Tagged Questions
1
vote
1answer
98 views
Can't parse sentence with 「へったくれもない」
In my JLPT textbook, they have this sentence:
自分{じぶん}のない者{もの}に表現{ひょうげん}もへったくれもない。
The book provides a translation, which is this:
You can't talk about expression if you have none (of your ...
1
vote
2answers
167 views
What's the difference between 〜に対しての and 〜に対する?
The question understanding 対する details [noun]に対する[noun], but what is the difference between [noun]に対しての[noun] and [noun]に対する[noun]?
Space ALC has a fair number of examples for both に対する and に対しての ...
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 ...
12
votes
2answers
283 views
Difference between 〜といい〜といい ＆ 〜といわず〜といわず
Can somebody explain the difference between these two expressions?
I have pasted the definitions and some examples from 日本語表現文型辞典 to help but they seem to come down to the same thing. (When can one ...
8
votes
1answer
208 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
1answer
260 views
Why do we use 楽しめそう and 楽しみ rather than 楽しい・楽しそう in these sentences?
Could someone explain why we use 楽しめそう instead of 楽しそう in the first sentence and what exactly 楽しみ means and why?
(The translations are my best guess at what the sentences might mean.)
...
6
votes
1answer
138 views
What is going on with 書けている? What is Potential Form+ている?
I'm having difficulty in understanding 書けている (initially observed from an answer to "パソコンが 得意だ/わかる/上手だ"). Also observed from SPACEALC:
この小説は上手に書けている。
最もよく書けている記事。
...
7
votes
2answers
195 views
Does くりかえし mean a single iteration or multiple ones?
For example, in this sentence:
彼は、失敗をものともせず、 何度もくりかえし 挑戦し続けた。
くりかえし is modified by 何度も, implicitly stating that the action was repeated multiple times.
My question is that if the sentence was ...
6
votes
2answers
406 views
The difference between “follow” using についていく、「あと？」をつける、「あと？」をついていく
What is the difference between and how can we explain the grammar in the expressions for "follow" in the examples below?
子供が母親のあとをついていく
(A child is following his/her mother)
母親の買い物についていく (go ...
8
votes
1answer
122 views
What is the difference between あっての and とあって?
From what I can tell they both mean "Because of", and the only differences in meaning I can see seem to be very subtle.
あっての:
Because of A (strong emphasis), B
Thanks to (various ...
4
votes
2answers
120 views
Are the grammatical forms きっかけに and 契機に interchangeable?
One of my grammar books 日本語総まとめN2 文法 lists both of the grammar forms 「きっかけに」 and 「契機に」 in the same definition.
However, in the example question a choice is given between them:
その事件（a. の契機に b. ...
4
votes
3answers
227 views
What makes に基づいて instead of に応じて the correct choice for this question?
I'm working on some example questions from my grammar textbook. One of them I listed below:
税金はこの表（ ）計算されています。
ア）につれて イ）に応じて ウ）に比べて エ）に基づいて
I'm unsure why 「に基づいて」is the only correct ...
3
votes
1answer
167 views
Can ごとに be replaced by それぞれ in this question?
正月は家ごとに門松を立てる。
For example, could I say
正月はそれぞれの家に門松をたてる。
If so, the meaning remains the same, or are there any subtle nuances that comes with each word? It seems to me, whenever i see sentences ...
2
votes
1answer
247 views
The difference between ～ようだ, ～ように見える, ～ように思える and ～みたい
In a Japanese English grammar textbook, "seems" is translated as ～のように見える, for example:
He seemed to have been ill.
病気であったように見えた。
I've also seen "seems" written as ～（の）ように思える in various ...
6
votes
1answer
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)?
4
votes
3answers
229 views
The meaning of and difference between ～を中心に and ～をめぐって
What is the meaning of and difference between ～を中心に and ～をめぐって?
Space ALC defines ～を中心に as "with a focus on" and ～をめぐって as "centering on", but I'm having trouble figuring out the meaning and ...
4
votes
3answers
250 views
Does 切った mean to “cut out” or “cut from”?
I was pretty sure that 切{き}った meant something was cut from something else. So ケーキから一人分{ひっとりぶん}を切{き}った would mean, "one piece was cut from the cake."
However, I came across a usage which, at least at ...
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 ...
5
votes
1answer
164 views
What does it mean when a sentence ends with しなくもない?
A friend posted this in a comment on Facebook:
これは深{ふか}い意味{いみ}があるような気{き}がしなくもない
I think I get the general meaning, which is "This seems to have a deep meaning." But I'm fuzzy on the implications ...
2
votes
1answer
610 views
Different ways to say “at least” / 「少なくとも」
I would like to know if there are other ways to say "at least~" (context below), along with the relevant nuances of each way.
This is for a piece of writing I'm doing where for the sake of style I ...
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.
5
votes
1answer
293 views
Different ways to show intention to do something
How can one say "I am going to", express intention to do something in the future. I know some expressions such as:
たいと思う - I'm going to/ I want to
ましょう - I will/ Why don't I
...
4
votes
1answer
215 views
が早いか versus や否や
が早{はや}いか and や否{いな}や both seem to mean "as soon as". They describe a relation between two actions, where one action occurs when another does.
I'm a little fuzzy on the difference, though. I think, ...
5
votes
2answers
223 views
How do I accurately convey “enough to make a difference”?
I want to say "it's different enough to make a difference," but I'm struggling a bit to get there. Partly because the two uses of "different" in this sentence are doing two different jobs. The first ...
4
votes
1answer
145 views
What does the verb 好く do?
Observation:
The verb 好く exists.
好く is transitive.
By extension, "to like ~" is predicted to be:
a. ~を好く。
However, empirical data shows that this pattern is the accepted form:
b. ~が好きだ。
...
5
votes
1answer
492 views
Passive vs. active form of verb (past) What is the difference?
I was wondering what the difference is if I use passive form or active form of a verb.
For example:
ネズミは猫に食べられた。The mouse was eaten by the cat.
猫は、ネズミを食べた。The cat ate the mouse.
What EXACTLY is ...
6
votes
4answers
765 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? ...
4
votes
1answer
163 views
Help with には and にとって
I need help understanding why にとって cannot be used in this circumstance:
その仕事は私｛には/*にとって｝出来ない。 ( * denotes unacceptable)
This is what I read:
にとって cannot be used when it marks an experiencer ...
10
votes
2answers
649 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.
5
votes
2answers
470 views
Is there a form for “I have never heard of”?
Some examples of what I'm trying to convey:
I have never heard that song before.
I have never heard of Miyazawa Kenji
I have never heard of that before?
I've never heard of that store?
...
3
votes
3answers
280 views
Does this use of だろうか indicate assertion of an opinion?
I always get a bit confused with だろう, which I've asked about before. In my other question, I got the impression that たろう meant a certain amount of assertion, and だろうか left some room for uncertainty.
...
9
votes
1answer
367 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。
...
3
votes
2answers
239 views
Difference between Noun+な and Noun+だという
I came across this sentence:
四月だというのに、結構寒いね。 "It is April, but it is rather cold isn't it?"
Recalling what I learned about the のに conjunction, I can also make the sentence:
四月なのに、結構寒いね。
...
2
votes
1answer
131 views
What is the difference in these two keigo terms?
My JLPT practise book has these two sentences to help explain the difference between お目{め}にかける and お目{め}にかかる in a context of keigo.
それでは新製品{しんせいひん}お目{め}にかけましょう。
...
3
votes
3answers
248 views
“Instead” using 代わりに
Excerpt from A Dictionary of Intermediate Japanese Grammar:
Consider the difference in the sentences below:
[a] 昼間遊ぶ代わりに夜遊ぶつもりだ。
I intend to play at night instead of having fun in the daytime.
...
1
vote
1answer
185 views
What's the difference between “な感じ” and “という感じ” when written after quotation marks?
な感じ was crossed out and replaced with という感じ in a sentence that I wrote that was similar to this one:
その文には「それは私にはもったいない」 な感じ という感じ があると思う。
I think that sentence has a feeling of "that's more ...
3
votes
2answers
258 views
“To call” or “To receive a call”
Consider these example sentences taken from SPACEALC:
[a] （人に）電話をかける。 "put in a call to ~"
[b] ~が（主語に）電話をかける。 "receive a telephone call from"
My observations: Both sentences use かける. ...
4
votes
2answers
233 views
What does 「つっぱしり」mean in this context?
I recently heard about a manga entitled つっぱしり元太郎, and I'm slightly confused about the meaning of the 「つっぱしり」 in its name. I've looked the word up in several dictionaries, but have gotten no results.
...
0
votes
1answer
184 views
What is あっちゃう in this sentence?
My friend sent me an email saying her mobile phone is having problems. Specifically, she said this:
携帯{けいたい}の電池{でんち}が電話{でんわ}すると5分{ふん}でなくあっちゃうようになった
I get the overall meaning, which is that when ...
6
votes
2answers
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 ...
4
votes
2answers
146 views
How do I ask about two different possible options?
Is this the correct way to ask which of two options is true?
あの CD は トルコご の ですか えいご の ですか？
("Is that CD in Turkish or English?")
5
votes
1answer
196 views
“トムと話した” vs. “トムと話し合った”
This book (Chap. 29) says that for some verbs which can be unilateral or bilateral (like 相談する, 話す, 合う),
The particle と implies that the verb is shared 50/50 between the two participants (bilateral), ...
12
votes
2answers
413 views
The differences between ～がたい、〜にくい、〜づらい
I was wondering what the differences are between these three: ～がたい、〜にくい、〜づらい
They all seem to be some sort of variant of "Hard to do ~". But it seems they are used with different verbs and/or imply ...
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 ...
8
votes
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 ...
4
votes
1answer
96 views
Is this the denial of a statement, or a statement of denial?
This sentence originally came from a newspaper article. Unfortunately, I copied it onto a flashcard for later study and then lost the original context.
彼は、可能性について「念頭に全くない」と否定した。
【かれは、かのうせいに ...
6
votes
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 ...
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 ...
19
votes
2answers
818 views
What's the difference between なぜ、どうして and なんで when meaning 'why'?
I've been meaning to ask this for a while.
What is the difference between these 3 words. I was taught they all mean "why", but obviously, being different words they convey different nuance and would ...
7
votes
1answer
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 ...
