だけましだ means "at least …": the situation is bad, but this one part keeps it
from being worse. It follows the plain form of a verb or an い-adjective, a
な-adjective with な, or a noun with な or である. The bad news usually comes
first, joined by or .
、。
I got hurt, but at least I didn't break any bones.
、。
My salary went down, but at least I have a job.
、。
The train was delayed, but at least it wasn't completely stopped.
is a な-adjective meaning "less bad". It never praises anything
outright, so だけましだ consoles: it makes the best of a poor result, for
yourself or for someone else.
だけましだ and ほうがましだ
compares two bad options and picks the less bad one: "I'd
rather …". だけましだ looks at something that has already happened and finds
the one thing that went right.
、。
I'd rather do it myself than ask that person.
、。
It's raining, but at least it's not a typhoon.
Register
まし is conversational. Among friends だ is often dropped or replaced by
; the polite form is だけましです.
、。
The cooking was a failure, but at least it's edible.
、。
I caught a cold, but at least I didn't get a fever.
Lingaku