That class of words which describe events and states and can be inflected or conjugated to indicate relative time, as well as many other nuances.
5
votes
3answers
179 views
Explain the meaning of という or と + いう?
Here is the sentence: それは改良を必要としますが、すぐにということではありません。
I can't understand this part: すぐに_Adverb + という_Particle? + こと_Noun + では_DEWA + ありません_Verb.
I know that という is an expression "said; called thus", ...
14
votes
2answers
1k views
Why is 知りません the negative form of 知っています？
I'm reading Minna no Nihongo (Chapter 15) and it says what I wrote in the question. I would think the negative would be 知っていません。
15
votes
4answers
3k views
What exactly is “なの” (nano)?
I asked a female Japanese friend to translate a sentence for me and it ends in "nano" which I took to be either an alternative question particle to -ne or -ka; or possibly two particles I don't know ...
3
votes
1answer
149 views
What forms of verbs (potential or passive) are more frequent in Japanese?
A simple question to those speaking and the native ones. What of the two forms (potential verbs or passive voice verbs) in Japanese verbs is more frequent?
This question may seem strange, but I need ...
5
votes
2answers
130 views
What's the rule for “にしている”?
The sentence that that I heard was 頼りにしている。 Google Translate tells me that means "I'm counting on you". My understanding of Japanese tells me "this doesn't compute". Is there a general rule for ...
6
votes
1answer
261 views
How to distinguish between passive and potential forms of the verb?
I've read that potential form of the ru-verb is formed by replacing る with られる, which is exactly the same for the passive form of ru-verbs. How can we tell the passive form and potential apart in this ...
9
votes
1answer
315 views
aru vs iru : Why is aru in “Watakushi-wa untenshu-ga aru” (私は運転手がある) unacceptable?
There is a generally expressed rule in Japanese that, when declaring existence, いる is used for animate subjects, and ある is used for inanimate subjects. There are some interesting variations in what is ...
18
votes
3answers
749 views
When is Vている the continuation of action and when is it the continuation of state?
Last night, when I asked my wife to send an email to me, she said もう送っている which I took to mean that she was "sending the message". (The message had a big attachment so I imagined that it could take a ...
3
votes
1answer
119 views
Please help to understand the verb suffix 掛ける
I have a sentence フライト・アテンダントはよく話しかけてくれて親しみがありました。
Where 話しかけて is what I can't understand. What sort of suffix is "shikakete"? Or is it two suffixes, shi + kakete?
5
votes
1answer
312 views
How many forms can a Japanese verb take?
Japanese verbs are quite complex compared to English verbs (Most English verbs have five or six forms and to be has eight not including archaic forms). Their agglutinative nature means they have ...
3
votes
1answer
212 views
What are the exceptions of using に and で with regard to 住む and 勤める?
I am going over the cases when に and で are used with location. According to the "Dictionary of Basic Japanese Grammar", に is used when something exists in a specific location (page 299) and で is used ...
7
votes
4answers
360 views
Switch between transitives and intransitives
There are situations where transitives and intransitives are switched without any clear reason. For example, a transitive verb is usually used to describe a situation like this:
タクシーが街を流す
...
8
votes
3answers
309 views
What conjugation/form is the ませ (for example: いらっしゃいませ)?
I know it's used for greetings in a restaurant or store. But what type of verb conjugation (ex: polite, plain, honorific, imperative, or something else) is it? Is it used with other verbs? Is it ...
5
votes
1answer
188 views
なり as an archaic 'to be'?
In the following saying:
時は金なり。
What exactly is なり? My dictionaries seem to give a number of different options that could all explain its use here.
Is it 成る? Is it 也, an archaic version of です ...
17
votes
3answers
492 views
ことができる versus V~える form
Way back in the day when I was first learning Japanese, I learned that you could add ことができる to a verb to indicate potential. Like so:
食{た}べることができる
(I) can eat (something)
It became my ...
3
votes
1answer
158 views
Meaning and usage of suffix -まい
According to the WWWJDIC, the verbal suffix まい can mean:
(1) probably isn't (doesn't, won't, etc.)
(2) don't (doesn't) intend to; intend not to
(3) must not; (when used in an imperative ...
8
votes
1answer
317 views
How did the verb 掛ける come to have many meanings?
I think that this verb is the only one I've seen in Japanese that has so many definitions. とる and つく have multiple definitions as well (quite a bit IIRC). But not as much as 掛ける. In any case, I am ...
2
votes
0answers
74 views
why is “know” expressed as 知っています, and what does 知ります really mean? [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
Why is 知りません the negative form of 知っています？
I'm posting the question as suggested by Zhen Lin and troyen. What that said, why is that? And a secondary question, when would ...
2
votes
2answers
146 views
What is って doing in this sentence?
From Noir, Episode 2 (anime).
I don't get what the って is doing in this sentence. For context, the father came home early from work. He quickly answers his wife in the first sentence then in the ...
1
vote
1answer
153 views
What is the difference between 借りる and 貸す
I've seen them before used as borrow and lend. So I've been a bit confused on when to use which verb? What's the difference? Is there a difference?
9
votes
3answers
269 views
What is the difference between ～すぎ and ～すぎる?
When I was playing a video game a few months ago, I noticed that some of the characters (mostly young teen females, in case it matters) kept saying ～すぎ instead of ～すぎる.
For example, when one of the ...
2
votes
1answer
224 views
Difference between に and が for intransitive verbs
What is the difference between 試験に受かる and 試験が受かる?
It seems that the first one means "to pass an exam" while the second one is more like "passing exams" (really not sure about it).
In which cases ...
13
votes
2answers
257 views
1
vote
1answer
119 views
Is 死ぬ the only verb ending in -ぬ? [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
Plain verbs that end with ぬ other than 死ぬ
死ぬ{しぬ} is the only verb that I know that is ending in -ぬ.
So, are there any other verbs ending in -ぬ?
1
vote
1answer
103 views
Differences between 出るand 去る when expressing someone leaving
When expressing "to leave," as in "I left the store," or "I can leave the country," is there a difference in nuance or meaning between the verbs 出る and 去る?
まあ、少なくとも、この国を出ることはできるな。
Well, at ...
11
votes
2answers
190 views
Rare/Obsolete verb forms
I have noticed that some verbs have this "rare" or old form that is no longer used much (if at all). Here are some examples.
おそる： おそるべき者 → One who is feared
ほむ： ほむべきお方【かた】 → Seen often in my ...
4
votes
2answers
249 views
Can there be such a thing as のんでましょう？
I know のみましょう but I was wondering if the above was legal japanese as well.
7
votes
1answer
350 views
What is the difference between 見える／聞こえる and 見られる／聞ける?
In Japanese, there is a potential form to express that it's possible for something to be done.
My own examples of potential form:
辛【から】い食【た】べ物【もの】が食【た】べられる。 (I can eat spicy foods.)
...
9
votes
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 ...
7
votes
1answer
241 views
6
votes
1answer
227 views
What's the difference between these two transitive verb forms?
I've always been little fuzzy on transitive verbs, something which I was reminded of when looking at this answer.
The answer says that 終{お}わらせる, 終{お}える, 済{す}ませる, and 済{す}ます are all transitive. They ...
5
votes
4answers
430 views
Are 終{お}わる and 済{す}ませる synonyms?
I know that they both mean "finish". But I wonder if there are situations or contexts where you can use one but not the other.
12
votes
3answers
336 views
Do viruses あります or います?
Do viruses あります or います?
Currently, I'm under the impression that animals and humans use います (though see this question), while plants and inanimate objects use
あります. Do viruses fall under the latter ...
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.
...
5
votes
2answers
183 views
When is 終わる used as a transitive verb?
On Are 終わる and 済ませる synonyms?, there were some questions whether 終わる is used as a transitive verb.
Space ALC seems to have a few results for を終わる, but far more for を終わらせる and を終える. Looking at sense ...
8
votes
1answer
287 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 ...
5
votes
4answers
290 views
Is there a general/default word for “to wear”?
I've been introduced to 着る (for things you put on like a shirt) and 履く (for things you put on like pants) in class, but is there a general way to just say something like wear clothes? Or must the ...
6
votes
1answer
161 views
Does the verb 死ぬ has a 死ぬる form?
I have come across a conjugation of 死ぬ verb which I've never heard before. It is 死ぬる, I have heard it in a TV show, you can see the relevant part in this video.
Is this a depreciated form? If so, ...
5
votes
1answer
117 views
Dative subjects
I just finished reading this paper, which describes the situations in which Japanese allows a dative subject and a nominative object. For example, the verb 分かる can be used like this:
彼に英語が分かる
"彼" is ...
5
votes
2answers
262 views
Passive verb forms for intransitive verbs
Okay, so I'm confused about passive verbs.
From how I understand it, the verb is performed on the subject.
but how come you can say something like
明日の会議に行かれるんですか？
Are you going to tomorrow's ...
5
votes
2answers
216 views
How many verb endings to express “do this (please)”?
I'm familiar with the て and てください forms of a verb to give a command/request and request, respectively. However, I've run across these other forms and really don't know which to use in what situation. ...
7
votes
2answers
202 views
What is the difference between あるまい and ありません？
From what I understand, they both mean "is not". But from what I've been able to gather from the few times I've heard it, it seems that あるまい may not be as strong or definitive as ありません. Am I on the ...
4
votes
3answers
363 views
How do you express “did” + verb in Japanese?
For instance, you can ask someone:
Did you go to the store today?
or
You went to the store today?
Would those both be translated as: 今日、乾物屋{かんぶつや}に行ったか？
Or is there another way to ...
4
votes
2answers
193 views
〜(ら)れる - Ambiguity between passive and Keigo
In my Japanese Bible, it often uses the 〜(ら)れる Keigo form when talking about God's actions. However, there are certain cases when talking about both people and God in the same sentence where the use ...
3
votes
1answer
198 views
How does うんざり work in the Present Indicative, Causative, Passive, and Causative-passive tenses
Consider the following:
そいつはひどく鼻持ちならないやつで、私をすっかりうんざりさせる。(That guy is so obnoxious that he really turns me off.)
あなたをうんざりさせるものは何ですか？(What turns you off?)
痛み以上に私をうんざりさせるものはない。(Nothing turns ...
2
votes
3answers
288 views
3
votes
3answers
187 views
How does a noun phrase translate into a verb?
Ok. The whole sentence is:
Person A bandages Person B's arm.
Person B says: ありがとう。ずいぶん慣れた処置ね？看護婦でもやってたの？
I get what the sentences are saying.
But! For the life of me I can't parse ずいぶん慣れた処置ね？ into ...
0
votes
1answer
170 views
How is this verb being conjugated and contracted?
" こんな馬鹿みたいな帽子かぶせやがって！！”
" こんなくそみたいな帽子かぶせやがって！！”
" こんなくそみたいな帽子かぶせんじゃねーよ！！”
I believe I'm looking at a conjugation and contraction of the verb かぶる. What is the original conjugation and ...
3
votes
2answers
142 views
Stem classification 終止形 vs 連体形（しゅうしけい vs れんたいけい）
What is the difference between 終止形 and 連体形 and which one is the correct term for the dictionary form?
The Japanese Grammar Wiki entry says...
Terminal form (終止形 shūshikei) -u
is used at the ...
2
votes
2answers
205 views
Action verbs and conditional ～ば
I understand もし寝過ごせば、起こしてください is wrong. I believe instead it should be 寝過ごしたら、起こしてください。
In "A Dictionary of Basic Japanese Grammar" it says the second part of the sentence "...can be a command, a ...
