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Cheers.

Some days ago I've been trying to get used in how to use の as nominalizer, but I cant get it even yet.

I cant get the part where の changes the sentence into a noun.

e.g

ブログを読むのが好きです

My problem is. How do I should take ブログを読む when nominalized? I think is (To read a blog), so (I like to read a blog) is what I figured out. My question. To read a blog is not a noun, so how can I take it in English?

彼が来るのを知っている

Same here, 彼が来る is also not a noun but because of the の particle I have to take it as it. so (he comes), (I know he is coming). But still have the same problem and my head blows up!. I don't know how to take it in English or how to translate it in English.

彼が来る means he comes, but if add の, 彼が来るの, what does it became. How is translated.

I hope you can understand my problem and help me, I'm really confused and really frustrated with all this. Thank you in advance for any help you can bring me :)

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    This may help you with the English side: english.stackexchange.com/questions/37241/…
    – Blavius
    Dec 18, 2015 at 20:49
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    ''To read a blog'' is not a noun, however, it behaves like a noun and plays the same roll as a noun in sentences, doesn't it? Likewise, ''ブログを読むの'' is not a noun, but we can regard it as a ''noun phrase'' which can function as the subject or object of a verb in a sentence.
    – Toshihiko
    Dec 19, 2015 at 2:50

3 Answers 3

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In English, a noun is a person, place, or thing. In English, if I asked you to list THINGS you like, you could say, "I like reading" just as easily as you could say, "I like books". Even though books are nouns and reading is an activity, they can both be things you like.

ブログを読むのが好きです

Reading blogs is a thing I like.

彼が来るのを知っている

That he will come is a thing I know.

It's a little awkward when you try to translate it into English, but that's how I think of it.

[ブログを読む] の [が好きです]
[Reading blogs] <- [I like this thing]

[彼が来る] の [を知っている]
[He will come] <- [I know this thing]
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  • Ok. I got it, thanks. Just one more question, when should I nominalize and when should not. Thanks for help! Dec 19, 2015 at 20:21
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    彼が来るのを知っている means “I know that he will come.” You got the tense of 彼が来る wrong. Moreover, I cannot see why “That he will come is a thing I know” should be considered to be a direct translation of 彼が来るのを知っている. In my opinion, “I know that he will come” is much more direct as a translation of 彼が来るのを知っている. Dec 21, 2015 at 16:42
  • @TsuyoshiIto Sorry, I was focusing on trying to help the OP understand how a verb could be used as a noun and completely ignored the tense. I will correct the tense. I don't want to change the overall wording, though. OP said they had trouble understanding it when it was translated as "I know he is coming". I thought a change of word order would help them wrap their head around it, even if it sounds a little awkward.
    – Keiki
    Dec 21, 2015 at 22:21
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    I am not criticizing the awkwardness of “That he will come is a thing I know” as an English sentence. I am criticizing that the structure of this sentence does not correspond to the structure of 彼が来るのを知っている at all, whereas the structure of “I know that he will come” exactly corresponds to that of 彼が来るのを知っている. (cont’d) Dec 22, 2015 at 0:35
  • Sorry if this does not apply to you, but just in case, let me point out that some people seem to believe that translating a sentence in one language into a deliberately unnatural sentence in another language for the sake of unnaturalness somehow helps understanding the grammar of the original language. It never does. What might help is translation which preserves some grammatical properties of the original sentence, sacrificing the naturalness of the resulting sentence. But this is completely different from making the translation unnatural without purpose. Dec 22, 2015 at 0:43
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One thing I'd like to add is I often liken the の (which is short for こと by the way) to "the act of" in English, thereby making it a noun.

ブログを読むのが好きです。 I like the act of reading blogs.

彼が来るのを知っている。 I know the act of him coming.

Sounds weird when you put it like this in English, yes, but it helps break it down so you should be able to get an idea of what の is essentially doing.

That help any?

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    の is short for こと?
    – Blavius
    Dec 22, 2015 at 3:50
  • At least in this context. I believe it's explained here under the の part of the article: guidetojapanese.org/learn/grammar/nounparticles Dec 22, 2015 at 3:59
  • "Short for" usually means "abbreviation of", so I thought you meant の was an abbreviation or something of こと.
    – Blavius
    Dec 22, 2015 at 4:05
  • Oh, my bad. Hah. No, it's just...what it becomes when you don't feel like stating whether it's a こと or もの situation? Is there really a word for that? Dec 22, 2015 at 4:06
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    'The 「の」 particle attached at the end of the last clause of a sentence can also convey an explanatory tone to your sentence.' (from the link by @MissLavelle) This explains pretty well about the role of の. As a native Japanese speaker, I feel こと/もの indicates exhaustiveness whereas の indicates contrastiveness like が vs は.
    – nomithekid
    Dec 25, 2015 at 4:42
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The zero pronoun can solve alot of problems, your sentence can actually be written as

"ブログ を 読むの ∅が 好き" Where ∅ has contextual meaning, here the sentence can be literally translated as

"The activity[contextual meaning of ∅] of reading blogs is loved"

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