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Context:

[両]{りょう}の[貴様]{きさま}は[明日]{あした}の[末]{すえ}に[亡]{な}いです。

with the intended meaning

Both of you will be dead by the end of tomorrow.

This question is about the 「両の貴様は」. I understand that the "plural/collective" is not used if there is a classifier phrase indicating the number of objects preceding the object to pluralize. My problem here comes from the ever-irritating "Inverted Partitive Genitive" behavior. 両の, an adjective-like object (noun in the genitive) meaning "both of," is technically a numerical phrase qualifying 貴様は. My question is:

Should the presence of a genitive numerical phrase prevent pluralization?

More concretely, should my sentence above begin with:

  • [両]{りょう}の[貴様]{きさま}は
  • [両]{りょう}の[貴様]{きさま}たちは

1 Answer 1

5

両の貴様は
両の貴様たちは

I'm afraid both are incorrect and make little sense. To say "Both of you", you could say:

貴様らは二人とも
貴様らはどちらも
貴様らは両方とも
貴様らは両方
etc.


"Both [noun]..." could be 両方のXXが, XXが両方, XXが両方とも, eg:

両方の手が, 手が両方, 手が両方とも, 両手が Both hands (nom.)
両方のカードを, カードを両方, カードを両方とも, カードを二枚とも both cards (acc.)
You don't need to pluralise the noun.

But "both of [pronoun]" doesn't work this way; to mean "both of you/us/them", you don't say:

*両方のあなたたちが, *両方の私たちが, *両方の彼らが, *両方のそれらが

You'd instead say:

あなたたち/私たち/彼らが二人とも/両方とも, それらが二つとも/両方とも  

全部 and すべて ("All of ~~") work the same way; you can say 全ての人/人々が, 全ての商品が, 商品が全て, 商品を全部, りんごを3つとも etc., but 全てのあなたたちが, 全ての私たちが, 全部のそれらを sound unnatural.


両の貴様は明日の末に亡いです。

This makes little sense, I'm afraid.

Both of you will be dead by the end of tomorrow.

could translate to something like:

貴様らは二人とも明日の終わりまでには死んでいるだろう。
貴様らは二人とも明日の終わりまでに死ぬだろう。

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  • This helps, thank you! (Although, let me point out that the "both of you will be dead" was intended to be a statement of fact, i.e. my character is saying "Both of you will [with 100% probability] be dead by the end of tomorrow [because I will have killed you and there is no way for you to survive and I will not change my mind]." In this case is the volitional required for the definite future action or will the imperfective work?)
    – Q Science
    Sep 23, 2019 at 21:09
  • @QScience Volitional だろう is not required when the meaning is clear from the context. So, to sound more definite how about... 「貴様らは二人とも明日の終わりまでに死ぬ!」or 「~~死ぬのだ!」
    – chocolate
    Sep 24, 2019 at 0:39
  • @QScience ... or maybe.. 「貴様らの命も (もはや)明日までだ!」とか「貴様らは明日までの命だ!覚悟しろ!/ 覚悟するがいい!/ 覚悟するんだな!」とか・・・ it'd depend on the context, though.
    – chocolate
    Sep 25, 2019 at 15:08

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