Particles, conjugations and endings for verbs and adjectives, and general sentence structure.
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How is this もって used?
I have this sentence as an example for the grammar point をもって:
I国が起こした戦争は、世界中に衝撃をもって伝えられた。
をもって can either refer to [1] the means through which something is done, or [2] a point in time where ...
7
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177 views
Can the word まだしも be broken up into distinct meanings?
I'm studying grammar, and one of the new forms that I'm learning uses the word まだしも. I looked it up and I found:
類語：
まだいいが / まだ何とかなるが
Based on how the word is used in the following ...
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92 views
“10倍もの” vs “10倍の”
Good afternoon all,
I understand that "X倍の" means "X times of", however sometimes I see the phrase "X倍もの" and I was wondering what it means.
For example, in the sentence:
...
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265 views
what does 可哀想{かわいそう}でならない mean?
I came across this expression in my JPLT N2 study materials.
I deciphered the parts as
可哀想{かわいそう} means pitiable, pathetic
でならない means can't help feeling
so does it mean "can't help feeling ...
7
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173 views
Does it make sense to say [v]ませんでしたら instead of [v]なかったら?
I'm wondering whether it makes sense to say [v]ませんでしたら instead of [v]なかったら.
When I googled for that conjugation there were very few results, but since there were results, I wonder if people actually ...
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214 views
Imperative used instead of conditional form
This quesion:
と言っても vs とは言え .
reminded me of a similar case:
どっちにしても vs どっちにしろ
which are also synonymous as far as I can tell.
That got me thinking:
Is this coincidental? Are there ...
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334 views
Verb volitional form (動詞の意志形) - usage
I have a couple of questions about the volitional form of verbs that I've become unclear on lately. Here is a Bible passage containing the grammar in question:
(Note that I'm using a Bible passage ...
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238 views
より not used for comparing?
The title of a piano arrangement of a Touhou song (Hakurei Reimu's Theme) is:
「東方永夜抄 - Imperishable Night.」 より 博麗霊夢のテーム
(Question) What does より do in the title?
If it were to mean "from the ...
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5answers
517 views
What is the difference between は and のは?
The following sentence means "seeing all the different foreign people was interesting."
This, according to my Japanese friends is incorrect:
色々な外国人を見ているは面白かった。
... and this is correct:
...
6
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2answers
214 views
Use of the particle を to mean where something is going?
A little while back I was working my way through the Book "Japanese Sentence Patterns for Effective Communication" When I got to page 156 it explains the topic of the section which is "The te form of ...
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307 views
What's the most appropriate negative potential form for this situation?
This morning my co-worker asked me if I wanted some coffee. I said, "No thanks, I can't drink coffee because it upsets my stomach." I was thinking of how I'd say this in Japanese, but I'm not sure ...
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4answers
193 views
Problem understanding a sentence
The sentence トムは私より身長が高いです。 means "Tom is taller than I me." but I'm trying to find the meaning of each word in order to understand the japanese sentence better. Here is what I have so far:
トムは(Tom ...
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5answers
329 views
Shouldn't this phrase using 【だけのこと】 mean “just for that”?
In a grammar textbook I have, there is this phrase:
幸い日本で日本語を勉強して、かなり話せるようになりました。日本に行っただけのことはありました。
【さいわい にほんで にほんごを べんきょうして、 かなり はなせるように なりました。 にほんに いった だけのことは ありました。】
The translation ...
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187 views
This instance of のに is opposite from my expectations
I have this sentence in one of my JLPT practise books:
電子{でんし}レンジは冷{さ}めた料理{りょうり}を温{あたた}めるのに重宝{ちょうほう}だ。
I thought のに meant something like "in spite of". So, to me, this sentence seems to be ...
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244 views
What is the difference between がる and ぎみ?
In one of my study flashcards, I have this sentence:
疲{つか}れぎみだけど生{い}きてます。
Which should translate to something like, "[He] appears worn out but [he's] still kicking."
The main point is that in ...
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183 views
ひき or 頭 for horses?
Initially I'd thought ひき is for small animals and 頭 is for animals that are not small ("big" animals) however EDICT (http://www.csse.monash.edu.au/~jwb/cgi-bin/wwwjdic.cgi?1MUE%E3%81%B2%E3%81%8D) ...
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3answers
465 views
Are there verbs that are neither intransitive nor transitive?
i was taught that verbs are either transitive or intransitive.
but what kind of verb is 分かる ?
WWWJDIC lists it as intransitive.
Yet the replies/comments from this thread Why is it 日本語 [[が]] わかります ...
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2answers
445 views
what is the past tense of お腹が空いた?
if お腹が空いた means "I'm hungry",
then what would be the past tense of お腹が空いた since (i think) it's already in the past tense?
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2answers
343 views
Is it ok to use ～て下さりました instead of ～ていただきました?
Just to avoid repeating saying いただきました too much, can I occasionally switch it with 下さりました or 下さいました?
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4answers
336 views
Is this って equivalent to 「と」？
Is the って in the following sentence equivalent to 「と」as in ＡはBと変わる／違う？
昔から好きな曲って変わらないみたい。
My favourite songs have not changed for many years.
Does this mean it is equivalent to the と used ...
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272 views
When do you use するには as opposed to するため（には） to mean “in order to”?
I keep having するため（には） corrected to するには when writing sentences, but how interchangeable are they and when should each be used?
Taking some Japanese sentences from Space ALC with my own English ...
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4answers
764 views
Is this a proper use of tara and toki for “when”?
Consider:
気がついたら皆さんは寝ていた。
気がついたとき皆さんは寝ていた。
My English interpretation: When I woke up (came to), everyone was sleeping.
Is "when" enough to capture the nuances of the Japanese sentences? ...
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3answers
424 views
What is the correct way to say: “where are you going?”
What is the correct way to say "where are you going?"?
Is it:
あなたはどこに行きますか
or
あなたはどこに行くの
Also, can someone please explain that の in "あなたはどこに行くの"?
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3answers
135 views
“Statistically speaking … ”
I am looking for a way to express the equivalent of "statistically speaking, ..." (followed by a quote from a paper, or something like that), or pretty much any other grammatical construction that ...
6
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2answers
243 views
Encountered な with ten-ten
I am currently reading a manga for studying Japanese and encountered something strange. A girl exclaims「な゛?!」
The situation is that she has just had water squirted up her nose, so I am guessing it's ...
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4answers
294 views
Analyzing sentences like 日本がピンチだ and 明日は雨だ
How are sentences like 日本がピンチだ (Japan is in a pinch) and 明日は雨だ (tomorrow it will rain) analyzed?
Translating them trivially, as
日本がピンチだ Japan is a pinch
明日は雨だ Tomorrow is rain
doesn't make ...
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What´s the difference between による, により and によって?
I don't understand when you use it and what the difference is between each other.
For example, when you say:
火事によって多くの森林が焼けてしまった。
今回の地震による津波の心配はない。
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156 views
Expressing desire of a third party using したいそうです
姉は学校を卒業後は海外留学したいそうです。
ane ha gakkou wo sotsugyougo ha kaigairyuugaku shitai sou desu.
My sister says that she wants to study abroad after graduating from school.
I found this ...
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251 views
Are times after noon expressed in military time?
How are times after noon expressed when speaking?
I assume that if it's obvious from context that it's after noon, then people will just say ５時.
But what if it's not obvious from context? My ...
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214 views
So what is the difference between の and こと in this sentence?
So Sawa in another thread says that こと cannot be used in the example below. Even though it performs the same function as の (as far as I can see).
料理が(前より(もっと)) {上手だ/上手い/上手になった/上手くなった}
...
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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 ...
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280 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 ...
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471 views
How is the “のです” working here?
目立つ事を恐れ、一緒でなければいけないという日本人が確実に減ってきているのです。
The strong feelings that Japanese have of being afraid of standing out and everybody having to do things together are starting to become less ...
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2answers
245 views
Is it grammatical to have more than one “WH question” words in a sentence?
In English it would be strange to have more than one "WH question" word in a sentence,
For example:
Tomorrow, where are we meeting, at what time and to do what ?
It sounds like it's grammatical ...
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2answers
303 views
その中( に / で / から ) What is the correct choice of particles?
Excerpt from a JLPT practice question:
Background information: the writer was looking for rental apartments.
次に行ったところは小さい会社ですが、そこの人は大変優しい人でした。 それにいいアパートもたくさんありました。 私はその中[Blank]好きな家を借りました。 ...
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314 views
What is the difference between 特殊 and 特別?
I've got two questions. Firstly, what is the difference between 特殊 tokushu and 特別 tokubetsu?
Secondly, is it true that all these grammar forms are correct:
特別な tokubetsu na ＋ [noun]
特殊な tokushu na ...
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349 views
When trying to convey 'apparently', when do you use, だそう, and when do you use そう?
I have seen both だそう and そう written at the end of a sentence to convey "apparently". Do you use だそう when trying to convey "according to" (によると)?
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153 views
What is the meaning of なす? Specifically when preceded by a color
I came across this phrase in a book:
緑なす半島
Obviously (and also confirmed by Weblio) it is describing a quality of the peninsula, but I'm curious as to what exactly it means, and how/when it can ...
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2answers
288 views
What's the purpose of な in なのに?
I don't understand the role of "な" when used before "のに" as in these two sentences (with given translations):
朝目がさめて初めて、外が雪なのに気がついた。
He noticed that there was snow outside only after he woke up ...
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3answers
266 views
What is the significance of the “の” in the sentence “誰が盗んだのか、誰か知りませんか。”
In another forum, someone said the difference between
誰が盗んだのか、誰か知りませんか。
and
誰が盗んだか、誰か知りませんか。
is that the former has more emphasis on the verb 盗む. Another person said that that's not the ...
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293 views
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is 随分 of a higher degree than なかなか (with positive verb) ?
my dictionary shows both 随分 and なかなか (with positive verb) as "very/considerably"
I was wondering is it true that 随分 is of a higher degree than なかなか?
Like あんたなかなか勇敢だな。= 75%
and あんた随分勇敢だな。 = 85%?
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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:
...
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Other uses of “imperative prohibition” form eg わかるな ・すわんな
I saw a film where in two separate scenes the characters seemed to use the "imperative-prohibition" to invite the opposite action:
1.In one scene a father after explaining something to his son ...
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362 views
Which ところ is this?
I had my sentence of 今日は友達の車で警告を読んで、和英翻訳してみることにします ("Today I will read the warning in my friend's car and try to do a Japanese to English translation of it") corrected to become:
...
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2answers
222 views
Changing a question into a request for advice
How can I change a statement like どこへいきますか to mean "Where should I go"? Basically, what is the rule for changing a question into a request for advice?
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2answers
313 views
い-Adjective Conjugation: かったです vs でした
When we first studied adjective conjugation in my Japanese class, I kept making the same mistake habitually; I would conjugate the past tense of い-adjectives with でした at the end instead of dropping ...
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1answer
302 views
Correct usage of ばかり
On a certain online correction site, my sentence:
正直に言うと、最近アメリカのドラマを観ていたばかり。
Was given many possibilities. Some people crossed out 「ばかり」 like 「観ていたばかり」 in the following sentences so I'm inclined ...
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1answer
212 views
Another example where I don't know if 欲しい or 欲しがる is right
私の祖母は私が欲しい以上のものをくれた
私の祖母は私が欲しがる以上のものをくれた
I want the meaning to be "my grandmother gave me more then I wanted." Is the second sentence right and the first sentence wrong?
I learned 欲しがる for ...
