connective N2 uncommon casualpolitewritten
〜だけあって — as one would expect of ~ / fittingly ~
〜だけあって ・ だけあって
Builds on 〜だけ
Meaning
- as you'd expect from ~ / fittingly ~ / no wonder, given that ~ — a positive result that fits and is justified by a stated reason or qualification
Key sentence
彼はイギリスに住んでいただけあって、英語がうまい。
Having lived in England, his English is good — just as you'd expect.
Formation
| Attaches to | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Verb / い-adjective (plain) | V / Aい(plain) + だけあって | 人気があるだけあって |
| Noun / な-adjective | N(+である) / な-adj + な + だけあって | プロだけあって / 静かなだけあって |
Examples
このレストランは人気があるだけあって、いつも混んでいる。
As you'd expect of a popular restaurant, it's always crowded.
彼女は元アナウンサーだけあって、話し方が上手だ。
As befits a former announcer, she's a polished speaker.
When you can't use it
- The second clause must be a natural, usually admirable consequence of the reason. It links a cause to a fitting result — not for two unrelated facts (×日曜日だけあって雨が降った).
Easily confused with
〜だけに だけあって is positive 'as expected, fittingly.' だけに is 'precisely because' and intensifies the result ('all the more so') — and it can introduce a negative outcome, which だけあって avoids. 〜だけのことはある Same admiration, different position: だけのことはある closes the sentence as a verdict ('no wonder ~'); だけあって is mid-sentence, setting up the fitting result that follows. さすが さすが is the adverb carrying the same 'as expected, impressive' praise; だけあって packages that praise into a reason-result clause.
See 〜だけあって in real sentences
Jengo shows 〜だけあって the way you actually meet it: inside real Japanese sentences, so it sticks instead of staying an abstract rule.
Study it in JengoSources Compiled with reference to A Dictionary of Advanced Japanese Grammar.