Daily Bunshou: Don't Go to Phoenix

(フェニックスの砂漠にて)

甲：どうやら道に迷ったようだ。

乙：もう水がない。このまま救助を待っていても、共倒れだ。

甲：どちらか元気な方が砂漠を歩いて、助けを呼びに行こう。

砂漠 - desert

にて - Another shortening; it stands for に於いて, which means at or in (a place).

どうやら...ようだ - it seems like, looks like, appears to be...

• You might know the よう formation from your textbooks, but did you know that Japanese often put どうやら at the front of the sentence, too? They also join どうやら to sentences with みたい (in the sense of "looks like").

道に迷った - to be lost, to have lost one's way.

このまま - as is.

• This is an example of one way to use まま. The verb form is slightly more difficult.

救助 - relief, aid, rescue

〜ても - however much one _(verb)_s, ____. An expression of helplessness.

共倒れ - mutual destruction, neither one reaching the goal, failing together

どちらか - whichever of us

• Note this does not refer to a place or direction but to the speakers themselves.

助けを呼ぶ - to cry/call for help

〜に行く - to go to ___

• 映画を見に行く - to go to see a movie

Translation:

(In the desert of Phoenix:)

A: Looks like we're lost.

B: Already, our water's gone. At this rate, no matter how long we wait for help, we're both goners.

A: Whoever's the stronger of us should walk through the desert and go get some help.