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I was trying to translate this sentence:

私は積極的に喋らないタイプなんですが、日本では私が喋らなくても、「アンディ、こう思ってるでしょう」って言ってくれるので、私はただ「うん」と言えばいいわけですよね。

My translation is the following:

I'm that type that do not actively talk but, in Japan, even without saying anything, since I get asked ”Andy, do you think it is like this?", it is natural that I should say just "Yes"

My translation for the part in bold though doesn't sound really good and probably I'm missing something. Why is it using the 「ばいい」construct there?

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  • Does this answer your question? How to end a sentence in わけ
    – broccoli forest
    Commented Apr 24, 2020 at 15:43
  • Mmmm not exactly, here my problem lies in the ばいい form used in this case, since I can't see how it fits the rest of the sentence. I would have simply said: 『私わただ「うん」と答える』. Another thing that probably is giving me trouble is that I couldn't find an example of 「わけです」preceded by a 「ばいい」form...
    – Genfu
    Commented Apr 24, 2020 at 15:55
  • Ah... this one? japanese.stackexchange.com/q/46836/7810
    – broccoli forest
    Commented Apr 24, 2020 at 16:03
  • Ok I know the usage of ばいい but in that particular sentence it doesn't completely fits. Even ignoring for a moment the 「わけですよね」, in your opinion, is something like "It would be nice if I say just yes" or "I should say just yes" a good translation for the part in bold? To me it sounds awful, at least in that context. If the sentence was something like this one 「彼はプロポする時に、ただ「うん」と言えばいいわけですよ」（I don't know if it fully grammatical but you should get the sense...) then I would not have any problem.
    – Genfu
    Commented Apr 24, 2020 at 16:15
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    I mean, how about "I'd be fine with just saying 'yes'"? (from the top answer)
    – broccoli forest
    Commented Apr 24, 2020 at 16:23

1 Answer 1

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In this case the ただ………と言えばいい means "it's enough for me to just say", "I only need to say"

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  • Ok perfect, so as I was saying in the other comment the が in 私は積極的に喋らないタイプなんですが has to be interpreted as "And" and not as "But", doing so the use of 言えばいい makes sense.
    – Genfu
    Commented Apr 24, 2020 at 18:11
  • Correct, the が here only indicates a slight topic change, not a contradiction.
    – Narrenschiff
    Commented Apr 24, 2020 at 18:14
  • @Genfu, I don't really understand why Pixelblast's answer makes you think you can't interpret (and translate) が as "but" in this sentence. "I'm not the talkative type, but in Japan even if I don't say anything, people ask me 'Andy, this is what you think, right?' So all I have to do is say, 'Yeah.'" The implicit contrast is between Japan, where people try to divine Andy's feelings in this way and Andy can therefore get by with monosyllabic responses, and some other place(s), where this doesn't happen and Andy therefore has to participate in discussions more actively.
    – Nanigashi
    Commented Sep 22, 2020 at 20:02

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