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いくつになったら買ってくれるの?

I'm not sure of the grammar used in this sentence.

いくつ-> Does this still refer to how many?

になった->Is the なった here a conjugation of なる (To become)?

Also is the の at the end of the sentence the contraction of an explanatory の (e.g. the written form of んです)

Thank you!

2 Answers 2

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I assumed that this sentence is used in a context where a child asks his mother/father to buy him something, yet the parent said no, due to the child being too young.

If translated directly, it would be something like "If I become how old, will you buy it for me?"

いくつ can be translated as "how many" or "how old", and in this case, I used "how old".

Omitting the details, なったら is a form of なった, which can be thought as a past-tense of なる。

About the terminal の, I don't know the correct grammatical explanation, but it adds the sense of questioning.

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  • 1
    "When will you buy it for me when I grow up?"
    – King Chan
    Aug 11, 2015 at 0:32
  • @snailboat OK, I will edit.
    – Yuki Inoue
    Aug 11, 2015 at 15:52
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いくつになったら買ってくれるの?

  • How old do I have to be before you will buy it for me?

  • How long do I have to wait before you'd buy it for me?
    How much more do I have to wait before you'd get it for me?
    How many more years do I have to wait until I can finally get it?

About the terminal の?, it's probably short for のですか?

In the last few years, this ending has become common on the Net :

買ってくれるん?

-- which is short for -- 買ってくれるんですか?

There's also a [relative tense] issue. Please see: 相対テンス -- ①ハワイへ行く時、帽子を買う。 ②ハワイへ行く時、帽子を買った。 ③ハワイへ行った時、帽子を買う。 ④ハワイへ行った時、帽子を買った。

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