Can anyone explain the use of "tte" in Japanese to me, and translate a few sentences?

Question

I'm trying to translate the script of a Japanese game as I play it, but my Japanese isn't very good yet. I've been particularly confused by the use of "tte" - I know it can mark a quote, but does it have any other uses? How do you tell who's said the quote?

If anyone could translate these few examples into English, I think I might get the idea of how it fits into a sentence - and I can see how accurate my own translations were :-)

『ほら。あいつって、いつも成績トップだろ。だから自信があるんだよ。なにがなん...

バッカじゃねぇの？　自分が目指す学校のこと、ぜってーちゃんと調 べてないぜ』

『だってベルリバティスクールって、入試 なしだろ？ それなのに受験勉強って。ちゃんと調べておけよなー』

Answer 1

lol, you have so many slang words in there and that's what confuses you. Ex: "ぜってー" this is actually ぜったい (絶対) and not another "tte" usage as you knew.

as for the quote, the one who said the quote is preconceived. it's like using he/she/they and not the full name.

i hope that helps.

(i'd like to explain more of the "tte" usage but i don't like writing long answers. sorry.)

Answer 2

『ほら。あいつって、いつも成績トップだろ。だから自信があるんだよ。なにがなん.....

"You see. He/she has always top marks, doesn't he/she. Therefore he/she has got self-confidence.

Comment:

In this sentence tte is used instead of は. So in polite speech you say: ほら、あの人は、いつも成績がトップでしょう。

バッカじゃねぇの？　自分が目指す学校のこと、ぜってーちゃんと調 べてないぜ』

Are you stupid? the school you are aiming at, you definitely have not properly checked about it.

Comment:

ぜってー means 絶対.

『だってベルリバティスクールって、入試 なしだろ？ それなのに受験勉強って。ちゃんと調べておけよなー』

However, Berlibatti School (correct spell = ?) has no entrance exams, don't they. Although this is so, you study for it? Check it properly, will you.

Comment:

スクールって Here -tte means は again. 受験勉強って　I think here -tte is used instead of wo. So the complete sentence should be: それなのに受験勉強って（を）やっているの？

Answer 3

To quickly answer your question, 'tte' can have many different uses. In your examples, following 'aitsu' and 'sukuuru,' it means 'speaking of' or 'in that case.' In these cases it is a condensed form for 'to iu' (to say -). After 'juken benkyou' it has the same grammatical meaning (speaking of), but a different intended meaning. In Japanese the phrase 'to iu koto' (it's like that) is often said. So here it means 'like that,' and it has a condescending or dismissive tone.

These lines are meant to sound like teenage slang, so you should try to translate them with the same attitude that English speaking teens would have.

ほら。あいつって、いつも成績トップだろ。

Look, speaking of that guy, his grades are always tops.

だから自信があるんだよ。

That's why he has confidence.

バッカじゃねぇの？

Are you crazy?

自分が目指す学校のこと、ぜってーちゃんと調 べてないぜ

The school you're aiming for, you haven't checked it out at all!

だってベルリバティスクールって、入試 なしだろ？

But speaking of Bailley Battie (?), there's no entrance exam, right?

(alt. Since it's Bailley Battie, there's no entrance exam, right?)

それなのに受験勉強って。

And you've been studying for the exam like that anyway.

ちゃんと調べておけよなー

Check it out properly, ok?

(alt. Really check it out, ok?)

Hope that helps.