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I just learned a useful phrase, but immediately I already have a few questions about its structure and grammar.
The phrase:
楽しい旅行を!
Is this a set phrase short for:
楽しい旅行をしていらっしゃい
If so, why is there no ます at the end in:
していらっしゃい
I'm just a beginner, so I am obviously way out of my league here, but I am really curious.
If anyone would kindly clear this up for me—or point me in the right direction—I would really appreciate it!
いらっしゃい is the imperative (命令形) of the honorific verb いらっしゃる, here standing in for 来る.
いらっしゃいます is a valid form of いらっしゃる. However, the imperative needed for 楽しい旅行をして would be いらっしゃいませ. (いらっしゃいませ is often heard when you enter a restaurant — meaning "Please come in!", a polite imperative.)
Just to be doubly clear, the いらっしゃい in 楽しい旅行をしていらっしゃい and the いらっしゃい in いらっしゃいます are different grammatical forms, even though they look and sound the same. The first is the imperative, the second the conjunctive (masu-stem) (連用形).
By the way, 良い旅を or 楽しい旅行を may be set phrases, but they are not "short for" 楽しい旅行をしていらっしゃい, any more than Safe journey! is short for Have a safe journey!. The longer versions express the same sentiment, but Safe journey! could be equally "short for" I wish you a safe journey!
