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These 3 sentences are excerpts from Season 1, Episode 2 of Classroom of the Elite.

Context: 堀北 and 綾小路 are talking to one another about their classmates, during swimming class at school. 堀北 doesn't understand why everyone in their class is acting so carefree even though they all just got informed that there class had gained no points (i.e. they in big trouble). 綾小路 with an attempt to explain why the others may be acting so nonchalant goes on to say to:

気を紛らわせたいってこともあるんじゃないか？
Translation Attempt: There are also times / Sometimes they want to be able to distract their feelings, don't you think?

With this sentence I don't quite understand what ってこともある means exactly. I am under the impression that my English translation is actually pretty close, in which ってこと is being used in the place of the noun 時; however, I am not entirely sure that this is the case. Furthermore, couldn't this sentence just be shortened 気を紛らわせたいこともあるんじゃないか without the って and have the same meaning other than it being more direct?

Shortly after that, 綾小路, adding to his explanation then says:

春先いきなりのプール授業しかも大半が自由時間とくれば―多くの高校１年生ははしゃぐんじゃないか？
Translation Attempt: In early spring, pool class suddenly started, not only that, but (most?) when it comes to free time, lots of first year students are in high spirits.

With this sentence I just have no idea what 大半 is correlating to. Is he referring to the majority of students (which seems strange due to it preceding とくれば) or is he referring to the majority of the free time? It just seems extremely out of place (to me) especially with it being marked by が.

Lastly, a little later in the dialogue, 堀北 knows that many in her class are failing and wants to get classmates together to get grades up. 綾小路 simply says afterwards:

勉強会を開くってことか？
Translation Attempt: So you/it means you will open a study group?

With this one, I'm quite confident that it's working all the same as ということだ or わけだ just with the か particle working to make the sentence into a question. I'm really just trying to confirm whether or not I'm correct.

Do let me know if you need further context. Any help provided towards understanding is much appreciated!

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  1. ってこともある/こともある would mean differently in the particular context.

ってこともある literally translates to there is the thing that ...; more idiomatically, it would be there is also a factor that ... or Another thing is that .... On the other hand, 気を紛らわせたいこともある would be understood (by default) as there is something that (the subject) wants to distract himself from.

(added)

  • かれはそのことから気を紛らわせたいたい - He wants to distract himself from that (thing)
  • かれは気を紛らわせたい He wants to distract himself

気を紛らわせたいこと sounds like (to me) a phase from the first one with relative clause, i.e., the thing he wants to distract himself from (meaning what he wants to forget). On the other hand, 気を紛らわせたいってこと is that-clause with the second one, i.e., that he wants to distract himself (meaning that he wants to enjoy himself for a while).

It depends on the meaning/context. This one is essentially the same ってこと but ってこと/こと does not make much difference.

  1. 大半 refers to プールの授業. It says something like the large part of the swimming class is free time, i.e., students can play around in the pool freely for most of the class.

  2. You are correct.

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  • I'm still a bit confused on the first and second sentences. For the first, I understand that it changes meaning depending on the context. So deviating from my original translation, would it more accurately translate (in this context) as roughly: There is also the thing/event of wanting to be able to distract themselves, don't you think? or would it be: There is also a thing in which they want to distract themselves from, right? The 2nd one makes less sense to me since it's already clear what the students want to be distracted from.
    – levikara
    Feb 8 at 6:14
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    For the second, you mean the structure of the sentence? It is (春先いきなりのプール授業しかも大半が自由時間)とくれば= (literally) When it comes to an unexpected swimming class and the most of it being free time. More verbosely, it is いきなりのプール授業であってしかもその大半が...
    – sundowner
    Feb 8 at 9:07
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    @levikara - From the context given in your question, I wouldn’t understand this こと as referring to a concrete thing. I would rather understand this 気を紛らわせたいってこともある the same way I do 気を紛らわせたいってのもある with の indicating something like “factor” or “reason”, like “It could be partly because they want to …”
    – aguijonazo
    Feb 9 at 2:18
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    @levikara 'ってこと is nominalizing' Exactly. So as for translation, you can't really have Don't you think they also (have the thing to) want to distract themselves (from something)?. It's rather Don't you think (that) they also want to distract themselves (from something)?
    – sundowner
    Feb 9 at 2:31
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    もある works as there is also the factor/reason/element that they want... as in the original answer and aguijonazo's comment.
    – sundowner
    Feb 9 at 2:33

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