Grammar Info

N3 Lesson 7: 19/21

言(い)うまでもない ②It goes without saying, It is needless to say, Of course, Obviously

Structure

言(い)うまでもない + こと(1) + だが + Phrase

(Phrase (A)) + 言(い)うまでもなく + Phrase (B)

(Phrase (A)) + 言(い)うまでもない + が(2) + Phrase (B)

(1) の
(2) けれども、けれど、けども、けど

Details

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About 言うまでもない ②

Unlike は言(い)うまでもない, which usually comes after other phrases, 言(い)うまでもない tends to come at the beginning. It is a structure that combines the う - Verb 言(い)う, two (2) adverbial particles まで and も, and the い-Adjective ない. This is regularly translated as 'it goes without saying that (A)', or 'it is needless to say (A)', where (A) is whatever comes later in the sentence.

言(い)うまでもない is often followed directly by ことだが, が, けど, and similar expressions, to add the nuance of 'but'.

Fun Fact

言(い)うまでもない is a polite way to express that something is 'obvious', without unintentionally sounding arrogant.

  • 言(い)うまでもないことだが、お酒(さけ)を飲(の)んで運転(うんてん)をしてはいけない。
    Obviously, you should not drink and drive.

Examples

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    言(い)うまでもないけど、それが恋(こい)だった。

    It goes without saying, but that was love.

    言(い)うまでもなくもうこんなこと知(し)ってるよね。

    It goes without saying that you already know this, right?

    しかし、言(い)うまでもなく、私(わたし)たちはいつものように負(ま)けた。

    However, it goes without saying, we lost just as always.

    言(い)うまでもないことだが、文章(ぶんしょう)を読(よ)みやすくするために、括弧(かっこ)は使(つか)われている。

    It goes without saying that brackets are used to make reading easier.

    さだおさんの妻(つま)のえみさんは英語(えいご)は言(い)うまでもなく、韓国語(かんこくご)も話(はな)せます。

    Sadao-san's wife, Emi-san can speak Korean, not to mention English.

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      言うまでもない ② – Grammar Discussion

      Most Recent Replies (5 in total)

      • EdBunpro

        EdBunpro

        That’s what I initially picked up on too, but was confused how the overall sentences meaning changed. Thanks for the examples!

      • chrischriskurisu

        chrischriskurisu

        Can you help me understand something about the sample sentence いうまでもないけど、それが恋こいだった ?

        Your rules say that if the phrase starts with 言うまでもない directly, then it should be followed by こと/の+だが、

        And yet when I answered 言うまでもないことが、ぞれが恋恋だった？, it was marked wrong.

        Didn’t I follow your rules? Maybe I made a typo?? I hope you can help. Sorry for the trouble.

      • Daru

        Daru

        Hey there!

        It’s mostly because it doesn’t need to use the full structure all the time. It may be followed by ことだが, が, けど, and similar expressions, to add the nuance of ‘but’.

        Adding こと nominalizes what comes before it to further contrast or make a point, as you can see in this sentence:

        言（）うまでもないことだが、毎日（）漢字（）の勉強（）をすれば、どんどん漢字（）を覚（

        ）えることができる。

        It goes without saying that if you practice kanji everyday, you will steadily memorize them.

        The ‘that if you…’ nuance is what こと adds.

        That’s why the answer in that specific sentence needs to be けど.

        Hope this helps!

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