Grammar Info

N3 Lesson 9: 9/22

掛(か)けHalf-, Not yet finished, About to, Begin to

Structure

Verb［ます］+ かけだ
Verb［ます］+ かける
Verb［ます］+ かけの + Noun

Details

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About かけ

Being an unofficial helper verb, かけ is what is known as a 造語(ぞうご) (neologism), and carries one specific meaning when used in conjunction with other words. This is similar to 向(む)け. かけ comes from the verb 掛(か)ける 'to suspend', and may be attached to the conjunctive form or other verbs, in order to convey that they are 'unfinished'. Usually this translates as 'half (A)', 'about to (A)', or 'not yet finished (A)'.

かけ behaves like a noun, so may be followed by the case marking particle の when attached directly to another noun, or by だ when at the end of a sentence.

Occasionally, the verb 掛(か)ける itself may be used instead of the noun form, かけ.

Fun Fact

As the literal meaning of 掛(か)ける is 'to suspend', it expresses that something is stuck somewhere in the process of happening. This is similar to taking a photo of someone that is jumping. In the photo it will look like they are 'suspended', but that is only because one particular moment has been captured, somewhere between the start and the finish. かけ conveys exactly the same meaning, and therefore may be interpreted differently, depending on the verb it is paired with.

With verbs that express a momentary action (something that cannot be 'half' done), かけ will convey that the action was 'on the verge of' happening.

  • 先週(せんしゅう)の事故(じこ)で死(し)にかけそうになった。
    I was on the verge of dying in an accident last week.
  • 壊(こわ)れかけていた椅子(いす)に座(すわ)ったら、椅子(いす)が壊(こわ)れた。
    When I sat on a chair that was on the verge of breaking, it broke.

However, with verbs that are ongoing actions, かけ will simply imply that they are 'in the process' of being done.

  • 終(お)わりかけだからちょっと待(ま)って。
    I'm in the process of finishing, so can you wait a little.

Examples

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    食(た)べ掛(か)けのケーキでも良(よ)ければありますよ。

    I have some half-eaten cake, if you would like.

    描(か)き掛(か)けの絵(え)を早(はや)く完成(かんせい)させたい。

    I want to finish this half-drawn picture quickly.

    この時計(とけい)壊(こわ)れ掛(か)けだけど、ないよりはいいか。

    This watch is half-broken, but is still better than nothing.

    忘(わす)れ掛(か)けていた思(おも)い出(で)が急(きゅう)に蘇(よみがえ)った。

    The half-forgotten memory suddenly came back.

    交通(こうつう)事故(じこ)で危(あや)うく死(し)に掛(か)けた。

    I nearly died in the car accident. (half-dead)

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かけ – Grammar Discussion

Most Recent Replies (7 in total)

  • Fuga

    Fuga

    Hey @testing !

    The only way you can really spot that it is not the usual meaning of making other people do it is usually by looking at the context. For example, for sentences like, 描きかけの絵を早く完成させたい, you can assume that it is used with the nuance of ‘making myself do something’, because of the たい at the end of the sentence. Also, words like 終わらせる and 完成させる are often used when the speaker wants to make themselves finish/complete something, and not used when the speaker wants to make another person finish or complete something. So, yes, it is one of those ‘Japanese is weird sometimes’ kind of thing.

    I hope that helps!

  • electrosuccess

    electrosuccess

    Hello, I’ve got a question about the sentence:

    私わたしは、何冊なんさつも読よみ掛かけの本ほんがある。(読よむ)

    I have a lot of books that are half-read.

    Wouldn’t 読み掛けた本 be correct here? It’s not accepted as a correct answer.

  • Fuga

    Fuga

    Hey @electrosuccess !

    Since your answer could work, we have added a hint for it!

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