 切り替えて is the て-form of 切り替える, “to switch over” or “to change to.” The て-form connects this action to もよいでしょう. The pattern Aに切り替える means “switch to A,” while Aに切り替えて links that switch to the following expression. Example: 別の方法に切り替える。 — “I switch to another method.” てもよいでしょう expresses a softened suggestion or permission: Vて + もよい means “it is all right to do V,” and でしょう makes the statement less direct, giving it a tentative “could” or “would probably be all right” tone. Here it presents switching as an acceptable option rather than directly ordering it. Example: 明日始めてもよいでしょう。 — “It would be all right to start tomorrow.” Together, その代わりに introduces an alternative, 家で気軽に練習する形 specifies an at-home, low-pressure practice arrangement, and 切り替えてもよいでしょう presents switching to that arrangement as a gentle possibility. The whole utterance therefore means that one could switch to casual practice at home instead.

7. それなら、決まった予定がなくても、趣味の良さを保てます。

   Then I can keep the benefit without the fixed schedule.

   それなら

   then / in that case

   決まった

   fixed / decided

   予定

   schedule / plan

   なくても

   even without

   趣味

   hobby

   良さ

   goodness / benefit

   保てます

   can maintain

   More detail

   それなら links this sentence to what has just been said and means “then” or “in that case.” なら presents the preceding situation as the condition for the speaker’s conclusion; it is not the main verb of the sentence. 決まった comes from 決まる, “to be decided” or “to be settled.” In this position, its past-looking form modifies the noun after it: 決まった予定 means a schedule that has been set or fixed. The form is not a passive form of another verb. For example, 決まった時間に来てください。 means “Please come at the set time.” 予定 means a plan or schedule. 予定がある means “there is a plan/schedule,” while 予定がない means “there is no plan/schedule.” Here it is the noun controlled by 決まった, giving the idea of a fixed schedule. なくても is built from ない, “not exist / not be present,” followed by も in the pattern 〜なくても, “even if there is no …” or, as here, “even without ….” Thus 決まった予定がなくても says that the result remains possible despite the absence of a fixed schedule. This does not assert a particular number of schedules; it describes their absence. 趣味 means “hobby” or “pastime.” The following の connects it to 良さ, so 趣味の良さ is the goodness, value, or benefit associated with the hobby in this sentence. The exact referent of the hobby is not specified in the sentence. 良さ is a noun formed from the adjective いい (also written 良い) with -さ, which expresses a quality or degree: いい → 良さ, “good” → “goodness/quality.” Here it refers to the hobby’s value or benefit, matching the fixed translation. This is different from using いい directly to describe a noun, as in いい趣味, “a good hobby.” 保てます comes from 保つ, “to maintain” or “keep.” Its potential form is 保てる, “can maintain,” and the polite form in the sentence is 保てます. The omitted subject is understood as “I” from the fixed translation, so the sentence says that the speaker can maintain this benefit; the verb itself does not mark the subject as “I.” For example, この状態を保てます。 means “I can maintain this state.” Together, それなら means “then,” 決まった予定がなくても sets the condition “even without a fixed schedule,” and 趣味の良さを保てます says “I can keep the hobby’s benefit.” The complete intended meaning is: “Then I can keep the benefit without the fixed schedule.”

8. 趣味は、理想の自分だけでなく、今の生活にも合うべきです。

   Hobbies should fit your life, not just your ideal self.

   趣味

   hobby; pastime

   理想

   ideal

   自分

   self

   だけでなく

   not only

   今

   now; current

   生活

   daily life

   にも

   also; even in

   合う

   fit; suit

   べきです

   should

   More detail

   趣味 means “hobby” or “pastime.” It is a noun and can refer to an activity someone does for enjoyment. Example: 趣味は読書です。 — “My hobby is reading.” 理想 means “ideal,” especially an ideal state or model. In 理想の自分, の links it to 自分, giving “one’s ideal self.” 理想 is a noun here, not an adjective inflected for 自分. 自分 means “oneself” or “self.” Its exact referent is understood from the sentence and translation as the person’s own self; the form itself does not specify a separate grammatical gender or number. 自分の時間 can mean “one’s own time.” だけでなく is the reusable pattern “not only A” or “not just A.” It presents A as an insufficiently narrow limit and normally introduces an additional consideration. Pattern: Aだけでなく、Bも… — “not only A, but also B ….” Here A is 理想の自分, “one’s ideal self.” 今 means “now” or “the present.” Before a noun, as in 今の生活, it identifies the current or present version of that noun. 今の生活 therefore means “one’s current life,” not simply “life now” as an isolated time expression. 生活 means “daily life” or “one’s way of living.” It is a noun. Example: 健康的な生活を送りたいです。 — “I want to lead a healthy life.” にも is に plus も. The particle に marks the thing that something fits or suits, while も adds “also” or “as well.” Thus 生活にも合う means “also fit one’s life.” In this sentence, it pairs naturally with だけでなく: the hobby should fit the ideal self and also the current life. 合う is the dictionary form meaning “to fit,” “to suit,” or “to match.” With に, it identifies what something fits: この靴は私の足に合います。 — “These shoes fit my feet.” The form 合う is non-past; in 合うべきです, it is the form used before べきです. べきです expresses that something is considered advisable, proper, or expected: “should.” It follows a verb’s dictionary form, so 合うべきです is literally the pattern “should fit.” The polite ending です makes the statement polite; the recommendation comes from べき, not from です alone. Together, 理想の自分だけでなく sets up “not just one’s ideal self,” and 今の生活にも合うべきです says that the hobby should also suit the person’s current life. With 趣味は marking 趣味 as the topic, the complete meaning is: “Hobbies should fit your life, not just your ideal self.”

9. 絵画教室をいったん休めば、恋しくなるかどうかわかるかもしれません。

   Maybe pausing the class would show whether I miss it.

   絵画教室

   painting class

   休めば

   if one pauses; if one takes a break

   恋しくなる

   come to miss it

   かどうか

   whether

   わかる

   find out

   かもしれません

   may; might

   More detail

   絵画教室 means “painting class.” 教室 can refer to a classroom or a class/course, and here the translation supports the course meaning. 絵画 specifies painting or picture-making. As a noun compound, the first noun identifies the type of the second noun. 休めば is the conditional form of 休む, “to rest” or “to take a break/be absent.” The form 休む → 休めば uses the -ば conditional, so 絵画教室を休めば means “if I take a break from the painting class.” Here を marks the class as the activity being paused; the surrounding meaning supports a temporary pause rather than simply resting physically. Example: 少し休めば、元気になるかもしれません。 — “If I rest a little, I may feel better.” 恋しくなる combines 恋しい, “missed” or “longed for,” with なる, “become.” Thus it describes coming to miss something, rather than merely feeling the emotion at one fixed moment. In this sentence, the thing missed is understood as the class, as reflected by “whether I miss it.” Example: 故郷が恋しくなりました。 — “I came to miss my hometown.” かどうか introduces an embedded yes-or-no issue: “whether or not.” It follows 恋しくなる, producing 恋しくなるかどうか, “whether I will come to miss it.” This is different from a direct question such as 恋しくなりますか — “Will you come to miss it?”; with かどうか, the question is contained inside the larger statement. わかる means “know,” “understand,” or “find out.” Here it means “find out” or “be able to tell” the answer to the embedded question. The pattern [clause]かどうか わかる is reusable for “know/find out whether [clause].” Example: 明日来るかどうかわかりません。 — “I do not know whether they will come tomorrow.” The subject of わかる is not stated explicitly in the Japanese; the fixed translation presents the intended perspective as “I.” かもしれません expresses possibility: “may” or “might.” It is the polite form of かもしれない; the ません here is part of this fixed possibility expression and does not by itself make the whole sentence a simple negative. It follows わかる, so the possibility applies to finding out: “may find out,” not directly to the class’s becoming missed. Together, 絵画教室をいったん休めば sets a condition: “if I temporarily pause the painting class.” 恋しくなるかどうか identifies what is being found out: “whether I will come to miss it.” わかるかもしれません adds uncertainty: “I may find out.” The whole utterance therefore means, “Maybe pausing the class would show whether I miss it.”

10. そのほうが、急にやめたり、自分に無理をさせたりするよりよいです。

    That is better than quitting suddenly or forcing yourself.

    そのほうが

    that option

    急に

    suddenly

    やめたり

    quitting, for example

    自分

    oneself; yourself

    無理

    too much strain

    させたり

    forcing someone to do it, for example

    よりよいです

    is better

    More detail

    そのほうが means “that option” and marks it as the option being evaluated. In the preceding context, it refers to pausing the painting class. その points to something already identified, while ほう presents it as one option or course of action. A reusable pattern is Aのほうがよい (“A is better”); the particle が marks the option receiving the evaluation. 急に means “suddenly” or “abruptly.” It is the adverbial form of 急だ (“be sudden”) and describes how the stopping happens here. For example, 急に雨が降った。 means “It suddenly started raining.” やめたり uses the verb やめる (“stop” or “quit”) in the たり form. やめたり、…たりする lists actions as examples rather than presenting the list as exhaustive: “do things such as quitting … and ….” The form やめた is the past form, and やめたり adds り to that form for this listing pattern. 自分 means “oneself”; in the fixed translation, it is understood as “yourself.” The exact person represented by this word is supplied by the sentence’s perspective, not by the word alone. In 自分に, に marks the person affected by the action. 無理 refers here to excessive strain or something beyond what is reasonable. The useful expression 無理をする means “push oneself too hard” or “overdo it.” In this sentence, 無理 is the thing being imposed in 無理をさせる, rather than a description of a particular noun. させたり comes from させる, the causative form of する. 無理をさせる means “make or cause someone to overdo it”; with 自分に, the person made to overdo it is oneself, giving “force yourself.” As with やめたり, させたり presents this action as another example in the たり list. よりよいです means “is better.” よい is the adjective meaning “good”; よりよい is its comparative form, literally “better,” and です gives the sentence a polite ending. Here より is part of the comparative expression, not the separate comparison pattern AよりB by itself. The sentence evaluates そのほう as better than the two listed courses of action. Together, 急にやめたり、自分に無理をさせたりする means “doing things such as quitting suddenly or forcing yourself.” The ending よりよいです then compares the option in そのほうが with those actions. The whole utterance means: “That option is better than quitting suddenly or forcing yourself.”