ずじまい, 始末, and 最後

This page explains some patterns dealing with bad results:

• ずじまい – Ending without doing something good
• 始末 – Bad ending
• たら最後 – Too late, something bad is going to happen
  
  

ずじまい

Ends without…
Verb ず ending + じまい

ずじまい simply means “to end without..”
The end result is bad; I.E. you wanted to do something but couldn’t.
Has a nuance of “It was unfortunate/sad/disappointing that I didn’t..”.

ずじまい is a combination of ず and 仕舞 (しまい) a word that means “to end”.
You have probably heard it before as “おしまいだ”

Usually past tense, but may be in the present tense/future tense

Examples

• 彼とは合えずじまいになった
  In the end, I wasn’t able to meet him. (I wanted to)
  
  
• ジムに行きたかったが、疲れすぎて行かずじまいだった
  I wanted to go to the gym, but I was too tired and ended up not going. 
  
  
• 反対だったが、社長が強く推していたから言えずじまいだった.
  I was against it, but the CEO was strongly for it so in the end I wasn’t able to speak up.
  
  
• このままでは今夜は帰らずじまいになりそうだ
  At this rate it looks like I won’t be able to go home tonight.
  
  

始末

Bad result
Plain form verb + 始末だ

始末 (しまつ) comes at the end of a sentence/clause, and indicates a bad result or ending.
It is a negative result version of 結果. Similar to あげく。

始末だ may also appear as この始末だ (in the end its like this).
This does not apply to any other nouns.

＊始末する has other meanings not relevant here. A common one in anime is “to get rid of/to end a problem”.

Examples

• 優しく注意したが、泣き出す始末だ
  I warned them nicely, but they ended up crying.
  
  
• 婉曲的に言ったが、怒鳴られる始末だ
  I said it in a round about way, but I ended up getting yelled at.
  
  
• キャンパスを掃除していただけなのに、理由もなく警察に逮捕される始末だった
  Even though I was just cleaning up the campus, I ended up being arrested by the police for no reason.
  
  

たら最後

After X, its too late to stop (bad result)
Verb たら + 最後
Verb た + が最後

たら/たが最後 expresses that once something happens, its too late (to stop a bad result).
Does not need to by physically or actually unavoidable, may be mentally unavoidable as well.

Examples

• 見たら最後、二度と忘れることができない
  Once you see it, its over, you’ll never be able to forget it. (Something bad/disgusting…)
  
  
• 始めたが最後、やめられなくなる
  Once you start, its over, you won’t be able to stop. (Ex: drugs, cigarettes, sweets)
  
  
• この蛇に噛まれたら最後、苦しんで死ぬ
  If you’re bitten by this snake, that’s it, you’ll suffer and then die.