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I want to express an exception and don't know which sentence would be
appropriate. I want to say that I just wasn't able to do it today, but I am
able to do it normally. Which of the following sentences has got this meaning;
or are there better ways to say this?

(I guess some of these sentences actually mean the opposite, `I am not able to
do it, as always.`)

  * いつものように出来ない
  * いつもみたいに出来ない
  * いつも通りに出来ない

Or maybe one of these sentences?

  * いつものようには出来ない
  * いつもみたいには出来ない
  * いつも通りには出来ない

I guess that `いつも通りに(は)出来ない` is alright, but I am not certain. Also, maybe
these sentences in the past tense would make it easier, but I wanted to try it
with the present tense.

Also, adding a `今日は` to the sentences could make it easier, too, I guess.
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2015-03-09T09:18:26.607
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2015-03-09T13:25:41.810
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question
grammar word-choice usage
How to express an exception, being able to do sth. normally, but not today?
I have the feeling that even いつも通りに(は)出来ない risk being misinterpreted as
meaning "I always cannot", and the phrase does not ring well to my ears.

First, bear in mind that the particle は in itself can express "exception", as
in 今日はできません, where it's naturally interpreted this way. To emphasize on this
particular occasion being an exception to the ordinary, I'd add だけ, as in
今度だけは行けません.

Other alternatives include いつもと違って, and possibly variations including のに.

**EDIT** : Also, note that straight-forward expressions are commonly avoided
in Japanese. Rather than using 出来ません I'd suggest that rephrasing to きついです or
similar might be appropriate where applicable. This should still be
interpreted as meaning "not possible", even though the literal meaning is
different.
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2015-03-09T10:39:52.690
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2015-03-09T10:49:05.707
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answer
Your first set of three sentences without 「は」 used in them **_could_** mean
two very different things. This represents one of the soft spots of informal
Japanese today.

> 1) "I am being unable do it (today) as good as I usually do." Today is an
> exception.
>
> 2) "As usual, I could not do it (today)." Today is no exception.

**By adding 「は」** as you did in your second set of three sentences, the
semantic ambiguity instantly disappears and the sentences can now mean only
one thing:

> "I am being unable to do it (today) as good as I usually do."

One can easily (and naturally) express the same idea by adding 「に[限]{かぎ}って」:

> 「[今日]{きょう}に[限]{かぎ}って、いつものように/いつもみたいに/いつも[通]{どお}りにできない。」

By using 「限って」, you can drop the 「は」.

(Lastly, it is officially 「できない」, not 「出来ない」.)
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2015-03-09T12:26:12.187
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2015-03-09T12:26:12.187
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answer