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N3

かけ

Half-, Not yet finished, About to, Begin to

俺おれの食たべかけだけど大丈夫だいじょうぶ?

This is half-eaten by me, is that okay?

Explanation

「かけ」 has 2 uses

1Half-done

An action stopped halfway: 「食べかけのパン」 (half-eaten bread), 「読みかけの本」 (a book you're partway through), 「言いかけてやめた」 (started to say something and stopped).

食たべ掛かけのケーキでも良よければありますよ。

I have some half-eaten cake, if you would like.

俺おれの食たべかけだけど大丈夫だいじょうぶ?

This is half-eaten by me, is that okay?

2About to / nearly

Something is about to reach a state, or nearly did: 「壊れかけの時計」 (a watch about to break), 「死にかけた」 (nearly died).

彼かれは死しにかけの子犬こいぬを救すくった。

He saved a puppy that was close to death.

彼女かのじょは壊こわれかけのパソコンを買かって直なおすのが趣味しゅみだ。

Her hobby is buying computers that are about to die and fixing them.

Mixed up with

「食べかけのパン」: bitten into and not finished; 「焼きたてのパン」: fresh out of the oven; 「食べ切った」: ate it all.

Before a noun you need 「の」: 「食べかけのりんご」. This is a common fill-in-the-blank point.

Examples

1Half-done

  1. 飲のみかけた水みずを捨すてる。

    I will throw away my half drunk water.

  2. これは私わたしの飲のみかけだ。

    This is my half-drunk one.

2About to / nearly

  1. 彼かれは死しにかけの子犬こいぬを救すくった。

    He saved a puppy that was close to death.

  2. 彼女かのじょは壊こわれかけのパソコンを買かって直なおすのが趣味しゅみだ。

    Her hobby is buying computers that are about to die and fixing them.

Tested 2 times in past papers

N2 · Dec 2022, Q31N2 · Dec 2016, Q33