Particles, conjugations and endings for verbs and adjectives, and general sentence structure.
5
votes
2answers
191 views
What is a better translation for 「自分だけバカを見る」?
I have this phrase in my JLPT textbook, as one example of the use of バカ:
自分{じぶん}だけバカを見{み}る
The translation offered in the book is:
Waste time and money among others
The English is both ...
4
votes
2answers
209 views
The topic is the restaurant, or the conversation is at the restaurant?
I have this sentence in my JLPT textbook:
話{はなし}の種{たね}に、新{あたら}しくできたレストランに食{た}べに行{い}ってみた。
I think I understand the part after the comma, which I believe is saying, "... tried to go eat at the new ...
7
votes
1answer
174 views
どうか, どうにか, どうかして - differences?
I was just wondering what the essential differences are between these and how I would use them in everyday speech. Thank you.
6
votes
1answer
106 views
Cohortative ましょう with and without the auxiliary construction ～てみる
In "何かしてみましょう。" meaning "Let's try/do something.", what is the literal translation of "してみましょう"? I've got "して" means "doing" and "みましょう" means "let's watch or let's?".
How is "してみましょう" different ...
4
votes
1answer
181 views
Why are い-adjectives often used as nouns?
I can't really understand why sometimes い adjectives are transformed to nouns instead of just being used themselves.
I.E.
白い鳥 has 300,000 google hits while 白の鳥 has 4 million.
近い家 has 113,000 ...
2
votes
1answer
172 views
The uses & etymology of で
In Japanese, the particle で seems to have multiple uses:
Instrumental: 車{くるま}で大阪{おおさか}に行{い}った。 "I went to Osaka by car."
Locative: 図書館{としょかん}で数学{すうがく}を勉強{べんきょう}している。 "I'm studying math in the ...
1
vote
1answer
238 views
Can うちは means the same as うちに ?
Tell me please in the sentence below, can うちは means the same as うちに? Or it's just うち like "we" ?
Thank you very much for help!
5
votes
3answers
182 views
What is くん doing in these sentences?
I have come across two sentences in a manga that is using くん in a way that I can't seem to find any information on, in both my books and online. I am guessing this may be some sort of slang, odd ...
2
votes
2answers
294 views
How can a friendly person be “hard to approach”?
I have this phrase in my JLPT textbook:
私{わたし}の上司{じょうし}は気{き}さくで近寄{ちかよ}りがたい
My translation, which must be incorrect in some way, is, "my superior is hard to approach as he/she is friendly." It ...
5
votes
1answer
175 views
What is the meaning of から here?
Tell me please, what から means in his sentence? If I'm guessing corrctly it would translate something like "She fall on her face really hard", but still... would ”顔面に全力で” be incorrect here?
Sentence: ...
4
votes
1answer
128 views
When to use にしたら when to use には?
I don't get the difference in meaning between には and にしたら like in this sentence from my textbook:
大きすぎる親の期待は、子供にしたら苦痛だ。
Expectations of parents that are too big become agony for the children.
...
3
votes
1answer
191 views
Help me please with やらなればならない
Tell me please what is the meaning of やらなればならない, maybe it's やらなければならない but still...
Full sentence: 国がやらなればならない全てのことを、不蝕金鎖が担い、一定の秩序をつくりあげたのだ。
Thank you very much for the help!
3
votes
1answer
130 views
Combining two い-adjectives without using て
In the JLU chat, Flaw recently typed up some instructions printed on a Japanese product. Here's what they said:
直射日光の当たらない涼しい所に保管してください
It appears that 所 is modified by two phrases:
...
6
votes
3answers
278 views
what exactly does the suffix とはいえ mean?
I came across the structure [V simple-past]とはいえ、、、、 and I can't figure out exactly what it means.
I found this いえ is 言え, and it means the same as とは言うものの...Which I don't really understand perfectly ...
7
votes
3answers
407 views
What exactly does とばかりに mean?
My JLPT textbook has a section on the use of ～とばかりに. It explains that the term means to do something with such a strong implication that the meaning is obvious, even though one isn't directly stating ...
-1
votes
3answers
143 views
What words/structures indicate an argument? (e.g. Therefore, as a result, there's strong reason to believe (x) , etc.) [closed]
To me, once of the most important parts of learning a language is the ability to read the implied message behind someone's words, and part of that is knowing when they're making a point and they're ...
1
vote
2answers
117 views
What separates the different ways to ask a question in Japanese?(I.E. 何, どう, どんな and so on)
It's been something I've thinking about for awhile, but could never answer in a more concrete way. This is most apparent when I compare the functions of 何 and どう. I know that 何, どう and どんな are great ...
5
votes
1answer
105 views
知っとった meaning of grammar?
What does the grammar form of 知るin the below sentence mean?
闇の世界とは関わるはずがないと知っとったんだろうな
The sentence is from the Japanese version of Harry Potter I
6
votes
1answer
133 views
How to express “with (x) as well” and “even with (x)”
I am trying to express something akin to these sentences:
Even with a spoon, he digs well (でも?)
Even without a shovel, he digs well
I would also like to express this:
With a shovel ...
4
votes
3answers
222 views
What does ものでして mean?
I can't manage to understand the meaning of ものでして.
An example using a full sentence could be the following:
私はしばらく、隠棲していたものでしてね。まあ怠けているのは今に始まったことでもなし・・・
3
votes
2answers
145 views
Help with question word だれ
Every example I see with だれ and a copula has だれ placed at the end (あの方はだれですか。) Will changing the order to だれがあの方ですか。be acceptable or mean something else?
Also, how do I write "Who has A car?" I ...
2
votes
1answer
111 views
What does the phrase んと流す mean?
Meaning of んと流す
Can anyone please explain the meaning of 得させんとながす to me.
Full sentence: 多くの人のために、罪の赦し得させんとながすものなり。
http://s.vndb.org/sf/25/36025.jpg
Thanks you very much for the help!
1
vote
1answer
110 views
Can より be used differently than saying “b more x than a”?
I could not find any examples of this usage, but what I'm basically asking is whether or not this is possible:
怒るより悲しいですよ
Rather than being mad, I am sad
Is this a legitimate way of using ...
13
votes
1answer
251 views
what is the difference between ごとに and おきに?
Both ごとに and おきに appear to mean "repeatedly at intervals".
What is the difference between these two expressions?
4
votes
1answer
214 views
What does として mean here?
警視庁は１２日、父親を鈍器のようなもので殴ったとして東京都中野区に住む少年を、傷害の疑いで逮捕した。
Tell me please, what is として means in this sentence ?
7
votes
1answer
284 views
Does the nominalizer 〜の require the adnominal form before it? If yes, why?
A while back I was trying to break down 〜なの, and this is what I decided on (with the help of some of Bart Mathias's posts on mailing lists).
My hypothesis is that the nominalizer 〜の requires ...
3
votes
1answer
148 views
What's the meaning of “という” at the end of a sentence?
I'm reading about this grammar in my book but I don't get it. According to the book it means - そうだ and - らしい. Here is an example:
UPDATE: Full Sentence:
従来、病院といえば白い壁が基調の空間であった。 しかし、白くて冷たい壁を見ていると ...
2
votes
0answers
118 views
Casual speech particles in Classical Japanese
I'm writing a simple Japanese skit for our JAPAN 112R class and there is a place where an ancient samurai needs to speak a few sentences of Classical Japanese. I can mostly make the sentences, but it ...
10
votes
4answers
627 views
Does Vて+いる always mean an action already completed?
For the longest time, I thought that a verb ending in て+いる meant that one was currently doing an action, similar to how we use ~ing in English to mean a contuinuing state. So 食{た}べている means "eating".
...
3
votes
1answer
162 views
What is the meaning of ようで?
I think ようで means "to look/look like", but I'm having trouble understanding it in the context of this sentence:
感動に水を差すようで悪いのだが、さっさと爾子に乗ってくれ。でなくば、城とともに潰れるぞ。
Also, is でなくば another form of でなければ?
2
votes
1answer
109 views
Joining adjectives with し before a noun
A recent question asked about joining two adjectives together. It used the following example:
(example 1) きれいで静かな町
As I understand it, this is the combination of the 連用形 of きれいだ with the 連体形 of ...
2
votes
1answer
100 views
What's the difference between the constructs (adverb) なる[naru] and (adverb)する[suru]?
e.g. what makes 相手になる different from 相手にする. I know that 「～になる」 is to be/become something, and 「～をする」 is to do something, but what does each imply when used?
1
vote
1answer
123 views
How do I use がする? (ex: いい香りがする)
I know the basic usage behind it, like saying "I wanna have lunch at Wendy's today", but I feel like there's a bunch of subtleties to it that I'm not really seeing yet
5
votes
1answer
92 views
Expressing a sequence of actions using 〜たとき?
I am aware that one can explain that to things happen at the same time using plain non past form + とき:
電車に乗るとき転びました。"I fell when I got on the train (I was going through the door when it happened)" ...
0
votes
1answer
218 views
までに, まえに and うちに to express “before doing sth/sth happens”
I've come across this sentence:
主人が帰ってくる までに 晩御飯の買い物と支度をしなければいけません.
a) I would have used まえに instead of までに. Is it correct? How does the meaning change?
b) Furthermore, is it correct to say : ...
6
votes
2answers
113 views
Can んだった and んじゃなかった be used like the past version of んだ and んじゃない?
I know that んだった and んじゃなかった can be used to say "Should have done" and "Shouldn't have done". I am wondering, however, if they can be used as a past version of んだ
Take for example this conversation:
...
4
votes
1answer
161 views
Question on expressing a half-completed action — 動作が中途である状態
手紙を書きかけたんですが、まだ書いていません。
I got started on the letter, but I haven't finished writing it yet.
The ending かける indicates that an action has been started but has not been brought to a finish or ...
0
votes
2answers
221 views
Why is this sentence grammatically incorrect?
On a separate question about Japanese pitch, one of the examples I left was:
'甘美（うまみ）の花は赤を見える' (Your flower looks red [talking to Umami]).
One of the commenters claimed that it was ...
4
votes
1answer
198 views
When should the polite form of 〜たり be used?
I've noticed that I don't see 〜ましたり used very often, but it does seem to be an accepted form. I believe this form can be broken down like this: 動詞{どうし}の連用形{れんようけい}＋「ます」の連用形{れんようけい}＋「たり」
My ...
4
votes
2answers
366 views
Plural in ancient Japanese?
It is known to Japanese learners that the Japanese verb isn't affected by the subject (number or gender). Today, a linguistics professor of my university told me he heard from his teacher that ancient ...
2
votes
1answer
164 views
Limitations of に for emphasis?
I remember having learning that に can be used for a simple emphasis of the word before it, like so:
私はケーキを食べた - I ate cake
私にはケーキを食べた - I ate cake (the others may or may not have, but I did)
...
5
votes
1answer
196 views
Does the 助動詞「ます」 still have a 連体形 in modern Japanese?
Does the 助動詞「ます」 have a 連体形? According to 大辞林, it's ます, and I see the old forms ます／まする on 学研全訳古語辞典. However, in the comments on this question, Darius Jahandarie wrote the following:
@snailplane ...
8
votes
1answer
206 views
Expressing hope: to nozomu and koto wo negau
I have a question about these two verbs for 'hope':
と望む (to nozomu)
ことを願う (koto wo negau)
I also write down two examples, since I have a particular question about their use:
...
2
votes
0answers
121 views
Can't parse なるうるわけ [closed]
The full sentence is
数学的性質をもつ現象はすべてこの科学の対象となるうるわけであるから、それは数限りなくあり、また日々増えていて、これらをもらさず解説することは不可能に近い。
But I can't parse "なるうるわけ". Ignoring that part, I interpret the sentence as
"All phenomena with ...
7
votes
1answer
177 views
Passive form - The exact difference between を and が
I've seen this question asked before, but i feel the answer didn't quite answer all my questions, so here goes.
Now, I am rather sure that this:
ケーキが食べられた
Means:
The cake was eaten. (by ...
20
votes
4answers
984 views
What is the difference between “に” and “には”?
The title should be pretty self-explanatory. What meanings does each convey? And in what kinds of circumstances would one be used instead of the other?
For example, what are the differences between ...
5
votes
1answer
153 views
How wrong is my constructed poem?
I tried writing a classical Japanese poem:
赤き空
青かりたり根
夢がごとし
元を返るべし
汚さざらまし
And here is a rough literal translation:
The red sky,
The origin that was once blue,
Like seeing a dream,
It would be best ...
7
votes
5answers
288 views
A は／が difference [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
What’s the difference between wa (は) and ga (が)?
I've been trying to wrap my head around the は/が differences, and I'm trying to figure out the differences between the ...
10
votes
1answer
213 views
What is the subject when time passes in a narrative (eg １ヶ月を経る）
(This might be a quick easy question but sometimes the answers to these are unexpected.)
What is the subject in the following sentences？ I've given my best efforts for the examples 1-4 below. (I am ...
9
votes
2answers
175 views
What's the difference between くる and やってくる?
Can someone explain the nuance between them? They both mean "come", but I'm unsure of when they are interchangeable. My perception is that やってくる seems to put more emphasis on the actual action of ...
