Questions tagged [grammar]
文法. A collective term for syntax (the way sentences are put together) and morphology (forms of words, including the way new words are put together). Often used to describe function words such as particles, to describe word endings, and to talk about general sentence structure.
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What is the difference between といったところです and というところです?
銀行に変化を促しているのがタイの中央銀行です。 日本で言えば、日銀が腰を上げて、変革の旗振り役をしているといったところです。(source)
Could we replace といったところです by というところです here? If yes, what would be the difference? If not, why?
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What is the difference between に伴って and と共に？
Can somebody explain to me the difference between と共{とも}に and に伴{ともな}って？ I believe that sometimes they can be used interchangeably, but not always. Moreover, their basic meanings also seem to differ. ...
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あなたがこの文のおかしいと思うところは？
The structure strikes me because the underlying transformation seems to be like this:
[ あなたが ] [ この文の ～ところを ] [ おかしいと ] 思う
[ あなたが ] [ この文の ＿＿＿＿＿ ] [ おかしいと ] 思う ところは～
Another similar example is:
[ ...
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Casual Speech Particles in Classical Japanese
I'm writing a simple Japanese skit for my class and there is a place where an ancient samurai needs to speak a few sentences of Classical Japanese.
I can mostly make the sentences, but it seems weird ...
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Why do you put 名詞 plus の before ようだ, but you put 名詞 plus な before わけだ?
I looked up the dictionary, and found "よう" and "わけ" are both grammatical nouns (形式体言). But why is the 接続 different?
Moreover, I found many sentence patterns have their own rules. ...
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Can the は particle be a topic and contrast marker at same time?
I know the は particle can function as a topic marker or contrast marker. But can it be topic and contrast marker at the same time?
Here are a few examples:
A) ビールは飲{の}まない。
B) 肉{にく}は食{た}べないけど魚{さかな}は食{...
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Cases where として and にとって are overused/ cannot be used
I've been reading through Imabi, and one of the notes on the site was about inappropriate use of として and にとって in contexts of contrast and although phrases. These three were listed as examples of ...
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Usage of 焚き付ける in this sentence
The topic is Gilgamesh here.
「英霊の座」スレ住民。タンクトップにジャージのズボン、バンダナに指抜きグローブ姿の立派な引きこもりニートで、その上セイバーのストーカーでもある。遠坂邸に居候しており、カソックにフリルのエプロン姿の家政婦のおじさんが生活全般の面倒を見ている。
いつも自信満々に全く説得力皆無のアドバイスを戦車男に焚き付けては、...
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What's the difference between ないわけにはいかない and ずにすまない？?
I think they both mean that you have to do something because there is a social pression like なければならい、but I'm not certain that I can use them interchangeably. Could somebody confirm it?
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What is the difference between んだ/のだ being conjugated and it being added to the end of a verb or adjective?
I was reading Tae Kim and I came across two different ways of using んだ, one was to add it to a conjugated verb and the other was to conjugate the んだ itself. Would this affect the meaning of the ...
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Can そうにする be placed after all adjectives to form the meaning: (to pretend to be sth)
For example:
I saw 偉そうにする (to act important) in my textbook.
Could every adjective or 連用形 fit in this structure?
ex.
きれいそうにする (to act pretty)
ばかそうにする (to act like a fool)
見られなそうにする (to act as one can ...
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まで versus さえ when meaning "even", "to the point of-"
I'm currently going over lesson no. 21 of 新完全マスター N2, and I'm not sure about the difference between the usage of ~まで and ~さえ.
Looking at the description and the example sentences, it seemed like both ...
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Is 「何もしないで暖かくする」 ambiguous?
I was reading this answer and I came across this:
(A) 何もしないで暖かくする (ambiguous)
(B) 何もしなくて暖かくする (unambiguous)
I'm not sure why A is ambiguous, but here's my understanding: unlike なくて, ないで doesn't ...
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Difference between どれだけ and どのくらい and どんなに
It seems that どれだけ can be used interchangeably with どのくらい and どんなに, but is there any difference in nuance?
For example:
(どれだけ/どんなに)聞いても意味が分からない
(どれだけ/どんなに)説明しても、あの人はわかってくれない
彼の身長は(どれだけ/どのくらい)ですか。
...
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Understanding 可能形+もの
「……折紙さんはもう除隊しやがってますし、真那は裏切り同然の形でDEMを出奔していやがります。正面から行って入れてもらえるものですかね？」
The speaker (真那) and her friend (折紙) wanted to enter a military base that they used to belong to. The speaker was asking 折紙 ...
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一時はどうなることかと思った vs 一時はどうなるかと思った
「一時はどうなることかと思ったけど、怪我の功名ってやつね。」
I also found the expression 一時はどうなるかと思った(「At one point [For a while] I was really worried.) in a dictionary. Are both 一時はどうなることかと思った and 一時はどうなるかと思った the same?
If not, ...
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What would be the function or meaning of わけですし?
『それにしても、随分と思い切りましたわね、士道さん』
狂三が、面白がるような口調で言ってくる。士道は一瞬口ごもってから返した。
「……仕方ねえだろ。それに、狂三だって賛成したじゃねえかよ」
『まあ、それはそれですけれど。ーー確かに、折紙さんが現れる前に<ファントム>を追い払うことができたのなら、折紙さんはそもそも攻撃する目標を失うわけですし』
The context is that ...
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Can this sentence be interpreted in more than one way?
I read a sentence
彼女はわかっていた。あるいは、わかっていると思っていた。
It was translated as "She knew, or she thought she knew/knows."
Prior to seeing this translation, in my head, I interpreted it as "I knew her, or ...
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Nuances and context of linking without 〜て / dropped 「て」in linked constructions
(Taken from ジョジョの奇妙な冒険６部: When Jotaro talks to Jolyne about who got her into prison.../ for those who do not know the series: The persons speaking to each other are father and daughter but have a ...
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What does 「ような 」mean in the following sentence?
What is the difference between
以下の条件を満たすような日本語スピーカーを探しています
and
以下の条件を満たす日本語スピーカーを探しています
?
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ではない in Relative Clauses
I have read in several sources that it is grammatically incorrect to use は (topic particle) in relative clauses. However, I am almost certain that I have seen constructions like the following:
...
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Trouble ないで vs なくて
In this answer it is said that the usage of なくて is narrower than ないで(ないで can always replace なくて according to the logic explained and is ambiguous because of that)
But in this question, the answer says ...
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The て form, the と and もの constructions: gerund, participle, transgressive, or verbal noun?
As far as I understand, among the constructions
(て-form verb),
(て-form verb)いる,
(finite verb)こと,
(finite verb)の,
(verb phrase)と,
(finite verb)もの
the form (2) unambiguously functions as a finite verb ...
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when to use あります vs です
I am not 100% sure that I get the difference between あります and です.
I understand parts of it, for example "わたしはマルクスです" using あります doesn't make sense for me here as I think it is more of a &...
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Couldn't "ni" particle be used in this example?
I'm a total newbie learning japanese as you will see, so please be patient with me. I have this sentence from my textbook:
Shiken no toki jisho o minai de kudasai!
Because it was a new lesson, I ...
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～てない - ambiguity between ている and てある
手を上げてない人は私だけです。
上げてない is the negative form of てある right? Most people would omit the い in ている. So for me it is hard to differentiate if てある or ている is used since both sounds the same (negative only). ...
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Word choice of は vs が for this sentence
I know が and は have been done to death, (like this What's the difference between wa (は) and ga (が)?) but i recently read a line a it got me kind of confused.
It was 「なんで大人はいるの？」
So, I believe は ...
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what does か here mean?
ものすごく若くて、ものすごく浅はかだった三十年ばかり前のわたしは、細長い箱に入ったバラの花の贈りものというのに憧れていた。どんな人から贈られることを想像していたのか。ともかく、箱入りバラを受けとるにふさわしい女性になりたいと思ったのである
is this か the same as か in 君は中国人ですか？ if so, how does it differ from ...
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Adding 方（ほう）after a phrase
I've been reading Yotsuba and in this part, when talking about these two sisters, Yotsuba asks: “追いかけてくる方か？強い方か？きれいじゃない方か？”. I'm assuming this is a way to say "The (qualifier) one", but I'm ...
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What are the differences between ~といわれている, ~とされている and ~と考えられている?
I understand that these verbs related to expressing a certain belief or viewpoint. I frequently confuse the three.
From what I can understand the meanings are:
~といわれている
Repeating or reporting on ...
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When would you have things like desu or masu twice or more in one sentence?
I was reading the sentence:
ホテルは高いから、友達のうちに泊まるつもりです,
and I thought, "Can't you also write the sentence as:"
ホテルは高いですから、友達のうちに泊まるつもりです.
But, then couldn't you also stick in だ after the 高い, (...
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のなんのって and variations
Do the structures のなんのって, のなんのと and のなんのといって / のなんのと言って refer to the same and can be used interchangeably? If so, is there also any other variation of のなんのって that can be used in the same way?
A time ...
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What's the purpose of か in 自分に1年間頑張ったご褒美といいますか、プレゼントとして服をかいました。
Encountered in this video at around the 0:35 mark. https://youtu.be/EtmZtv5vwvA
Full sentence: まだ11月で、クリスマスまで1ヶ月ほどありますが、自分に1年間頑張ったご褒美といいますか、プレゼントとして服をかいました。
I understand the sentence as "It's ...
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The meaning of 内 with other Kanjis
Konnichiwa , I found this sentence on the news recently :
"政府内には、「信教の自由を脅かしかねない」との慎重論もあるが、宗教法人法に基づく調査が実施されれば、初めての事になる。"
And I can't figure out whether "政府内には" means "inside ...
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Having a hard time breaking down this sentence and understanding the meaning
Here's the sentence
カン蛙のよろこびようと云ったらもうとてもありません。
I know カン蛙のよろこび refers to "Kan the frog's joy", and I believe that I should read this sentence like this to help understanding the meaning :
...
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Understanding 仕方ないところ
慣れない手つきで敬礼をした、共和国の紺青の軍服の白銀種の少年に、白々とした空気が先任であるシンたち五人の間に漂う。
事前に話は聞いていたとはいえ、共和国市民。反発を覚えるのは仕方ないところだろう。
と、集められた仲間たちの白けた雰囲気を感じつつ、シンは口を開く。
「元は軍人じゃないな。──なぜ志願を？ 敬語はいらない、こちらも似たようなものだ」 人間と無人機という、扱いの違いこそあれ。
86─...
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です vs ありますwhat is the difference between the two? Can they ever be interchangeable?
Q: 日本語の授業は毎日ありますか。一日に何時間ですか。
A: 日本語の授業は毎日あります。一日に二時間あります。
I have questions about the difference between “です” and “あります” regarding the above sentences taken from my textbook. Why is that “です” was used ...
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Understanding てっと at the end of sentence
桐葉「雪妃エレナは分かるんだけど、今日も逢桜は休み？」
ゆめみ「作業日なのに３日もサボリとか……逢桜さんらしくないよね」
寿季「とはいえLIMEに既読もつかないしな……桐葉の方はどう？」
桐葉「私も連絡したけど、なしのつぶてよ。茶店のほうも臨時休業中の張り紙があったし」
寿季「とりあえず心配だから、一言でもいいからメッセージが欲しいってLIMEに書いてっと」
I understand the ...
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Are 接続詞 a syntactically unified class or classes of words, and what are the rules governing them?
A recent comment under a question of mine prompted me to consider how 接続助詞 work syntactically, and to discover that different ones follow different 形 (Japanese Wikipedia has a nice list). However, no ...
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な with a な-adjective before another adjective
赤ちゃんも安全な温かい場所で大きく強くなる。
This sentence is from a book for young children.
Why aren't the two adjectives connected with で （安全で温かい場所）?
I'm not sure if it's important, but in the book the sentence is ...
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Circumstances where polite form is never used?
I am trying to understand when plain conjugations should be used in polite speech. My basic understanding is that plain conjugations are always used when they are followed by particular particles, ...
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0
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291
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what's the meaning of だもん
Yamato and Takeo are discussing why their friend Suna is acting strange lately and Yamato suggests that Suna may be lonely.
I heard this expression a lot lately and was wondering what it could mean.
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Understanding にもかかわらず usage in this context
In the recent Kanokari chapter, Ruka was explaining to Kazuya why he shouldn't go out with the rental girlfriend. Below is her dialogue
和也はお客で、二人の関係はビジネス
たとえ優しくされたと感じても、それは業務の一環であり、壮大な勘違い
にもかかわらず、...
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Using も alone to mean 当然 / “naturally”
I’ve found a usage of も that doesn’t seem to be in any dictionaries, but I’m convinced exists. The structure is:
「〜だから or 〜ば、〜もする」
And the meaning should be:
「〜だから or 〜ば、〜するのも当然のことだ」
“Because ... or ...
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～させ給う - How to interpret?
おお・・・我らが慈母アマテラス大神
御許がこの世を去られて幾星霜時世経て久しくなりにけるも
この蘇神ひと時も欠くことなく今日の日を待ち申しけり
御許の御隠れの際に転び出でし十三の筆神はこの広い人界に惑い散り散りになりにけり
我は天の星座となりて生き長らえたるをいま一度御許に仕わせ失せ物の蘇るを見継がせ給え！
この力あらば涸れた天の川など忽ち星くずで溢れさせ給いぬ
Note: アマテラス大神, ...
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Under what circumstances can you abbreviate forms like ないとならない?
For example, if you have this sentence:
急がないとならない
You can just say:
急がないと
But what if the sentence is...?
急がないとならないからあとで話そうね
Can you omit ならない there? It would turn into:
急がないとからあとで話そうね
It ...
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answers
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Why can't により be used with "concrete, tangible objects"?
According to "A Dictionary of Intermediate Japanese Grammar" p. 297, により/によって can be used as "a particle that indicates means"
その問題は話し合いに{よって/より}解決出来るはずだ。
We should be able to ...
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届けるなってな meaning
I cannot understand the sentence from the grammar point. Could you please explain "届けるなってな" to me?
Why do the Japanese attach なって after the "る" form. What does the particle "な&...
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Why are 近く and 多く nouns?
The く-form of 近い and 多い can be used as nouns and adverbs.
For most adjectives, however, the く-form is only used as an adverb.
So why do these exceptions exist?
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Explanation for 変わった and 似た as adjectivals
I often see the two verbs 変わる and 似る used in their た-form when modifying nouns and I'm not really sure exactly how to make sense of them.
変わる: e.g. as in 「変わった人」. Here I'm wondering why it's not just ...
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