1. 実は (jitsu wa: in fact, as a matter of fact, by the way)
実はそれ、本当なんだ。
Jitsu wa sore, hontō nan da.
As a matter of fact, it is true.
本当 (hontō: truth) real, true + fitting
Aha. Halpern says that in this context, 本 means “real, true.” There’s a lot of reality and truth in Japan!
実は、ニュージーランドに勉強しに行くつもりなの。
Jitsu wa, Nyū Jīrando ni benkyō shi ni iku tsumori na no.
Guess what! I’m going to New Zealand to study.
勉強 (benkyō: study) to work diligently + to force
行 (i(ku): to go)
実は、エレンはあなたのことが大好きだったんです。
Jitsu wa, Eren wa anata no koto ga daisuki dattan desu.
The truth is, Ellen liked you a whole lot.
A tragic story consolidated into a seemingly simple sentence! Ellen liked you a whole lot, and you were too pig-headed to realize it. Now you’ve blown it, really blown it. And it’s too late. Ellen’s run off with him and … Sorry, I may be getting carried away. But 実は, I find this sentence strangely evocative!
大好 (daisu(ki): to like very much) big, great + to like
実は私の猫は恥ずかしがり屋なのです。
Jitsu wa watashi no neko wa hazukashigariya na no desu.
The fact is that my cat is shy.
What a confession to make!
私 (watashi: I)
猫 (neko: cat)
恥ずかしがり屋 (hazukashigariya: shy person)
shy + colloquial suffix meaning “person with a
certain idiosyncrasy”If you’re wondering about the がり popping up near the end of 恥ずかしがり屋, here’s the deal:
Let’s start with the adjective 恥ずかしい (hazukashii: shy). To turn this into a verb, lop off the last い and add the suffix -がる. That produces 恥ずかしがる (hazukashigaru: to be shy). Turning −がる into -がり creates an adjectival verb form. Finally, slapping on the suffix -屋 (ya: person with a certain idiosyncrasy) yields a noun … and quite a mouthful!
2. 実のところ (jitsu no tokoro: as a matter of fact; to tell the truth)
実のところ、彼は私の意見に反対である。
Jitsu no tokoro, kare wa watashi no iken ni hantai de aru.
As a matter of fact, he doesn’t agree with me.
彼 (kare: he)
私 (watashi: I)
意見 (iken: opinion) opinion + view
反対 (hantai: opposition, objection, dissension)
to oppose + to oppose
実のところ我々は招待されなかった。
Jitsu no tokoro wareware wa shōtai sarenakatta.
The fact is we were not invited.
我々(wareware: we)
招待 (shōtai: invitation) to invite + to entertain
彼女は実のところ全く信用できない。
Kanojo wa jitsu no tokoro mattaku shinyō dekinai.
In fact, she’s quite unreliable.
彼女 (kanojo: she) he + woman
全 (matta(ku): really, truly)
信用 (shinyō: trust, confidence) to believe + to be effective
実のところ、当時は私は３１歳であった。
Jitsu no tokoro, tōji wa watashi wa 31-sai de atta.
I was, in fact, thirty-one at the time.
当時 (tōji: at that time; in those days) that + time
私 (watashi: I)
歳 (sai: year, age)
