598 - からすると

JLPT N2: からすると (from the viewpoint/standpoint of...)

We use からすると when describing the position from which a judgment is made. That is, we use it when clarifying a certain viewpoint for a certain person.

For example:


車椅子利用者からすると、東京での暮らしは便利とはいえない。
くるまいす りようしゃ からすると、 とうきょう で の くらし は べんり と は いえない。
For a person in a wheelchair, Tokyo is not exactly a convenient place to live.
Literally: “wheelchair + user + からすると, + Tokyo + で + の + living + は + convenient + と + は + cannot say.”

When I first learned this grammar point, I thought of it as "from (から) + do (する) + and/if (と)," and that seemed to work out all right for helping me to understand sentences that it was used in.

In the above example, that would be:

Person in a wheelchair + からすると, + (one) cannot say that living in Tokyo is convenient.
→ Person in a wheelchair + from-do-and/if + (one) cannot say that living in Tokyo is convenient.
→ → For a person in a wheelchair [From the standpoint of a person in a wheelchair], Tokyo is not exactly a convenient place to live.

Make sense?

*You nod head.*

よかったーー!


Cultural Note

One reason that it would suck to live in Japan if you're in a wheelchair is that pretty much every house you visit will have a step up from the 玄関 (げんかん // entryway) into the house. Restaurants occasionally have these too, but I'm guessing they have ramps or something prepared... which you probably can't count on if you're visiting a random person's house.

If you're riding the trains in Tokyo in a wheelchair, a station attendant will set down a ramp for you so you can get into the train, and a different station attendant will be waiting for you at your destination with a ramp to get off, which is pretty cool.



👷 工事 👷

Just put a NOUN in front of it, and you're good to go:

NOUNからすると
from the standpoint of NOUN


Now, I know what you're thinking. This is easy breezy sleazy old guy.

But not so fast.

We can also conjugate する into the conditional -ば form, giving us すれば, like this:


歯の健康保つというからすれば、虫歯がなくても定期的に歯医者に行くべきです。
は の けんこう を たもつ という てん からすれば、 むしば が なくても ていきてき に はいしゃ に いく べき です。
If your goal is maintaining good dental health, then you should visit the dentist regularly, whether or not you have any dental problems.
Literally: “tooth + の + health + を + maintain / preserve + という + point + からすれば, + cavities / tooth decay + が + even if (you) don’t have + regularly / at fixed intervals + dentist + に + should go (=go + べき) + です.”

Speaking of visiting the dentist regularly, I'm pretty sure this is why people don't:




We can also conjugate する to して, giving us からして:


医者の立場からして、インターネットで知識をつけてくる患者は少し面倒だ。
いしゃ の たちば からして、 インターネット で ちしき を つけて くる かんじゃ は すこし めんどう だ。
From the view of a doctor, patients that diagnose themselves based on information they found online are a bit of a hassle.
Literally: “doctor + の + standpoint / position + からして, + the internet + で + knowledge / information + を + add / attach / apply (and) + come + patient + は + a little bit + a hassle / trouble + だ.”


Isn't it cool that the word 立場 (たちば) means, quite literally, "standpoint" (=stand [立] + place [場])?

Am I the only person amazed that different groups of humans thousands of miles apart decided to use the word "standpoint" when referring to the figurative location of a person when considering an issue?

No? Not amazing?


In the next sentence, we take things to the next level with する → して → しても.

So exciting:


マイレージプログラムは頻繁に飛行機に乗る人にとって魅力的なサービスであるが、航空会社のからしても有益である。
マイレージ プログラム は ひんぱん に ひこうき に のる ひと にとって みりょくてき な サービス である が、 こうくうがいしゃ の がわ からしても ゆうえき である。
Mileage programs are very appealing to people that fly frequently, and they’re profitable from the airlines’ perspective as well.
Literally: “Mileage program + は + frequently + airplane + に + ride + person + にとって (=for) + charming / attractive + service + である + が, + airline + の + side + からしても + profitable + である.”


As with the overwhelming majority of our N2 lessons, this grammar isn't all that difficult... maybe. I'm starting to think N4 has the most difficult grammar.

The hard part with N2 is all of this vocabulary, yeah?

So let's, uh... learn it. ^^

Complete and Continue  
Discussion

0 comments