All Questions
64 questions
80
votes
3
answers
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Difference between -ていく and -てくる
Can someone explain the differences between v-ていく and v-てくる for me. I know that they both express some kind of ongoing action (like a place getting crowded). For example, what's the difference between ...
- 7,188
21
votes
1
answer
6k
views
What is a subsidiary verb?
What is a subsidiary verb? Could someone please explain it and give some examples of its application?
- 473
14
votes
3
answers
14k
views
～ておく or ～とく for preparation (conjugation and nuance)
A few quick questions regarding ～ておく and the casual form ～とく
Firstly, when changing from ～ておく to the more casual ～とく I'm assuming the verb is first conjugated to the ～て form then the ～て is dropped and ...
- 1,764
13
votes
1
answer
2k
views
What's the difference between 歩んでいった and 歩んできた?
私はまっすぐな人生を歩んできた。
私はまっすぐな人生を歩んでいった。
Could someone explain to me the difference between the two? Thanks a lot!
Edit:
I still find ていった confusing even after reading the other post.
So ...
- 133
10
votes
2
answers
1k
views
「しまう」 as an auxiliary verb
I feel like I always see 「しまう」 at the end of sentences (not the verb "to put away"). I saw some examples here on Weblio.
どうしても写真は実物より劣ってしまう。 Pictures really don't do it justice.
...
- 235
9
votes
3
answers
3k
views
How ~てある and ~ておいた differs?
晩ご飯が作ってある
Dinner has been made. (intentional)
晩ご飯を作っておいた.
(I) made dinner (so I can eat it).
They seem quite the same.
Btw what are some cases in which -てあった are used? I can't recreate one.
- 2,712
8
votes
4
answers
4k
views
What's the difference between ～てある and ～た (past form)?
As I understand it てある is rather different to ている in that it refers to a resultant state rather than an ongoing action.
However I wonder, what then is the practical difference between a resultant ...
- 173
7
votes
2
answers
1k
views
Likely Sentences (Nuance in use of 〜てもらう vs Passive form)
Our professor gave us some problems where you are suppose to circle which statement the person is more likely to say. Below is an example.
おまわりさん
よく道を聞かれます。
よく道を聞いてもらいます。
I think this means ...
- 1,293
7
votes
1
answer
1k
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Cohortative ましょう with and without the auxiliary construction ～てみる
In "何かしてみましょう。" meaning "Let's try/do something.", what is the literal translation of "してみましょう"? I've got "して" means "doing" and "みましょう" means "let's watch or let's?".
How is "してみましょう" different ...
- 403
6
votes
2
answers
435
views
新しい発明をした場合、特許を取っておかないと、すぐにその アイデア を使われてしまう
新しい発明をした場合、特許を取っておかないと、すぐにその アイデア を使われてしまう。
The problem stems from the fact that I can't handle some elements in this sentence and therefore also have issues determining the exact meaning of the ...
- 4,847
6
votes
2
answers
787
views
Which verb receives a negation in a Japanese sentence?
I can say 歩いて渡る which translates to "to cross by walking". However, if I would like to say "I am not going to cross by walking, but by some other means", would I say
歩かないで渡る or 歩いて渡らない?
There are ...
- 277
6
votes
2
answers
277
views
Are there any ways to know whether Verbてくる is about time or space?
Are there any ways to know whether Verbてくる is about time or space ?
My friend told me that
when the verb involves changing from a state to another state, ～てくる is usually about time,
when there's ...
- 561
5
votes
2
answers
1k
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besides meaning of preparation, what is other meaning of Te Oku
I have learned that Te Oku means "to do something in advance for preparation".
However I have encountered this sentence :
その紙は いらないのですてておいてください
This paper is not needed, please throw it away.
I ...
- 277
5
votes
2
answers
2k
views
落としちまった - what form is this?
The phrase is pretty simple:
デスノート
落{お}としちまった
Which is obviously, "I dropped my Death Note".
The verb (and the kanji) is for おとす or おちる, which is "to drop" or "to let fall", yet this is a ...
- 269
4
votes
2
answers
250
views
Use of くれる with 信じる
「...そんなはずがあるか」と信じてくれなかった。
...Is such a thing to be expected? He didn't believe me.
I'm used to くれる being used to express the idea that the verb was done for the benefit of the speaker. I don't see ...
- 30.8k
4
votes
1
answer
8k
views
Why is しまいました needed here?
According to a grammar book I'm reading, the sentence "宿題をしないで、学校に出掛けてしまいました" translates into "He went off to school without doing [his] homework." However, I do not understand either why (or even if) ...
- 241
4
votes
2
answers
256
views
Is it possible ～ておく in continuous state (～ている)?
I'm curious now since I read in Tae Kim's Guide that ておく means to prepare/do something for the future.
So for example, if one is currently in the progress of studying for the future would it be this?
...
- 43
4
votes
1
answer
320
views
4
votes
1
answer
595
views
~te + oku vs plain masu form
Good evenings folks,
Currently I'm here in Tokyo learning Japanese for about 2 months now from scratch, and our sensei is teaching us N4 level grammar structures already. My question is, what's the ...
- 379
4
votes
1
answer
6k
views
Different ways of saying "X continues / keep doing X"
I am trying to figure out the differences between all of these forms listed below. The examples are all part of these two pages:
http://japanesetest4you.com/jlpt-n3-grammar-list/
http://...
- 241
4
votes
1
answer
4k
views
What's the meaning of やっていける or いける?
The sentence in question:
しかし、子育てに親が専念できる環境になってきたので、親がおんぶをしなくてもだっこだけでもやっていける。
For full context:
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/web_tokushu/2018_0521.html?utm_int=news_contents_tokushu_004
my attempt at ...
- 4,847
4
votes
1
answer
255
views
Is 〜てある commonly used with verbs other than 書く?
This question is prompted by @Abi's comment on meanings of 「書{か}いてある」 and 「書かれている」:
書いてある seems to be commonly used, while with other verbs 〜てある is not so common, right?
And indeed, I don't ...
- 6,608
3
votes
1
answer
169
views
Can't understand 虫に変ってしまっているのに気づいた
I am trying to read 変身 The Metamorphosis by Kafka. I have troubles understanding the following :
虫に変ってしまっているのに気づいた
translated by
he discovered that he had been changed into a bug
First i'm not ...
- 209
3
votes
2
answers
589
views
What does ワインを買っていくよ mean?
I am very confused about the meaning of the expressions 'ていく' and 'てくる' and seems that every website I look has a different explanation.
Translations that I think are good:
'Go in order to buy wine';
'...
- 63
3
votes
2
answers
3k
views
How do you "try" a suru verb? Like "to try to cook"
According to the internet, to say you try an action you need to use the volitional form + to suru. So miroutosuru is "to try to see". But what about suru verbs like ryouri suru ("to cook")?
3
votes
2
answers
3k
views
くれ in いっしょにきてくれますか？
What is the exact meaning of くれ here:
Will you come with me?
いっしょ に きて くれます か？ / Issho ni kite kure masu ka?
Why would it not be this instead:
いっしょ に きて します か？ / Issho ni kite shimasu ka?
Or do ...
- 131
3
votes
1
answer
126
views
1人ではできなかったので友達に手伝って______。
Could you please explain why the correct answer is 「もらいました」 and not 「くれました」？
Multiple choice answers are:
①やりました
②もらいました
③くれました
④あげました
Thanks!!!
3
votes
2
answers
376
views
ていく (auxiliary verb) - Clarification on nuance
I was revising the grammar for ていく and got this sentence from the Dictionary of Basic Japanese Grammar.
これからは寒くなっていく
The meaning the book gave was that "It will get colder (and continue to be ...
- 331
2
votes
4
answers
3k
views
What is the meaning of 座っておいで?
The おいで after the Te-form seems to convey a kind of command.
Could you explain the usages of this word, what part of speech is it and how it differs from the other kinds of commands?
user7543
2
votes
2
answers
489
views
Verb in ている form ends with しまう
I'm confused by this sentence:
わたしが答える前に急いで川のふちへ歩いていってしまった。
Before I answered he had hurriedly walked to the river side???.
歩いている means walking i.e. progressive form but しまう denotes ...
- 30.8k
2
votes
1
answer
383
views
送ってくれた : Why is both "sending" and "giving" being used together here?
I encountered the sentence:
両親が私にはがきを送ってくれた。
I understand that:
送って translates to a verb meaning "to send", or I assume in this case "sending" due to the "te-form" being used.
I also understand ...
- 373
2
votes
1
answer
165
views
Can we replace 持っていく with 持ってくる in this case?
Consider the following situation.
Both the teacher and her student are not at school when the following occurs.
The teacher posted a picture of a cake in her facebook wall.
The student posted a ...
- 7,519
2
votes
1
answer
173
views
Understanding 殴られてやる
口の中を切った血を吐き捨てて立ち上がる。思いの外にダメージの少ない、淀みのない動き。
「経験上、実際に聞くまで誰も納得しないから言わないだけだ。時間を無駄にしたくない」
「あァ？ おまえ何言って、」
「そのうち話す。……それと、」
言うなりシンはライデンの顔面をぶん殴った。
小柄な体軀で至極コンパクトな振りで、おそろしく効いた。体重の移動と力の伝達が無駄一つなく適切だからで、...
- 4,241
2
votes
2
answers
806
views
なかで after past tense verb
The narrator says that he has a life flying around the world as a pilot, and then says:
そんなふうに生きてきたなかで、僕はいわゆる有能な人たちと、ずいぶんつきあってきた。
Living in this way, I have come to associate with many people ...
- 30.8k
2
votes
1
answer
894
views
Why is it wrong to say 覚えていきます?
if you conjugate a て形動詞 with いく does it mean "I'll do this from here on"?
I understand that it's natural to say 覚えておきます because of the meaning you get when you conjugate with おく (doing in preparation,...
- 1,466
2
votes
1
answer
1k
views
How to grant permission for something in Japanese
I know that させてくれないか is won't you let me?
But how do I say allow? させてあげる I'll let You!.
I want it to be "something + the auxiliary ageru".
Btw.
Why is 借りしてもいい right but not 借りてもいい ?!?!?
I want it ...
- 33
2
votes
1
answer
118
views
Development of existential verbs ゐる / いる (居る), をる / おる (居る)
How did the verbs 居{ゐ}る / 居{い}る, 居{を}る / 居{お}る develop their function as existential verbs?
- 2,233
2
votes
1
answer
159
views
What does てくる mean when used with 選ぶ?
I don't understand what the difference is between this sentence:
おいしそうなカップ麺を選んできます。
and this sentence:
おいしそうなカップ麺を選ぶ。
- 509
2
votes
2
answers
349
views
auxiliary verb くれた being used in context of "having questions"
This question is closely related to a similar question I asked not long ago:
送ってくれた : Why is both "sending" and "giving" being used together here?
I now understand くれた being ...
- 373
2
votes
1
answer
459
views
Help parsing a sentence with possibly embed relatives
“はっきりとしてくれないわたしが好きな人”より“はっきりとしているわたしを好きな人”を憎からず
はっきりとして=Be clear
くれない=not give to me
わたしが好きな人=The person I like
[はっきりとしてくれない]>わたしが好きな人 so はっきりとしてくれない modifies わたし
or
はっきりとしてくれない modifies 人
The ...
- 3,079
2
votes
2
answers
246
views
Use of ており JLPT N3: 「このような都市はコンパクトシティと言われており、...」
I am studying a reading book for JLPT3 and I came across a grammar I can't seem to find:
このような都市はコンパクトシティと言われており、お年寄りも気軽にいろいろな場所へ行くことができる。
Can someone explain the use of the verb おる here?
- 23
2
votes
0
answers
56
views
Meaning of Verb て form + やる？ [duplicate]
Context: Boy challenges girl that he can guess the thing she hates. Girl accepts but jokes that he’ll never be able to guess it. They’re good friends.
Boy in response to her comment, thinks in his ...
- 79
1
vote
1
answer
395
views
Meaning of おられる姿
小池百合子都知事の頑張っている姿、私は最大限評価している。ある意味の古い政治と向き合って戦っておられる姿、共鳴もする。
How do you understand おられる姿?
- 11
1
vote
2
answers
2k
views
Some questions regarding ~てくる (edited)
Up to now my understanding of ~てくる has been very vague. No matter how many explanations I read, in practice my translations always feel uneasy. Here are a few unresolved doubts I have:
From what I ...
- 980
1
vote
2
answers
1k
views
What does もらえる mean in this sentence ?
Here's an excerpt from the article I am reading (link to the article):
あくまで私の個人的な評価ではありますが、この中からあなたのお気に入りの本がきっと見つかるはずですよ！また、今回取り上げる本は文庫版がほとんどなので気軽に買って読んでもらえる作品ばかりです。
Last line is where I am stuck ...
- 1,455
1
vote
1
answer
343
views
When do you use forms of 歩く as a verb to talk about walking?
I've come across different usages of 歩く as a verb and was unsure in which scenarios they would be most appropriate to use.
Is 歩く used with 来る?
東京タワーまで歩いて来ます。
Or is it used with 行く?
東京タワーまで歩いて行きます。
...
1
vote
1
answer
239
views
What's the difference between てform+行くand てform+いる?
I know what both mean and are used for, but when I look at my reference materials, the former is often used to express the same thing as the latter. Are details to this that I'm not getting?
- 1,688
1
vote
1
answer
183
views
Grammar of すぐ医者に連れていこう
I'm learning japanese on my own and face a sentence below.
この子、熱が高くてすごくつらそうだよ。
"すぐ医者に連れていこう。"
What i don't understand is the grammar in the last sentence.
It seems that the book uses a Ving format.
...
- 55
1
vote
1
answer
131
views
What does the きた in this sentence mean?
今度は何を覚えてきた?
Mother said to her daughter that just got back home
I wanna interpret it as "what did you learn? (and got back here home)?" but i don't know if that's correct.
- 206
1
vote
2
answers
201
views
「外国人登録をする時もいっしょについて」 Why ついて?
I am confused by this sentence in my textbook and I hope somebody will help me.
(talking about the host family, specifically the mother/wife)
外国人登録をする時もいっしょについて来てくれました
I think this is saying the ...
- 1,859