Particles, conjugations and endings for verbs and adjectives, and general sentence structure.
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365 views
Aren't がる and たがる the same thing?
In my JLPT practise book, it has two different entries, one to explain がる and one to explaining たがる. It offeres these example sentences to differentiate them:
うちの子{こ}は新{あたら}しいものを見{み}ると、すぐほしがる。
...
9
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4answers
251 views
Trouble understanding this apology: 我々が…謝罪
An English website wrote an apology in Japanese after it took down an image of cracked hinomaru (日の丸) — the hinomaru linked to a donation page for the disasters following the March 11 earthquakes.
It ...
9
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2answers
216 views
Is there a difference between からすると and からして？
These two phrases seem to have very similar usage and I'm unable to determine the difference between them.
The examples I have are:
彼は服装からしてだらしない。きっと他の面も同じだろう。
kare ha fukusou karashite ...
9
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1answer
158 views
Usage of doubled non-past tense “た”
I've recently been noticing some patterns which look like two repeated past-tense verbs, but I think which indicate a command rather than the past tense. For example:
さあ、行った行った。
"Get along with ...
9
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2answers
138 views
Combining に/で particles with 等【など】(or other “etc.” stand-ins)
I was recently trying to make an open-ended enumeration of places in a construction that would require the use of a に particle. E.g.:
AやBに行こう
or even:
A[and the like]に行こう
Preferably using ...
9
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2answers
212 views
How close are なりつつある and なっている?
語学学習は私の新しい習慣の一部になりつつあるのでしょうか？
"Is learning languages becoming a part of my new daily routine?"
なりつつある here seems similar to なっている... are they often interchangeable? Would I be able to ...
9
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1answer
295 views
verb た-form + そう, hearsay or observation?
Verb る-form + そう indicates hearsay.
帰るそうだ
'I hear he will go home.'
帰らないそうだ [Negative]
Verb masu stem (i.e. conjunctive form 連用形) + そう shows information obtained through the senses, ...
9
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2answers
246 views
How do I decide when to use plain or past verb form?
In
(1) 明日、家へ帰って、母が作ったおいしい料理を食べます。
why is it 作った when it’s a future event? If I wanted to create a clause meaning 'delicious food my mother makes', it would be 母が作るおいしい料理. Does changing 作った in ...
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2answers
159 views
How does one use the “[V ます stem] に [Vタ]” pattern (as in 待ちに待った)?
Every now and then I hear 待ちに待った, as in:
待ちに待ったライブ a long-awaited concert
I started wondering if this pattern can apply to other verbs, and it certainly seems to, if Google is any indication. I ...
9
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1answer
247 views
Is it true that にしたって is the colloquial form of にしたところで?
I've been thinking if it is true that にしたって is the colloquial form of にしたところで. In other words, are the bottom two sentences identical in meaning and nuance?
1) ...
9
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2answers
248 views
Confusion about “Seemingly not ～”
So there are several ways to express something is "seemingly not ～":
1) ～なさそう
2) ～そうにない
3) ～そうもない
4) ～そうにもない (is this one even real?)
I was always taught ～なさそう in ...
9
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1answer
569 views
How to use から and だから as conjunctions?
Recently I was studying the use of から and だから as conjunctions. Could anyone explain why one is used in these examples while the other is not?
Are there rules as to whether から and だから can follow a ...
9
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1answer
426 views
How to use 〜かのよう{に・な・だ}
I understand fine how to use 〜(の)よう{に・な・だ}, but I'm not sure when or how you can add in the か. Here's an example from my book:
４月になって雪が降るなんて、まるで冬が戻って来たかのようです。
How is this different than if it ...
9
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1answer
320 views
ならば vs なら. both are totally interchangeable without affecting the nuance of the sentence?
is it true that なら is merely a short form of ならば and as such, both are totally interchangeable without affecting the nuance of the sentence?
Also, a second question is is ならば more "formal" than "なら" ...
9
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1answer
330 views
How do you use 〜と知る?
I've often seen and heard the expression 〜と知る（知っている）. When I think about it, it makes sense in the context of the quoatation-と, like with 〜と言う or 〜と思う. It seems like it means "Know that 〜".
...
9
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1answer
287 views
What's the difference between 〜以上は and 〜からには
The textbook I'm currently using defines both of these grammar points as: 〜のだから、絶対にする／しないのが当然だ
What is the difference between the two grammar points, can they be used interchangeably like the ...
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2answers
176 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 ...
9
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1answer
236 views
usage of「ご迷惑をおかけ・・・」variants for a business apology
I have to apologize for a procedural error at work, and am unsure about selecting the right form of apology from the variants of 「ご迷惑をおかけ・・・」:
1.「ご迷惑【めいわく】をおかけして申【もう】し訳【わけ】ございません。」
...
9
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1answer
269 views
Different ways to report one's impression/guess (~そう/~みたい)
雨が降りそうです
雨が降るみたいです
Is there any difference between the two? Which one would be the most common way to say this?
このセーターは家で洗えそうです
このセーターは家で洗えるみたいです
Both these also seem valid, but ...
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3answers
195 views
correctness of い adjective + です
Generally, in all Japanese language classes, the rule you're taught is that です does not follow い adjectives. Instead, い adjectives can act like stative verbs, and as such terminate a sentence by ...
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2answers
157 views
Proportion and Rate
How do I form a sentence pattern for:
The more/less X happens, the more/less Y happens
E.g. The more you stir, the faster the salt dissolves.
The colder the weather, the more ...
8
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4answers
506 views
How can I say “Right now”, or “At that exact moment”?
Saying "now" is easy, with 今, but in my experience that doesn't express so much "right now, this instant" as it does "currently". I am looking for structure that translates these examples well:
I ...
8
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2answers
186 views
Double subject construction?
I've recently been having trouble with constructions that seem to mark two subjects in the same clause. I've only encountered them in ～の方が... constructions, but I can't seem to make sense of them ...
8
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3answers
321 views
What's the difference between 言わないでほしい and 言ってほしくない
What's the difference between 言わないでほしい and 言ってほしくない ?
If the intended message is "I don't want you to say it" which of the two above would be more suitable?
8
votes
2answers
220 views
What is the difference between べからず and べからざる?
In my JLPT practise book, I have the following question:
A：噂にまどわされる＿＿＿＿＿、とは言うものの・・・。
B：つい、信じちゃうよね。
べく 2.べき 3.べからざる 4. べからず
I knew the answer was between 3 and 4, but I couldn't ...
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2answers
196 views
「悪気があっての答え」 vs 「悪気がある答え」
Hi all I was wondering what is the difference between these two sentences:
「決して悪気があっての回答ではないです。」
「決して悪気がある回答ではないです。」
I can't really make out the gist of the meaning of 「あっての」.
WWWJDIC's ...
8
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2answers
216 views
相手の日本人 or 日本人の相手?
If I wanted to describe the person I was speaking as being Japanese, to me it seems natural to say:
日本人の相手 【にほんじんの あいて】
... however, one time a Japanese teacher told me it's more correct to say:
...
8
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4answers
554 views
のだから vs のだ (んだから vs んだ）
When I learnt this grammar point a while ago, my teachers told me not to use it with "から". There reasoning for this was that のだ already implies a reason or supporting information for a conclusion.
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4answers
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8
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1answer
285 views
Can と and を be interchanged with 思う the way I think they can?
Compare the following two sentences:
あそこに[行]{い}こうと[思]{おも}っている
あそこに[行]{い}こうを[思]{おも}っている
If I'm right about this, they both mean that the speaker is thinking of going somewhere.
However, the ...
8
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1answer
287 views
Why is 楽しみに！wrong?
I was corrected on Lang-8 website that I should write 楽しみ！or 楽しみにしています！instead of 楽しみに！. And I don't understand why.
Help please. 教えてくださいませんか。
8
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3answers
319 views
How does “ ~ずにはいられない ” work?
時代の流れを感じずにはいられない。
I can't help but feel time passing by.
彼のことを同情せずにはいられない。
I can't help but to feel sorry for him.
私は、彼の才能を賞賛せずにはいられない。
I can't help but admire his talent.
Would ...
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3answers
621 views
The difference between くらい and ほど in hyperbole
The following two sentences, I believe, are grammatically okay, however I'm not sure on how they differ in nuance.
もう歩けないほど疲れた！ (もうあるけないほどつかれた)
もう歩けないくらい疲れた！ (もうあるけないくらいつかれた)
Additionally, why is it ...
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2answers
255 views
why is it that some 形容動詞 accepts の after it while some only accepts な after it?
why is it that some 形容動詞 accepts の after it while some only accepts な after it?
Examples:
の only: 普通、大勢
な or の: 初心、特別、特殊
Is there a way for us to tell if a 形容動詞 needs a の or な particle after ...
8
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2answers
202 views
The grammar of ~かれ~かれ
Consider these:
遅かれ早かれ
良【よ】かれ悪【あ】しかれ
What is the underlying grammatical make up of this ~かれ~かれ pattern (if any)? Is this pattern productive(i.e. can be extended to arbitrary words)?
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4answers
323 views
なんか after て- form of a verb
I am confused by the use of なんか, especially after the て-form of a verb. What do: あきらめてなんかない, 消えてなんかない mean? How do they differ from simply saying あきらめていない, 消えていない? What is the purpose of なんか？
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2answers
287 views
Transitive/Intransitive + にくい (and +られる)
This question is based on the discussion arising from "Unsolvable Problem"
Start of Excerpt
Relevant discourse extracted from "Unsolvable Problem":
Quoted from Derek Schaab's reply to ...
8
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1answer
228 views
What does the もて before a verb means?
What does the もて before a verb means?
I found this word in the dictionary http://www.csse.monash.edu.au/~jwb/cgi-bin/wwwjdic.cgi?1MDEemphatic%20prefix (which only says it is an "emphatic verb prefix" ...
8
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3answers
352 views
In what situations can you use "ぞ” as a sentence ender
When can one use the sentence ender ぞ? I've only ever heard it anime, so I'm unsure of it's actual usage in the real world. Is it not used that often or limited to specific age/gender groups?
8
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1answer
236 views
What form is 恐るる?
In Final Fantasy VIII, Bahamut has a little speech:
…G.F.とは我らのことか
我らを力として使うとは…
恐るるべきは人間どもよ
I'd never seen two るs doubled up like that. Which conjugation is this? It seems to have plenty of ...
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2answers
122 views
sometimes だけ gets mildly confusing..
If someone says それだけ、食べないでください, does it mean:
Please don't eat only that [eat other things too!]
or
[You can eat anything you like but] only that, please don't eat it.
What about それだけ、たべてください? ...
8
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1answer
224 views
can we use ねー as a question?
I've read that people usually change ない to ねー to make it more manly, like:
したくないよ becomes したくねーんだ
So basically i often heard questions ending with ない but have not heard anyone end a question with ねー
...
8
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1answer
156 views
Can けれども be analysed further?
Consider the conjunction ども, e.g.:
行けども
言えども
Formation rule:
Verb Hypothetical form (仮定形) + ども
This leads me to hypothesise that the conjunction けれども (meaning "but; however; although") is ...
8
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1answer
154 views
What is this 〜な〜な pattern?
Today I was reading the story of David & Goliath and saw this strange pattern:
ゴリアトは四十日の間、朝な夕なやって来て、同じ所に立った。ー サムエル記上 17:16
Goliath challenged the Israelites every morning and evening for ...
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1answer
349 views
Can I use 行っている間（に） in the sense of a habitual action?
Knowing that 行く is punctual, stative, and a motion verb, I also know that, 日本に行っている means "I/he/she have gone to Japan (and am still there)" rather than "I am currently going to Japan."
I also feel ...
8
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1answer
94 views
Amount of time and 間
When expressing "It takes about 1 hour and 15 minutes", would it be best to say
１時間１５分掛かる。
or
１時１５分掛かる。
or maybe
１時１５分間掛かる。
?
8
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2answers
174 views
8
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2answers
251 views
The meaning of 切る on the end of verbs
Is there a general meaning for 切る on the end of verbs?
I think it might have to do with "completely doing" something. If that's the case, how does ～切る on the end of verbs differ from ～てしまう, for ...
8
votes
3answers
314 views
Problems with は and が
Consider:
[A] 猫が好きだ
To me this means [A']"I like cats."
Contrast this to:
[B] 猫は好きだ
To me this means [B']"I like cats (among other animals)"
I based my understanding of [B] from Derek ...
8
votes
1answer
231 views
得意とするところ explanation?
As far as I'm aware this expression means "(a persons) strong points', but I'm not sure how とする is being used in this context.
My best guess would be something like "the thing (a person) tries to do ...
