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Furigana Show|Add to ▼ Source Totoeba Project
You have to break an egg to make an omelet.
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Vocabulary list

tamago
noun
  1. eggs; egg; spawn; roe
  2. (hen's) egg (玉子 oft. used in cooking)
  3. (an expert) in the making
  4. beginning; origin; infancy
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wo
particle
  1. indicates direct object of action
  2. indicates subject of causative expression
  3. indicates an area traversed
  4. indicates time (period) over which action takes place
  5. indicates point of departure or separation of action
  6. indicates object of desire, like, hate, etc.
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waru

Provisional Present Indicative Negative Form

waranakereba
godan verb, transitive verb
  1. to divide
  2. to cut; to halve; to separate; to split; to rip
  3. to break; to crack; to smash
  4. to dilute
  5. to fall below
  6. to discount
  7. to step over (a line, etc.)
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omuretsu
noun
  1. omelette; omelet
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ha
particle
  1. topic marker particle (pronounced わ in modern Japanese)
  2. indicates contrast with another option (stated or unstated)
  3. adds emphasis
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tsukuru

Potential Plain Present Indicative Negative Form

tsukurenai
godan verb, transitive verb
  1. to make; to produce; to manufacture; to build; to construct (造る usu. for large-scale building, manufacturing, etc.; 創る usu. for creating)
  2. to prepare (food); to brew (alcohol)
  3. to raise; to grow; to cultivate; to train
  4. to till
  5. to draw up (a document); to make out; to prepare; to write
  6. to create (an artistic work, etc.); to compose
  7. to coin (a phrase); to organize; to organise; to establish; to found
  8. to have (a child)
  9. to make up (one's face, etc.)
  10. to fabricate (an excuse, etc.)
  11. to give a (false) appearance; to feign (a smile, etc.); to put on a show of emotion
  12. to form (a line, etc.)
  13. to set (a record)
  14. to commit (a sin, etc.)
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Comments for this sentence

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Yeah, that is closer

～なければ is a negative conditional form, so literally it would translate to "If you don't break the egg, you can't make an omelette."

Double negatives in the form ~なければ ... ～ない are used more commonly in Japanese than English, and thus are often translated to a positive context in English to sound more natural.

#2 Posted by flint over 1 year ago

Is this literally closer to " You can't make an omelette without breaking an egg?

#1 Posted by Abel over 1 year ago


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