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I know that "I'm tired" translates to

疲{つか}れました

But how would you say, for example "PE class is exhausting" ? 疲れる is intransitive, so you can't say something like "PE class exhausts me", and there doesn't seem to be an adjective that has a meaning that is similar to "exhausting".

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One way to say it would be to use the pattern 「Xでへとへとです/になる」, meaning "X exhausts me."

体{たい}育{いく}の授{じゅ}業{ぎょう}でへとへとです/になる。

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  • Thank you for your answer. In this sentence, what is the function of the で particle ? How does it work in this case ?
    – user18907
    Commented May 21, 2017 at 22:55
  • in this case で functions as "by means of X"
    – TFlo83
    Commented May 21, 2017 at 23:18
  • There are some other verbs you can use with へとへと too, like 疲れる and する.
    – Blavius
    Commented May 22, 2017 at 2:37
  • @Blavius へとへとに疲れる is okay but we don't say へとへとする, do we?
    – chocolate ♦
    Commented May 22, 2017 at 6:08
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    @TFlo83 「Xでへとへとです」って言うと、"X is tiring/exhausting" じゃなくて "I'm tired/exhausted from X now"「今、Xでへとへとの状態だ/疲れている状態だ」って意味だと思うんですけど・・・
    – chocolate ♦
    Commented May 22, 2017 at 6:18
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It turns out that, in a perhaps surprising display of semantic flexibility, 疲れる can be used in a sense comparable to "tiring" or "exhausting". (Though I stop well short of calling 疲れる used in this way an adjective.) So you can say:

体育の授業は疲れます。(PE class is exhausting.)

Two of bona fide adjectives you may also consider in this situation are しんどい and きつい.

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  • I see. Because it makes no sense for PE classs to be exhausted, you can use 疲れる in this type of situation. I didn't know Japanese was that flexible.
    – user18907
    Commented May 22, 2017 at 8:13
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    これはいわゆる「コンニャク文」の一種ですね。
    – broccoli forest
    Commented May 23, 2017 at 13:39
  • @broccoli forest ！何やら初めて聞く興味深い用語！早速調べてみます！
    – goldbrick
    Commented May 23, 2017 at 15:30

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