私の友達にあまり勉強しないのに...

[eeky]

Hi, this is a sequence of five consecutive sentences which I'll take one at a time.


1. 私の友達にあまり勉強しないのにいい点を取る人がいる 。

My translation: "My friend is someone who gets good marks even though he doesn't study much."

Here I don't understand the use of に in 私の友達に.


2. いつも試験に出そうなところを予想して、そこだけ勉強 する。

My translation: "Whenever he predicts that it's time for a test to be set, that's the only time he studies"

a) Here I don't understand the use of に in 試験に出そうな.

b) I'm assuming that そこ refers to a time. Is that correct?


3. そして、その予想が本当によく当たるのだ。

My translation: "Then, that prediction often turns out right."

OK? No specific questions here...


4. 前回のテストでも、そんなところは出ないだろうと思っ ていたら、本当にそこが出たので驚いた。

My translation: "Last time we had a test, I/he was surprised because I/he thought there wasn't going to be one, but one was actually set."

a) Is the subject of the verbs the speaker or the speaker's friend? The continuity doesn't seem great with the latter, but I'm really not sure...

b) What does でも mean here?

c) What is the subject of 出ない? Is it 前回のテスト?

d) In そこが出た, does そこ refer to 前回のテスト?


5. 運がいいだけかもしれないが、私とは全く反対だ。

My translation: "Maybe it's just (his) good luck, but he's the exact opposite of me."

"opposite" in what sense? Because the writer's friend gets his predictions right but the writer doesn't?

 

[Toritoribe]

1)
私の友達の中に

2) a)
a part that seems to be on a test

b)
ところ/そこ refers to "place", or more likely "part" in this case, as in my trasnlation above. (Probably this is the key point of the vagueness of the sentences?)

3)
Yes.

4) a)
It's the speaker. 思っていた and 驚いた usually can be used only for first person.

b)
で + も(too/also)

c)
そんなところ

d)
そんなところ

5)
It could be so. Another interpretation is "I study hard but can't get good marks".

 

[eeky]

Hi Toritoribe, thanks for your reply. I'm still struggling with some of these; could you help me a little further?

1)
私の友達の中に

So, is it "Amongst my friends there is a person who..."?

a)
a part that seems to be on a test
b)
ところ/そこ refers to "place", or more likely "part" in this case, as in my trasnlation above. (Probably this is the key point of the vagueness of the sentences?)

Sorry, I don't understand this at all. What does "part" or "place" refer to?

Edit: Oh, hold on, do you mean "a subject/topic that's going to be covered in the test"? He only studies those topics that he predicts will appear in the test??

c)
そんなところ
d)
そんなところ

This is what I originally thought based purely on the grammar, but I threw away that idea because I couldn't make any sense of the meaning. What does そんなところ refer to?

Edit: Again, perhaps this refers to a subject/topic in the test? "I didn't think that topic would be in the test, but it was" kind of thing?

 

[Toritoribe]

So, is it "Amongst my friends there is a person who..."?

Yes.

Edit: Oh, hold on, do you mean "a subject/topic that's going to be covered in the test"? He only studies those topics that he predicts will appear in the test??

Edit: Again, perhaps this refers to a subject/topic in the test? "I didn't think that topic would be in the test, but it was" kind of thing?

Right. For instance, I didn't expect that the ancient Roman Empire was on the history exam, but actually it was.
Sorry for my word "part" seems to cause the confusion.

 

[eeky]

Thank you! Grrr... I have so many problems with that wretched word ところ. I never seem to pick the right meaning...

 

[Glenn]

Perhaps this will help:
所を英語で訳す - goo辞書 英和和英

And this is worth looking at too, although it's a different usage.
所を英語で訳す - goo辞書 英和和英

And then there are the ところがs:
ところがを英語で訳す - goo辞書 英和和英
ところがを英語で訳す - goo辞書 英和和英