「でして」
Of course! Let’s break down the usage of 「でして」 in that sentence. It’s a very useful and natural-sounding piece of grammar.
Step 1: Let’s Start with a Scenario
Imagine you’re at a cafe with a friend, and they ask you what you did over the weekend. You might say, “I went to a concert, and it was really fun!”
In English, we use “and” to connect the two ideas (“I went to a concert” + “it was fun”). In Japanese, especially when you want to sound a little more polite or formal, 「でして」 (deshite) works in a very similar way. It’s like a soft and polite connector.
Step 2: Building the Bridge
The word 「でして」 is the て-form of です.
Just like the て-form of other verbs (e.g., 食べて, 行って) connects two actions, 「でして」 connects two sentences or ideas where the first one ends with です.
Think of it as a polite way to say “…and so…” or “…and…” It links a statement you just made to the next piece of information you’re about to give. It’s softer than just starting a new sentence and helps the conversation flow more smoothly.
Step 3: Seeing It in Action
Let’s look at the sentence you provided:
えーと今回の元ネタは「コスプレの素材と技術 製作者の武器庫」っていう資料でして、コスプレイヤーさんがキャラクターをリアルに作り上げるためにどんな素材とかテクニックを使ってるのかなっていうそういう話です。
Um, the source for this topic is a guide called ‘Cosplay Materials and Techniques: The Creator’s Armory,’ and so, it’s about what kind of materials and techniques cosplayers use to realistically create characters.
- Breakdown:
- Part 1: 今回の元ネタは「〜」っていう資料です。 (The source for this is a guide called “…”)
- Connector: でして (and so…)
- Part 2: コスプレイヤーさんが〜そういう話です。(it’s about how cosplayers do…)
The speaker uses 「でして」 to smoothly connect the what (the name of the source material) to the why (what the source material is about). It makes the explanation sound natural and polite.
Here’s another, simpler example:
昨日、誕生日でした。
(Yesterday was my birthday.)友達からプレゼントをもらいました。
(I received a present from my friend.)
You can connect these two ideas smoothly like this:
昨日、誕生日でして、友達からプレゼントをもらいました。
きのう、たんじょうびでして、ともだちからプレゼントをもらいました。
(Yesterday was my birthday, and I received a present from my friend.)
Step 4: Your Turn!
Now, let’s try using it. Imagine you want to tell your boss why you were late. You want to connect “The train was late” (電車が遅延しました – densha ga chien shimashita) with “so I was a little late” (少し遅刻しました – sukoshi chikoku shimashita).
How would you connect these two ideas using the polite form of です (which is でした) and turning it into でして?
Sentence 1: 電車が遅延したんです。 (The train was delayed.)
Sentence 2: 少し遅刻しました。 (I was a little late.)
Combine them into one sentence using 「でして」.
*Answer: 電車が遅延しまして、少し遅刻しました。 (In this case, since the verb is します, its て-form is して. Let’s try another one with です!)
Let’s try again with a noun:
Sentence 1: 今日は雨です。 (It’s raining today.)
Sentence 2: だから、傘がいります。 (So, I need an umbrella.)
How would you combine these using 「でして」?
Answer: 今日は雨でして、傘がいります。
Step 5: Reinforcing Your Understanding
- Key Takeaway: 「でして」 is the
て-formof です. It’s a polite and smooth way to connect a statement of fact with a following explanation or related piece of information. - 「でして」 vs. 「で」: You might know that the
て-formof a noun + です is just 「で」 (e.g., 学生で、日本人で). 「でして」 is simply a more polite and slightly more formal version of 「で」. You’ll often hear it in explanations, business settings, or when someone is speaking politely to an audience.
Next time you’re explaining something, try connecting your ideas with 「でして」 to sound more fluent and natural
