Grammar Info

N1 Lesson 2: 18/18

～たはいいがIt's all well and good but...

Structure

Verb［た］+ はいいが
Verb［た］+ の + はいいが

Details

    About ～たはいいが

    ～たはいいが is an expression used to express the idea that 'It is all well and good that (A) happened, but...(something negative)'. It indicates that an action was taken, but a problem has arisen or something has gone wrong subsequently or the speaker is unhappy with how things have turned out.

    It is made up of the plain past tense of any verb, the particle は, the い-Adjective いい, and the conjunctive particle が.

    While grammatically stiff, ～たはいいが can be used in conversation when telling anecdotes or making complaints.

    Fun Fact

    In modern Japanese grammar, the particle は is generally not allowed to attach directly to a verb (usually a nominalizer like の is required).

    This is a fossilized feature. In Classical Japanese, particles could attach directly to the attributive form of verbs. This phrase has survived as a fixed expression, so there is no need for a nominalizer.

    Examples

    --:--

    • ジムに通(かよ)い始(はじ)めたはいいが３日(みっか)で飽(あ)きてしまった。

      It's all well and good that I started going to the gym, but I got bored of it in three days.

      • 晩(ばん)ご飯(はん)を作(つく)ったはいいが大量(たいりょう)に作(つく)りすぎて困(こま)っている。

        It's all well and good that I made dinner, but I made way too much and don't know what to do.

        • 社長(しゃちょう)に褒(ほ)められたはいいが上司(じょうし)から妬(ねた)まれそうだ。

          It's all well and good that I was praised by the company president, but it seems my boss is going to be jealous.

          • 満員(まんいん)電車(でんしゃ)で席(せき)に座(すわ)れたはいいが、降(お)りたい駅(えき)で立(た)ち上(あ)がるのが大変(たいへん)だ。

            It's all well and good that I managed to get a seat on the crowded train, but it's hard to stand up at the station where I want to get off.

            • 脱毛(だつもう)した部分(ぶぶん)から毛(け)が生(は)えてきたはいいが白髪(しらが)しか生(は)えてこない。

              It's all well and good that hair started growing back in the area where I got laser hair removal, but only white hairs are growing.

              • Get more example sentences!

                Premium users get access to 12 example sentences on all Grammar Points.

              Self-Study Sentences

              Study your own way!

              Add sentences and study them alongside Bunpro sentences.

              • Online

                  There are no Online resources listed for 「～たはいいが」.

                  You can . Resources are constantly updated, come back later to see new additions!

                • Offline

                    There are no Offline resources listed for 「～たはいいが」.

                    You can . Resources are constantly updated, come back later to see new additions!

                  • Track Resources!

                    Bunpro tracks all of the resources you’ve visited, and offers relevant bookmarks of physical books to help with offline tracking.

                  ～たはいいが – Grammar Discussion

                  There's currently no discussion for ～たはいいが

                  Start it to ask questions and learn together with other Bunpro users!

                  Start Discussion