Particles, conjugations and endings for verbs and adjectives, and general sentence structure.
11
votes
1answer
464 views
So-called の-adjectives - how does の *really* work?
Ok, so there seems to be some controversy over whether we can really say that there are 'の-adjectives', or whether we simply use a noun in an "attributive" way (a term which I don't actually really ...
11
votes
2answers
287 views
What's the difference between 少{すこ}し (sukoshi) and 小{ちい}さい (chiisai)?
What's the difference between 少{すこ}し (sukoshi) and 小{ちい}さい (chiisai)?
In what situations would I use each one?
11
votes
3answers
314 views
What is the difference between 残念ながら and 残念なことに
I hear both 残念ながら and 残念なことに when expressing that something was unfortunate before the actual sentence, much like the English "Unfortunately, ...".
However, I'm not sure on where these two phrases ...
11
votes
2answers
260 views
The nuance of ことなく compared with ないで
What nuance does "ことなく" have?
If we compare the following two sentences:
(For example, at a footrace:)
最後まで、あきらめないで走ります！
vs
最後まで、あきらめることなく、走ります！
Is ことなく stronger than simply saying ないで? Does ことなく ...
11
votes
2answers
205 views
Can't に always replace へ?
Me and the particle へ don't get along. It's not that we don't like each other, it's that we don't get each other. I'm in a pretty committed relationship with に.
I mean, I think I understand what へ ...
11
votes
1answer
714 views
What exactly is a “taru adjective”
On the talk page of the Wikipedia article on "Japanese adjectives", user Dougalg suggested nearly two years ago:
I know these are falling out of use, but still exist. If anyone can give an ...
11
votes
1answer
191 views
Does a list using と end with が?
Asking this other question has reminded me of another confusion I often have, one of my long standing bad habits that you'd think I'd have sorted after all this time in Japan.
I'm never quite sure ...
11
votes
2answers
385 views
What is the proper use of だろう, is it “masculine”, and how is it different from と思 【おも】う?
Like a lot of foreign guys, some Japanese I picked up from imitating the women I spoke to. Certain affectations made me sound unwittingly effeminate in the early days when I had less grasp on the ...
11
votes
2answers
195 views
Why is 一緒に correct and 一緒で incorrect?
This is a mistake I habitually make, even though I know what the right form is.
Earlier tonight, I sent a mail to my friend to say:
一緒で行こう！ 【いっしょで いこう】 (Let's go together!)
My friend sent back ...
11
votes
3answers
537 views
Can {X-eba X hodo Y} clause pattern be shortened to {X hodo Y}?
There is a clause pattern {X-eba X hodo Y}, for example, {chikakereba chikai hodo benri} which means something like "the nearer it is the more convenient it will be". Can I shorten the clause to ...
11
votes
2answers
281 views
What are the valid potential forms of special “suru” verbs?
Good afternoon all,
From what I understand, special "suru" verbs only have one potential form which is formed using the syntax:
[verb-stem] + [せる]
For example, 愛す・愛する → 愛せる and 訳す・訳する → 訳せる.
...
11
votes
4answers
300 views
“Unsolvable problem”
What is the correct construction of "unsolvable problem"? Is it "解{と}けられない問題{もんだい}"？(Question 1)
Plain(intransitive): 解{と}ける "To be solved".
Potential form(of intransitive): 解けられる "can be ...
11
votes
2answers
665 views
How does ほど work in the 〜すれば〜するほど construction?
I understand that 〜すれば〜するほど is used to mean "the more you do ~ the more ~".
However, I don't see how this meaning is derived from this sentence pattern. I assume the ば is from the conditional form ...
11
votes
1answer
261 views
“からだけ” vs “だけから”, which is grammatical?
Good afternoon all,
I was wondering when we chain particles, should "から" come before "だけ", or should it be the other way round?
For example, I'm expecting a mail from 健一, a mail from 健二, and a mail ...
11
votes
1answer
973 views
What's the difference between 「いけない」 and 「いかない」?
I've just learned that ～わけにはいけない as in 断{ことわ}るわけにはいけない ("I can't refuse") apparently isn't valid but ～わけにはいかない is, even though I've been using the former frequently.
But what is the difference ...
11
votes
2answers
198 views
<adv> versus <adv>+と versus <adv>+に
I often see adverbs used in one of three ways:
1) Adverb appears in isolation in a sentence:
あまり 好きじゃないんですが。
2) Adverb is followed by に
別々に お願いします。
1970年代後半、多くの罪もない日本の一般市民が 次々に 失踪した。
...
10
votes
2answers
227 views
What's the difference between 悪 and 惡 ?
I'd like to know what the difference between 悪 and 惡 is. And also what usage you should do between both.
I heard that they both mean "bad"
10
votes
3answers
800 views
Can totemo be used with daisuki or daikirai
totemo means "very"
suki means "like"
daisuki means "like very much"
If I really like something can I use totemo totemo daisuki desu?
10
votes
3answers
140 views
心配でたまらず - what is the verb and its form?
Could someone explain the grammar/words behind this and similar phrases? I did some research and probably found the explanation, but I am not sure if this is correct.
The phrase may be found in a ...
10
votes
1answer
565 views
Where does the verbal form しとく come from?
In a manga I am currently reading, one of the character exclaims:
安心しな。秘密に しとく から。
The general meaning of the second part ("I'll keep it a secret") is quite obvious, and it seems that "しとく" ...
10
votes
4answers
322 views
What is the significance of [の] (no)?
I've seen it used on many places, and sometimes it feels like a connection between words.
For example "鳥の詩" (tori no uta), it looks as if the の is connecting 鳥 (tori) and 詩 (uta), and I would like to ...
10
votes
2answers
341 views
What does 逃げっこなしにしよう mean?
So, I was reading a children's story and came across this sentence:
「いいか、この最後のローソクが消えたら、本当のお化けが出るかもしれん。だが、どんなお化けが出ようと、お互いに逃げっこなしにしよう」
What I'm having trouble understanding and dictionaries haven't ...
10
votes
3answers
315 views
What are the rules for substituting の with ん?
I've noticed that sometimes the hiragana の can be shortened to ん.
For example,
部屋のなか → 部屋んなか (inside of the room)
俺のうち → 俺んち (my house)
俺のところ → 俺んとこ (my place)
(More examples can ...
10
votes
3answers
286 views
How do I say “He already went to do X for me”, implying he is still in the process of X, not finished?
The other day at some festival a few japanese friends asked me something to the effect of
アイスを買ってくるけど、行く？
But I had already asked a friend, who had not yet returned, to get some for me. So I said
...
10
votes
4answers
630 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".
...
10
votes
2answers
799 views
How to say “also” or “too”
The sentence "I also ate in Tokyo" can mean three different things:
(Aside from my friends who ate there), I also ate in Tokyo.
(Aside from the other places where I tried local cuisines), I also ate ...
10
votes
2answers
654 views
What is the difference between なぜなら、だから、and なので？
I'm trying to get clarification on how to use these three pieces of grammar and whether or not they all hold some kind of "Because" meaning.
10
votes
3answers
938 views
Usage of ～じゃん (～じゃない)
I'd like to know if I can put ～じゃん at the end of every adjective, if there are any exceptions to that usage, and if it's different from ～じゃない.
Adj (na) + じゃん
便利じゃん
便利だったじゃん
便利じゃないじゃん
...
10
votes
1answer
2k views
Why does そう in 「美味しいそう」 not mean “seem” the way I think it should?
Here's another habitual mistake I make. I'm looking at a sign for a restaurant with pictures of great food. So I remark to my friend:
美味{おい}しいそう、ね？
... intending to mean, "that looks good, don't ...
10
votes
4answers
172 views
Range of numbers
How would one express a range of numbers regarding an action?
Example: I usually study anywhere between 2 to 4 hours a day.
Would the からーまで grammar structure be appropriate here?
...
10
votes
1answer
164 views
What is the significance of a large く character in literary texts?
I am currently reading an early story by Tanizaki Junichiro in Japanese. I have come across both the hiragana く and ぐ written twice the size they usually are, taking up the same amount of space on the ...
10
votes
2answers
228 views
Difference and nuance between することはない and する必要はない/する可能性はない
I understand the grammar point "Verb (Dictionary Form) + ことはない" can mean either "There is no need" or "There is no possibility" depending on context.
However, what are the differences? Are there any ...
10
votes
2answers
277 views
Why is it that ～かねる can refer to oneself, yet ～かねない must refer to another person?
When I tried to use ～かねない to express my own feeling about a situation, I was told by a native that it sounds incorrect and strange. However, ～かねる is appropriate and fine. For example, this is the ...
10
votes
1answer
196 views
What exactly is ありき?
I think from looking up ありき that it means "based on", but it's usage is unclear to me.
I've come across it in these two examples:
まずは結論{けつろん}ありき
Which I think means "the conclusion is based on ...
10
votes
2answers
450 views
What is the difference between “〜がる” and “〜がっている”
I want to know the difference between 〜がる and 〜がっている, and in what situations I can use them.
My friend said 〜がる is used for a regular activity that someone does every day or every week, and the ...
10
votes
1answer
132 views
Word order: what does 迷惑きわまりない modify?
In my JLPT practice book, there is a question that asks you to put words in the correct order:
朝の満員電車の中で、大きな音で ____ ____ ____ ____ 若者がいる。
What I put down was:
朝の満員電車の中で、大きな音で ...
10
votes
1answer
324 views
ないで vs なくて How to correlate two or more phrases with negative verbs
Can you use -なくて instead of -ないで in the following sentence, keeping the same meaning? What's the difference between ないで and なくて ?
病気になると、一切化学薬品や抗生物質を使わないで、鍼や指圧や漢方薬で直します。風邪の時は何もしないで暖かくして、寝ているだけです。
10
votes
1answer
174 views
Unifying concept for noun-adjectives of the pattern Xかな
Consider these:
～か：
静か
愚か
厳か
～やか:
穏やか
鮮やか
賑やか
～らか:
柔らか
滑らか
明らか
There are many more that I've not listed.
The か/やか/らか at the end of these words ...
10
votes
1answer
304 views
“slightly/somewhat” の「～め」 【～目】: Usage and limitations
I'm somewhat confused about the usage and limitations of the ～め suffix that means "somewhat/slightly". I've only ever heard it on a handful of words:
大きめ
小さ目
多め
少な目
早め
and maybe a few others that ...
10
votes
1answer
218 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 ...
10
votes
1answer
429 views
あまり meaning “too much”
When using あまり in the sense of "too much" (as opposed to "not very"), until recently I had always seen it as あまりにもA, with A being the thing that there was too much of. I never really tried to relate ...
9
votes
5answers
525 views
Can 何で mean “how”?
Looking at this, it seems that when the word 何 is used with the で particle, it roughly translates into "by means of what" or "in what context." Personally, that sounds like asking "how". Is this ...
9
votes
3answers
414 views
Typo or am I missing something? 「ドイツ語も勉強しないとですね。」
Context: I have been chatting with a Japanese girl who is going to move to Germany, and I asked if she had any experience with the German language and told her I had been considering learning German ...
9
votes
3answers
549 views
What exactly is the difference between <verb>-てしまう and <verb>- [切]{き}る?
I've read that both the ～てしまう and ～きる (18th meaning of 切る at http://www.csse.monash.edu.au/~jwb/cgi-bin/wwwjdic.cgi?1MUE%E5%88%87%E3%82%8B) forms are used to signify something has been ...
9
votes
4answers
559 views
In what way is the negative form of a verb an adjective?
I was reading the wikipedia page on "predicate," where it mentioned that in Japanese, the negative form of a verb is an adjective. I thought that this was too expansive a statement to be true, but ...
9
votes
4answers
184 views
How to translate: “Keep/leave something”. So, how to express intention to leave something unchanged
Consider questions like:
Please leave the door open, thanks!
Could you please keep the lift's doors open? Thankyou
Please, leave it as it is.
They all imply something common: not changing the ...
9
votes
2answers
195 views
What is the purpose of the suffix “さ” on adjectives?
What is the purpose of the suffix "さ" on adjectives like 美しさ and 多さ?
The former is the title of an essay by Banana Yoshimoto, so I don't have much context for it. The book editors translated it as ...
9
votes
2answers
200 views
Can a noun + suru have an adjective modify the noun as well?
”I did some difficult studying last night."
Could I say, "昨夜、難しい勉強しました。”?
Basically, my question is: can an adjective, relative clause, or adjectival phrase modify a noun that has する attached. For ...
9
votes
1answer
205 views
What does 窓という窓 mean?
What does 窓という窓 mean? I found it in this sentence in Harry Potter:
木の扉に寄りかかってホグワーツを見上げると、窓という窓が夕日に照らされて赤くキラキラ輝いている。
9
votes
2answers
241 views
Using により to specify method
Here are two examples:
[電話]{でんわ}による[通報]{つうほう} // Fine
電話により通報する // Okay?
I feel like using により is strange in my second example, but I'm not sure. Is the second example perfectly fine ...
