Grammar Info

N2 Lesson 10: 10/20

だけのことはある

No wonder, Not surprising that, As expected

Do not use with negative results!

Structure

Verb + だけのことある
[い]Adjective + だけのことある
Noun +(だった)+ だけのことある
[な]Adjective + (1) + だけのことある

(1) だった

Details

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About だけのことはある

だけのことはある is a grammar structure consisting of the particle だけ, の, こと, は, and the う-Verb ある. It is used when indicating that something about (A) is 'as expected', or 'not surprising'. As a literal translation, it can be thought that the meaning is close to 'just in that it is (A), (B)', and expresses that simply because (A) is (A), (B) is to be expected.
だけのことはある will often appear with other words that add emphasis to the expectation of (A), such as さすが, やはり, or やっぱり.
This grammar pattern may be seen following verbs, い-Adjectives, な-Adjectives or nouns. な will be required after な-Adjectives.
  • (むすめ)空手(からて)大会(たいかい)優勝(ゆうしょう)した。さすがに1年間(ねんかん)毎日(まいにち)稽古(けいこ)()っていただけのことはある
    My daughter won a karate competition. As expected, she has been going to practice every day for a year.
  • 田中(たなか)くんは体力(たいりょく)もあるし(うごき)きもテキパキしている。やっぱり(わか)だけのことはあるな。
    As expected from someone as young as Tanaka-kun, he is physically strong and moves quickly.
  • あのホテルのサービスはとても()かったし、朝食(ちょうしょく)夕食(ゆうしょく)もものすごく美味(おい)しかった。やっぱり有名(ゆうめい)だけのことはある
    The service at that hotel was very good and the breakfast and dinner were extremely delicious. As expected from how famous that place is.
  • 高橋(たかはし)先生(せんせい)()漢字(かんじ)はものすごく綺麗(きれい)だ。さすが習字(しゅうじ)先生(せんせい)だけのことはある
    Takahashi-sensei's kanji writing is extremely beautiful. As expected from a calligraphy teacher.
In the case of nouns and な-Adjectives, it is also possible to see だっただけのことはある when highlighting that some particular result is not surprising.
  • あの政治家(せいじか)はとても信頼(しんらい)されている。さすが(むかし)から正直(しょうじき)だっただけのことはある
    As expected from a politician that has been honest for years, he is very trusted.
  • 鈴木(すずき)さんは60(さい)なのにムキムキだ。(むかし)ボクサーだっただけのことはある
    As expected from someone who used to be a boxer, Suzuki-san is very muscular even though he is 60 years old.
Caution - だけのことはある is not used to indicate negative expectations, so will only appear when the overall sentence is a positive evaluation of what was expected of (A).
  • (むすめ)試験(しけん)合格(ごうかく)できなかった。馬鹿(ばか)だけのことはある
    As expected from an idiot, my daughter failed the exam. (Unnatural Japanese)

Examples

  • 息子(むすこ)昨日(きのう)試験(しけん)結果(けっか)発表(はっぴょう)があり合格(ごうかく)した。さすがに()(げつ)勉強(べんきょう)しているだけのことはある

    The exam results were announced yesterday and my son passed.
    As expected, he didn't study two months for nothing.

  • 片岡(かたおか)さん英語(えいご)でペラペラ(はな)している。(すう)年間(ねんかん)アメリカ留学(りゅうがく)してきただけのことはある

    Kataoka-san is speaking English fluently.
    No wonder, he studied abroad in the United States for several years.

  • メアリーさんはカーリングで(きん)メダルを()った。
    やはり子供(こども)のころから練習(れんしゅう)していただけのことはある

    Mary won a gold medal in Curling.
    No wonder, she has been practicing from childhood.

  • しっかり休養(きゅうよう)しただけのことはある。かなり元気(げんき)になった。

    As expected from taking a solid break, I have become considerably more energetic.

  • 開幕(かいまく)から8連勝(れんしょう)だ。戦力(せんりょく)強化(きょうか)しただけのことはある

    From the opening, he has had 8 straight victories. As expected from reinforcing his fighting ability.

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だけのことはある – Grammar Discussion

Most Recent Replies (3 in total)

  • wrt7MameLZE33wlmpCAV

    wrt7MameLZE33wlmpCAV

    About 1 year ago

    imabi.net provides an addtiional translation for this on the こと Expressions page (under the ~だけ(のこと)heading): “it is worth (it to),” or, “it was worth it.” I actually stubbed my toe on a question where 甲斐がある was expected and I answered だけのことはある because of having previously studied this point on imabi.net.

    What I’m wondering if whether that’s an incorrect translation of だけのことはある?

  • Fuga

    Fuga

    About 1 year ago

    Hey @wrt7MameLZE33wlmpCAV !

    That translation doesn’t seem to be wrong, but I wouldn’t say ‘it is worth (it to)’ is another translation for it. It is more of the nuance it has on top of the translation ‘As expected’.

    For example, 公表した甲斐がある。続々問い合わせがある。, would translate as ‘It was worth making an official announcement, inquiries have come one after another.’ However, 公表しただけのことはある。続々問い合わせがある。translates as ’ As expected from making an official announcement, inquiries have come one after another’ with the nuance of ’ As expected, it was worth making an official announcement, inquiries have come one after another.’

    We hope that answers your question!

  • dokidokiwakuwaku

    dokidokiwakuwaku

    About 9 months ago

    What is the difference in usage between this point and だけあって? Is it only that だけあって links two clauses and だけのことはある can end a sentence? Thanks!

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