N3 Level

「Learn Japanese」 How-to use ~し (to list things, reasons, contrast, etc.) [part 2 of 2]

How-to use ~し (to list things, reasons, contrast, etc.)
http://learnjapanese.becauseofdreams.com/2018/02/02/how-to-use-%e3%81%97/

Construction:
Plain-Form-VERB + し
Plain-Form-ADJECTIVE + し
Plain-Form-(NOUN/な-ADJECTIVE) + だ + し
*Polite-ます-Form + し is also possible but seldom in comparison

~し is used to list multiple ADJECTIVE, NOUN, and VERB words
~し can also be used to provide reasons for something
For the most part, ~し is not just considered a way to list words but a way to list reasons for something. In a lot of cases, ~し is interchangeable with the the conjunctions から and ので, which are used to provide reasons (i.e. the Japanese equivalents of “because”).

But in comparison, ~し can make the conveying of reasons to come across much softer, to the point where English translations or examples using ~し that don’t provide the entire context of a conversation can seem like they’re not really providing a reason or justification for something at all.

For example:
彼女はかわいいし、よく飯を食うし、性格も明るい。
Kanojo wa kawaii shi, yoku meshi o kuu shi, seikaku mo akarui.
“She’s cute, she knows how to scarf down a meal, she even has a bright personality.”

This can actually be implicative that the speaker is making a case for why the person they’re describing is a good person, an ideal girlfriend, or some other such thing, in which the list of adjectives is acting as the reasons (among many).

To illustrate the idea further:
彼女はかわいいし、性格は明るいし、よく飯を食うし、皆の理想の彼女だ！
“She’s cute, has a bright a personality, and even knows how to devour a meal… She’s the girlfriend of everyone’s dreams!”

Note how the ellipsis enforces the feel of spoken language here, wherein reasons are piled on as if afterthoughts and the final statement of “She’s the girlfriend of everyone’s dreams!” comes off as an almost unnecessary reiteration of a statement already made or already obvious earlier in the conversation.

~しcan also be used in conjunction with から. ~し is similar to から in that it can be included at the end of a follow-up sentence to identify that follow-up sentence as the reason (or even another reason) for the previous statement.

Example(s):
近いから、あのレストランに行こう。クーポンもあるし。
Chikai kara, ano restaurant ni ikou. Coupon mo aru shi.
“It’s close-by, so let’s go to that restaurant. I’ve even got a coupon.”

*Ending a sentence with ~し in this way is another example of how ~し is more so considered a colloquial, verbal grammar pattern. Basically, it can come off as providing an afterthought reason a little late. It is somewhat similar to starting a sentence in English with “because,” which can be considered ungrammatical in written English (if it’s not a complete sentence), but happens all the time in spoken English.

から or ので can also replace the last し in a ~し listing of reasons.
Example(s):
お腹が空いたし、お金もないから、そろそろ帰ろうか？
Onaka ga suita shi, okane mo nai kara, sorosoro kaerouka?
“I’m hungry and we’re out of money, so shall we head back?”

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