Use of わけ in this conversation


This is an example conversation in one of my textbooks. I don't really
understand the third sentence and how to make sense of it in English. My
understanding is that わけ is used to provide a reason or circumstance to
explain something but I don't see how to translate that along with the rest of
the sentence.

まり: ハナさん、どうしてポーラさんとぜんぜん話さなくなったの？

ハナ: うん、ちょっと...

まり: わけを話してくれたら、何か助けてあげられるかもしれないよ。

Mari: Hanna, why is it you’ve never talked to Paul?

Hanna: Er, well...

Mari: Is it that when you talk, there’s something you can’t help?




> まり: ハナさん、どうしてポーラさんとぜんぜん話さなくなったの？

話さなく is 話さない(not speak) adverbialised ＋ なった, the past form of なる(to become)
So, the translation "Hanna, why is it you’ve never talked to Paul?" I think is
a little off. I would equate it to closer to something like "Hanna, why have
you stopped talking to Paul?"

> まり: わけを話してくれたら、何か助けてああげられるかもしれないよ

Here, わけ can be interpreted as reason or cause. As cirno said, with 話す, it
then means 'state one's reasons,' this can be read as 'If you state your
reasons for me'

The second half I believe has a typo with a second あ added, and should be
'何か助けてあげられるかもしれないよ'

何か(something) + 助けて(to help) + あげられる(potential form of あげる, to give) +
かもしれない(possibly, may be)

何か助ける would be something like 'give some kind of help.' Conjugating to て-form
and adding あげる means you are giving the action of helping, in this case to the
listener Hanna, so 'do the favor of giving some kind of help to you(Hanna)'

Add in potential form and かもしれない, you get 'possibly I would be able to do you
the favor of giving some kind of help.'

Putting the whole sentence together and making it sound a little natural in
English: "If you tell me why, I might be able to help you."




> まり: ハナさん、どうしてポーラさんとぜんぜん話さなくなったの？

話さなく is 話さない(not speak) adverbialised ＋ なった, the past form of なる(to become)
So, the translation "Hanna, why is it you’ve never talked to Paul?" I think is
a little off. I would equate it to closer to something like "Hanna, why have
you stopped talking to Paul?"

> まり: わけを話してくれたら、何か助けてああげられるかもしれないよ

Here, わけ can be interpreted as reason or cause. As cirno said, with 話す, it
then means 'state one's reasons,' this can be read as 'If you state your
reasons for me'

The second half I believe has a typo with a second あ added, and should be
'何か助けてあげられるかもしれないよ'

何か(something) + 助けて(to help) + あげられる(potential form of あげる, to give) +
かもしれない(possibly, may be)

何か助ける would be something like 'give some kind of help.' Conjugating to て-form
and adding あげる means you are giving the action of helping, in this case to the
listener Hanna, so 'do the favor of giving some kind of help to you(Hanna)'

Add in potential form and かもしれない, you get 'possibly I would be able to do you
the favor of giving some kind of help.'

Putting the whole sentence together and making it sound a little natural in
English: "If you tell me why, I might be able to help you."

