particle N1 uncommon casualpolite
そこを — (do it) despite that
そこを
Meaning
- despite that / I know, but ~ — pleads for someone to act in spite of a stated difficulty
Key sentence
無理なのは分かっています。そこを何とかお願いできませんか。
I know it's a stretch, but couldn't you somehow manage it anyway?
Formation
| Attaches to | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Demonstrative + を, referring back to a just-stated obstacle | そこを(なんとか)+ request / imperative | そこを何とか |
When: Pleading or coaxing — acknowledges the obstacle the other side just raised and asks them to override it. Often そこを何とか / そこを曲げて.
Examples
高いのは承知です。そこをもう少し負けてもらえませんか。
I know it's expensive, but couldn't you come down a little anyway?
お忙しいところを、そこを曲げてお引き受けいただいた。
Though you were busy, you bent the rules and took it on for us.
Easily confused with
Notes
- を marks the obstacle itself as the thing to be overcome. そこを曲げて ('bending the rules') is a set polite plea.
See そこを in real sentences
Jengo shows そこを 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 Intermediate Japanese Grammar.