Questions tagged [tense]
時制. Questions relating to that property of verbs which allows them to refer to events in the past, present, or future.
175
questions
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vote
0answers
58 views
Mixing of non-past/past in narratives
In the ASK Graded Readers, which present beginner-appropriate short stories, there is a frequently occurring pattern of writing with ~ます during the 'setup' of the story, and then switching to 〜ました ...
3
votes
1answer
114 views
What tense of a verb should be used in the subordinate clause?
In the following example, what tense of the verb should be used: past or non-past? If both are possible will the meaning change?
Children will eat anything their mother brings home.
...
3
votes
2answers
57 views
How to say “I am going” and boundaries of てくる
As far as I have learned 私は行っている can't mean something like "I am going", but would mean something like "I am going regularly (for a certain time)" or "I went there and am there right now".
I have ...
0
votes
1answer
134 views
What is the meaning of している in this sentence?
I know from looking at the title many of you are thinking "Frey, you should KNOW THIS by now." And to be honest I should, its just a matter of the more research I did only served to further confuse me....
2
votes
0answers
83 views
Using ていく to express doing something deeply/longer/strongly and tense agreement with ていくうちに
While trying to understand how to use ていくうちに in this sentence: (from https://japanese.stackexchange.com/a/55251/17515)
子どもの頃から使っていくうちに、身についてきたものだからです。
(The て form) is something we master after ...
3
votes
1answer
120 views
Do you always need the passive voice when saying what happened to you?
For example if I wanted to say “He told me what I needed to know.”
would I say
彼に知らなきゃことを教えられた？
Or would it be something different?
And do I always need to use it if I’m telling someone what ...
2
votes
1answer
139 views
On the interaction between tense harmony and factivity in (dialects of) Japanese
First of all, I'm a linguist asking a VERY technical question, so I'll do my best to make myself understood. I'd prefer if commenters made it clear what their level of Japanese is (native, advanced, ...
3
votes
1answer
120 views
past tense vs non-past in a book
I'm reading 大きな森の小さな家 (Little House in the Big Woods).
This sequence of sentences are all describing a particular occurrence in the past, but some sentences are in non-past forms:
ある晩、父さんは、...
3
votes
1answer
54 views
verb tense in ため clause
I have learnt that we can use a 普通形 before ため but I don't know whether the tense in 普通形 should agree with the tense in the main clause or not.
Thanks a lot.
0
votes
1answer
84 views
Possible explanation for the ている-form also being used as past tense?
I was thrown for a loop when I found out that, in addition to describing events that are happening currently, the ている-form could also be used as past tense:
まだ食べていない。
I have not eaten yet.
I now ...
1
vote
1answer
299 views
Why is it correct to use ～た in this sentence, even though we're talking about next week?
This is how we filled in the blank in class, but I am still having a hard time seeing why or how it would be correct. Here is the sentence,
来週の日曜日、ほかの学生たちといっしょに先生の家にしょうたいされました。
I was thinking that,...
1
vote
1answer
116 views
Why is 燃える + ゴミ = burnable? But the verb is not in ta-form
I saw this in the book.
管理人{かんりにん}: 燃{も}える ごみは 月{げつ}・水{すい}・金{きん}の 朝{あさ} 出{だ}して ください。
I remember that If we want to use a verb as an adjective, we need to change a verb into the Ta-form, but this ...
0
votes
1answer
129 views
What should I use 来ません or 来ません でした
What is correct answer for the question もう ジョンさんは 来ましたか。
いいえ, まだ ジョンさんは 来ません。
or
いいえ, まだ ジョンさんは 来ません でした。
0
votes
1answer
118 views
How to say “a few years in the future” / “a few years from now”
I'd like to express the idea that maybe a few years from now things would work out better. But I can't figure out how that would be said in Japanese. I know that if it were past tense, it could be ...
5
votes
1answer
120 views
What is the reason leading to the difference in tense used for affirmative and negative statements in the construction V~ほうがいい
In the construction of a suggestion statement with V~ほうがいい, the past (perfect) tense is used for the affirmative (according to this and this, the present tense can also be used for general advice), ...
3
votes
1answer
88 views
Raishuu ni natta or naru?
I found the following sentence in Minna No Nihongo:
すみませんが、出張は来週になったと伝えていただけませんか
Sumimasenga, Shucho wa raishu ni natta to tsutaete itadakemasenka?
'Please, Could you tell him that the ...
2
votes
1answer
164 views
Progressive form of movement verbs (or other stative verbs)
This is a fork from the question What's the progressive form of 来る, 帰る and 行く.
So the question explained that when ている is conjugated with these movement verbs (or other verbs that are more or ...
7
votes
1answer
573 views
The past tense for the quoting particle って
I have this sentence in front of me
耳元で男の人の声がするのが耐えられないって
which is translated as:
she said she couldn't stand hearing a male voice near her ear.
If I am right, here, って is actually translated ...
1
vote
2answers
336 views
How can 若い時 and ずっと work in this sentence?
I'm trying to write
"I have wanted to study Japanese from a young age"
And I have
"若い時に私は日本語をずっと勉強したいです."
Does this work? How can I make it more correct?
3
votes
1answer
135 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。
2
votes
2answers
167 views
Past tense …でする vs. past tense copula です confusion
Maybe this is a stupid question, because very likely it is possible for advanced learners to distuiguish this. However, in the present tense ...でする (particle で) and ...です (copula) are distinct, while ...
9
votes
1answer
686 views
「卒業して以来」と「卒業した以来」どちらが正しいですか？
I got the wrong answer when playing the 'JLPT Taisen' japanese game.
The question is: "田中さんとは、学校を_____以来、会っていない".
I think the answer is "卒業した", but "卒業して" is correct.
Please teach me why?
6
votes
1answer
175 views
Can みたい refer to a clause in the past?
I was thinking the other day that one of the differences between みたい and そう (meaning "it seems") is that the first can be bound to a sentence in the past while the second forces the verb of the ...
4
votes
2answers
74 views
そうです or そうでした for sentences that end with でしたか
山下先生のせんこうはれきしでしたか。
To answer the above sentence, would the sentences below be acceptable?
はい、そうでした。
はい、そうです。
Is 1 the only acceptable answer since the question is in past tense?
8
votes
2answers
1k views
Is there a distinction between ‘did“ and ”have done" in Japanese?
According to internet sources and my Chinese friend living in Japan, there isn't. However, can someone provide more evidence on this issue? If there is no grammatical distinction, how can we ...
5
votes
1answer
119 views
Confused with verb form ( I am eating vs I was eating, vs I haven’t eaten (yet))
So i came across this question and I can’t seem to get my head around it! Sorry if it’s obvious.
I learned that the progressive form for a verb (-ing ) is the ーて form + (-いる/-います） .
So I am eating ...
5
votes
1answer
119 views
Usage of the verb 続く in past tense
From this article
日本では、スポーツの選手がコーチなどから暴力やパワーハラスメントを受ける問題が続きました。
The problem of sportsmen receiving violence and harassment from coaches in Japan continued.
I don't understand why 続く is written ...
11
votes
1answer
257 views
Does the tense of the final verb ALWAYS dictate the tense of an earlier て form verb?
So I was always taught in my textbooks that the last verb in a sentence dictates the whole tense of the sentence, e.g:
神戸に行って、映画を見ました。
I WENT to Kobe and WATCHED a movie.
However, I've started ...
5
votes
1answer
329 views
“I have become sleepy, because I did not sleep much last night”textbook wrong translation?
"I have become sleepy, because I did not sleep much last night"
What in the textbook:
きのうの夜あまり寝なかったから、眠くなりました。
What I think is right:
きのうの夜あまり寝なかったから、眠くなります。
5
votes
1answer
432 views
How does one differentiate between future tense (will) and present tense?
How do I differentiate between future tense and present tense. For example, the sentence:
私は魚を食べる
If I am not mistaken, the above sentence can either mean "I will eat fish" or "I eat fish".
...
3
votes
1answer
113 views
When to use ところ / て+いるところ / た+ところ
In this sentence:
「もしもし、今、駅に向かって（_______）ところです。 あと５、６分でつきます。」
What should be the correct tense of the verb 歩く? Should I base my answer on the word 今 or the てform of 向かう?
If there is 今 does that ...
6
votes
1answer
169 views
Sentence in the present tense when the text is in the past tense?
ゲームをやめるとグループから外されるんじゃないかといつも不安でした。不安になった日の翌朝は、友だちにすごく優しくするんです。
そうやって友だちに奉仕して、関係を無理矢理にでもうまくつなごうとしていました。いつの間にか友だちづきあいに疲れてしまっていましたね(source)
I don't understand why the past tense isn't used for 優しくする(=>...
0
votes
1answer
123 views
Which verbal tense is used in the sentence ビールを飲んで運転するのはダメだ。 for the verb nomu?
I'm trying to understand which verbal tense is used for the verb nomu in this sentence.
ビールを飲んで運転するのはダメだ。
According to http://www.japaneseverbconjugator.com/VerbDetails.asp?txtVerb=%E9%A3%B2%E3%82%...
4
votes
2answers
355 views
past tense na adjective + noun
I have two sentences that im using to try to understand how na adjectives are conjugated in Japanese.
私の友達は綺麗な人 - My friend is a beautiful person
私の友達は綺麗だった人 - My friend was a beautiful person
In ...
2
votes
1answer
65 views
What's the difference between 食べていよう and 食べましょう?
From a glance I'm guessing て + いる (~ていよう) is the volitional casual and ~ましょう is the polite form of it?
Are these the same meaning? "Let's eat" or am I making a wrong assumption?
2
votes
3answers
541 views
Why 入った and not 入た past tense
I've learned that ru verbs should drop る and replace it with た.
But 入る becomes 入った and I'm not sure why.
The same goes for
食べる → 食べた
しゃべる → しゃべた
Are these irregulars or am I misunderstanding ...
4
votes
2answers
513 views
When to use するほうがいい instead of したほうがいい in order to mean “Should do”?
So, I was in hello talk writing about how eating ramen everyday might not be healthy:
(I will number the sentences)
1 - ...だから、時々ラーメンを食べたほうがいいね
Then, a native speaker corrected my sentence to:
...
1
vote
0answers
128 views
perfective aspect vs resultative present progressive vs resultative past progressive
Firstly, I am not a linguist and will probably use linguistic terminology inappropriately. よろしくお願いします。
What is the difference in meaning between verbs in the perfective aspect (～た), present ...
4
votes
1answer
495 views
What is the difference between するはずだった andしたはずだった
I have confusion with the past tense of verb combined with the past tense of はず したはずだった
From what I understand:
するはず - Supposed to do verb at some point in the future (don't know
outcome yet)
したはず -...
8
votes
1answer
377 views
Question regarding Zutto and Datta in the same clause
I'm still just learning Japanese,so forgive me if this is a silly question. I'm confused... How can something be "zutto" and "datta" at the same time?
(A) ずっと好きだった (zutto suki datta)
Which I ...
1
vote
1answer
111 views
What does this sentence mean exactly?
I've started playing a visual novel and came across this sentence in the first minute of, in lack of a better term, gameplay.
学校【がっこう】の軍隊【ぐんたい】が出陣【しゅつじん】してもう二週間【にしゅうかん】たったけれど、全然【ぜんぜん】戻ってくる【もどってくる】...
1
vote
1answer
112 views
Meaning of 疑問を胸に取材を進める
The sentence in question:
そんな疑問を胸に取材を進めると、改めて、おんぶの魅力を知ることになりました。
For full context:
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/web_tokushu/2018_0521.html?utm_int=news_contents_tokushu_004
My attempt at translation:
...
3
votes
1answer
162 views
A consistent explanation about the various forms of ていくand てくる?
I don't know if my question will be well received but I searched a pretty long time and didn't found a good answer so I try.
I was trying to read this NHK article and I found this form:
「いや、実はそもそも、...
1
vote
1answer
100 views
[Tense]: Present tense and continuous tense
I met a strange usage of tenses (辞書 and ている form) like:
「あいつは変わらないと言うべきか、変わってないと言うべきか」
I guess that it might be some kind of word play by using different tenses (future and present continuous) ...
0
votes
1answer
128 views
Kao wa oboeta: remembered or memorized?
Does this mean that the person remembered the person's face from seeing it somewhere before this moment or that he had his face memorized just now? There isn't context to it so I'm not sure. Can it ...
1
vote
2answers
350 views
Is おいしそうだった grammatical?
In my grammar dictionary, it gives the example
あのステーキはおいしそうだった
but under the notes it goes on to say that 「そうだ」 can not be used with regards to past events or states.
3
votes
2answers
203 views
Convert to Ta-Form when followed by a noun [duplicate]
Original sentence :
解雇がないため、一生安定した職業になります。
My question is, why not :
一生安定する ?
When do we need to convert the verb to Ta-Form ?
2
votes
2answers
396 views
The different usage of「知っている」and「知っていた」
I am curious about the tense of ”知る” because both present and past tenses are often used.
来月、このビルが壊されます。知っていましたか。(present, past)
彼女がどこへ行ったか知っていますか。(past, present)
〇〇ってどこにあるか知っていますか。(present, ...
4
votes
1answer
459 views
i am confusesd as to what historical present tense is, when it is used, etc
I understand that historical present tense is basically a tense that uses
"present tense to describe past events/actions more vividly and lively..." - Chocolate
Doing my own research into possible ...
2
votes
1answer
180 views
Questions relating to連体修飾
I know it's hard to explicate , so please just tell me the nuance and may be the difference.I am really confused with 「連体修飾」. I even don't know when should I use 「辞書形」 and 「タ」，after I know 「タ」is not ...
