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A2-11 / CEFR A2 / EPISODE 11

Showing Photos

Remembering a trip through photos

SceneLooking back at last month's travel photos.

On a sofa, Frank and Tina look through an album with photos of a temple bell and a boat on a lake.
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STORY English with optional Japanese translations

Narrator

Frank and Tina are looking at photos from a trip last month. They visited a temple and a lake.

フランクとティナは先月の旅行写真を見ている。二人はお寺と湖を訪れた。

Tina01

Look — this is the temple. Last month.

見て——これがお寺。先月ね。

Frank02

The monks were chanting that morning. I remember the bell.

あの朝、お坊さんたちがお経を唱えてた。鐘の音を覚えてる。

Tina03

We made a small donation, and the monk gave us a good-luck charm.

私たち少しお布施をして、お坊さんがお守り札をくれたわね。

Frank04

You tried to give him three flowers in return.

君はお返しに花を3本あげようとしてた。

Tina05

Where I'm from, flowers are a gift! ...And a snack.

私の故郷では、花は贈り物なの！…それとおやつ。

Frank06

And here — the lake. Sunset. The little boat.

それでこれ——湖。夕暮れ。小さなボート。

Tina07

That night I sent my parents the photos. Dad called right away. We talked for an hour.

あの夜、両親に写真を送ったの。お父さんがすぐ電話してきて、1時間も話したわ。

Frank08

Does he call often, even from that far away?

あんなに遠くにいても、よく電話してくれるの？

Tina09

Yes, he always calls. He saw your serious face in this photo and asked, "Did Frank have fun?"

ええ、いつも電話してくれるわ。この写真のあなたの真顔を見て、「フランクは楽しかったのか？」って聞いてたの。

Frank10

I did! It's hard to smile with these stitches. That was my biggest smile.

楽しかったよ！この縫い目があると、笑顔を作るのは難しいんだ。あれが僕の満面の笑みだよ。

WORDS & CONTEXT

Words & context

“in return”

In return means as something given back. Frank recalls that after receiving a good-luck charm, Tina tried to give the monk flowers. Tina's reply that flowers are also a snack where she comes from connects to the setup in A1-11.

“even from that far away”

Even means "still" or "despite," and that far away means so far away. Frank is asking whether Tina's father, back in her distant home, still calls her often. He is not asking about the cost of calls or how calling works.

“I did!” / “That was my biggest smile.”

I did! is a short answer to the father's Did Frank have fun?, standing for I had fun! Stitches here are the stitched seams on Frank's face, and my biggest smile means the widest smile he can manage. This builds on "This is my smile" in A1-09 and on Frank's face not moving easily in A1-18. The punchline is the gap between how he looks and how he feels: in the photo he looks serious, but he was smiling as hard as he could.

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