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.
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questions
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Could the “ていない” in “絶対無理って言ってない？” be interpreted as past?
“絶対無理って言ってない？” from context I would translate it as “didn’t you say it was impossible?”, but I just can’t wrap my head around the grammar. How would “って言ってなかった？” or “って言わなかった？” change the meaning?
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1answer
70 views
Past tense when noun clause is in the middle of the sentence
For this sentence, how does past tense apply with noun clauses
Mr Suzuki was writer who wanted to live near the forest
Do I say
鈴木さんは森林の近くに住みたい作家でした。
or
鈴木さんは森林の近くに住みたかった作家でした。
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1answer
98 views
Interpretations of できる and できている
Here are two lines (台詞) from different animes.
女の子って、何でできてる？ (放浪息子)
でも、それ、じゃ赤ちゃんってどうしてできるんだろう (苺ましまろ)
I'm wondering why the verb できる (make) appears in the different tenses but it's expressing same ...
2
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1answer
120 views
Why 言うから instead of 言ったから?
これも結局 理沙が言うから 買っちゃったんだよね
I only bought this because Risa talked me into it.
Why is it not using the past tense: 理沙が言ったから ? Not only was Risa saying this in the past, but even the resulting action ...
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1answer
74 views
What is the correct tense for を生み?
一つの時代の積み重ねが新たな伝説を生み、ここにまた一人のヒーローが誕生した。ロックマン (source)
Here are two translations I have:
The culmination of one era gives birth to a new legend, and here again another hero is born.
The efforts of an ...
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2answers
98 views
Don't understand past tense used as present perfect in Japanese
I'm reading a Japanese beginners book in which I have found a 'present perfect' sentence for the first time, but I don't understand it very well:
The sentence
見たことがある女の人がいます
according to my book, is ...
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1answer
175 views
Helping verb きた vs. きていた
During studies I recently stumbled over this sentence:
大きな犬がこっちに走ってきたので、びっくりした。
My question is why きた is used in 走ってきた. I would have guessed it should be a きていた, as びっくりした is past tense and 走って ...
3
votes
2answers
151 views
What tense to use for verbs describing abstract actions?
Here are 3 examples of 重きを置く.
昔は徳育に重きを置いた。People used to attach weight to moral culture. [斉藤和英大辞典]
聞くことと話すことに重きを置いた言語獲得の体系 system of language acquisition focusing intensively on listening and ...
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2answers
82 views
A counter example to the rule on tense in relative clauses?
In the comments to this question I learnt that
明日、林さんに会うときに、この本を返そう
and
明日、林さんに会ったときに、この本を返そう
have the same meaning, although 会った is more common.
With my current understanding, that the tense in a ...
4
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1answer
105 views
相対テンス in 名詞修飾 is also true when it comes to アスペクト（テイル) or other forms like 〜てしまう, etc?
According to 初級を教える人のための日本語文法ハンドブック, in Japanese, 名詞修飾 is mostly 相対テンス, and sometimes 絶対テンス if that is the only way where the context can make sense.
However, it says it only discusses テンス, but not ...
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0answers
30 views
onomatopoeia＋した as modifiers [duplicate]
Examples like あっさりした味、ちょっとした風邪、きちんとした身なり have onomatopoeia＋した as modifiers. There do not seem to be examples with した replaced with する. Is this observation correct? If so, is there a reason why した is ...
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1answer
50 views
「そこで泳ぐことがありますか」or 「そこで泳いだことがありますか」
I'm asked to complete the following sentence with the appropriate inflected form of the verb:
The book provided a translation: "Have you ever had a swim there?" This indicates experience as ...
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0answers
46 views
ことにする tenses nuances [duplicate]
What are the nuances related to tense change about these sentences :
早く起きることにしました。
早く起きることにします。
早く起きることにしています。
Do the intensity or moment of the decision is different for each form ?
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0answers
39 views
Use of the past for a request? [duplicate]
In One Punch Man, Genos says ちょっと待った instead of ちょっと待って when asking Saitama to wait. Why?
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0answers
29 views
Point of view in Japanese writing, verb tenses and temporal location? [duplicate]
A little while ago, I asked this question about the Japanese point of view: How do you identify the point of view in Japanese (for novels)? The answer seemed to be that you need to watch for the ...
2
votes
3answers
199 views
Is it not needed to use an adjective in the ta-form when paired with 時 as a temporal adverbial clause?
According to Essential Japanese Grammar by Masahiro Tanimori and Eriko Sato (page 352), we can pair adjectives in the ta-form with 時 to form a temporal adverbial clause. Strangely, the book doesn't ...
3
votes
1answer
97 views
Using だった for things that haven't changed
I'm a little confused by the tenses in the following monologue taken from the beginning of a manga chapter:
黒い服が好きだった
昏い闇の中に居ても
安心して溶け込んでいられるから
この年になっても私は
中二病を拗らせたままでいる
Now, in my native ...
2
votes
1answer
96 views
になりました vs になっています
Can someone explain the difference between these two to me?
長い間日本語を勉強しなくて、下手になりました
長い間日本語を勉強しなくて、下手になっています
The way I understand it currently is that the first one indicates that at some point in ...
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1answer
123 views
NHK News Easy article: Constant tense changes, and そこに as a conjunction
In this NHK News Easy story, the second paragraph describes an online video showing a river suddenly flooding.
初めは、水は静かに流れています。そこに、急に水がたくさん流れてきます。川はすぐに茶色の水でいっぱいになりました。流れる水の力もとても強くなりました。
The tense is ...
2
votes
1answer
146 views
Problem Understanding the 経つ Verb
So I came across this sentence in a textbook:
家の近くで殺人事件が起きて１か月経つが、いまだに犯人は見つかっていない。
I think the sentence is supposed to mean 'Since the murder occurred near my house, a month has passed, but the ...
3
votes
1answer
108 views
How to express the future perfect progressive tense?
Here's an example sentence in English with this tense
On July 1st, it will have rained for 2 months
I understand that there's no such tense in Japanese, but how do I go about expressing it?
Here are ...
0
votes
1answer
72 views
The implication of 段々 with a non-past verb (なります)
A sentence from my current favourite bugbear:
息子の成績が段々よくなります。
My son's grades are getting better and better. (given translation)
I have two problems with the given translation:
"getting better ...
3
votes
1answer
197 views
Why「なっていた」is used here?
I was reading a manga about a boy who turned into a girl. I found this odd line.
つまり... 目が覚めたら突然女の子になっていた... という事でいいですか?
When the girl-boy arrived at school, his kouhai didn't recognize him at first....
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1answer
77 views
A question about 目を合わせる
So the thing is that I found the next sentence:
目を合わせて逸らさない、というのはそれだけで真摯に見える。
I understand the whole sentence and all, but that 「目を合わせて逸らさない」is troubling me.
I asked what it meant, and it was ...
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votes
2answers
133 views
Wanted to go vs wants to go in Genki I
In Genki 2nd edition chapter 11, the following translation is given:
メアリーさんはチベットに行きたいと言っていました
Mary said she wanted to go to Tibet
I would have thought that the translation should be that she wants ...
2
votes
2answers
155 views
Can 〜頃から be followed by ル形? or is タ形 mandatory?
Let's take the following examples:
1(a). 子供の頃から、ずっとパリに行きたかった
1(b). 子供の頃から、ずっとパリに行くのが夢でした
2(a). 子供の頃から、パリに行きたかった
2(b). 子供の頃から、パリに行くのが夢でした
3(a). 子供の頃から、パリに行きたいです
3(b). 子供の頃から、パリに行くのが夢です
From what I ...
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1answer
156 views
Meaning of 実況してみた
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7jUeifzCIlU
In the first few seconds of this ad promoting a TV show, the narrator is saying 実況してみた. I looked up 実況する and see it means 'live broadcast', so does it mean '...
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0answers
89 views
Why is た form used instead of る form here? [duplicate]
するとその横で、耶倶矢がむうとうなる。
「ふん、本条蒼二が女だったとはな……我が目をたばかるとはなかなかやりよる」
「あ、耶倶矢も知ってたのか？」
士道が問うと、耶倶矢はこくりと首を前に倒してきた。
「当然だ。颶風の御子は大衆の娯楽にも通じておるわ」
耶倶矢 previously thought 本条蒼二 was male and just realized 本条蒼二 was female. ...
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1answer
98 views
Verbs in the past tense as modifiers [duplicate]
Here is a sentence that I encountered in a grammar exercise book.
当分はアルバイトをしながら、自分に向いた仕事を探すつもりだ。
I am puzzled with the choice of the past tense 「向いた」. (Unfortunately the grammar point for the ...
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votes
1answer
79 views
The difference between 困る and 困った in this sentence
This is a multiple choice question and the correct answer seems to be 困った, but I wonder why 困る is not right.
The sentence is as follows
しまった!財布を忘れてきた。(困る/困った)なあ。
I do think Japanese tense can be quite ...
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0answers
95 views
What's this strange use of non-past 〜た in a question?
I've come across a character in a show wondering:
...っとは言った物の...どこから手を付けたものか
This was translated as:
But after all I said, where do we start?
I generally view the 〜た form as past tense, but here ...
2
votes
1answer
220 views
Difference between るところだった and たところだった
My question is probably closely related to this one but I wasn`t able to successfully apply the explanation to the grammar of （もう少し/危うく）...ところだった
On this site it is stated that ところだった is formed with ...
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0answers
62 views
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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votes
2answers
752 views
Why is わからない the wrong choice in this sentence
I came across the following exercise for JLPT N2:
親に本当のことを言おうか言うまいか＿
a わからない b ３日も考えている c 関係ない
The right answer is b, which makes sense. Though I wonder why a wouldn't also be a reasonable choice here....
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2answers
303 views
Why usage of た and not ている in the following usage
I was watching a Japanese Drama, and I have questions regarding the usage of Past tense (た) instead of Present Perfect (ている) in the following sentence.
In this Drama a person was looking for someone ...
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0answers
51 views
Sentence that I find odd [duplicate]
So the title of a video I've watched for immersion (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qmd_p5qnzCM) is the following :
天の川がアンドロメダと衝突したとき何が起こるか
I would translate it to something like "When the milky ...
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1answer
100 views
double past correct?
If I want to say:
I THOUGHT (I no longer think that) that you called me～
Would it be okay to say:
～を呼んだと思った
(edit) or maybe:
～を呼ばれたと思った
I'm not very sure, I think I have never read such a double ...
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2answers
853 views
Past tense and ~と思う
In my grammar textbook, there's the following fill in the blank:
報告書はこのような書き方では（ ）と思います。
One of the incorrect choices is
報告書はこのような書き方では（わかりやすかった）と思います。
Incidentally, the correct answer is
...
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1answer
248 views
How can I combine time markers with different verb tenses?
The original title of
Question:
Sentences with strange/Incorrect(from English point of view) [Time conjunctive][Conclusive verb form] combinations and aspects/nuances reflected?
I read this thread:
...
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1answer
81 views
Do わずかに and しか alter the negation of negative verb to make the meaning positive?+Cases when 行っていません expresses the past?
私は学校へわずかに二ヶ月しか行っていません。
Translation was:
I only went to school for barely 2 months.
My understanding of the sentence was:
2)[I don't/didn't go to school for barely 2 months only].
Why would 1) be ...
0
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1answer
169 views
そう with verbs in different forms as well as the differences with みたい
Here are a couple of sentences:
雨が降るそうです
雨が降りそうです
Does 1 mean I hear it will rain, while 2 means It seems it will rain??
And then, what about tenses?:
雨が降ったそうです
?
1 meaning I heard it will rain? ...
6
votes
2answers
343 views
住んでいた時 or 住んでいる時
In this question, there is a sentence
私はローマに住んでいた時に子供でした。
My question is: do we need to consider relative tense here?
Can we say 住んでいる時 to mean that the event that I was living in Rome (A) and the ...
3
votes
1answer
392 views
「見つかりません」v.s.「見つけません」
In my Japanese textbook, there’s a fill-in-the-blank question (and here I will modify it into a multiple-choice question for better comparison and contrast):
さっきから携帯電話を探しているのですが、
A. 見つかりません。
B. ...
7
votes
1answer
272 views
Usage of した時 vs. している時?
I was reading a passage (from AIAIJ) and came across this sentence:
ベティーは、日本でホームステイをした時、スリッパの使い方になれるまで、ずいぶん時間がかかった。
I was wondering why した時 is used. To me, this gives me the nuance of "After Betty ...
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vote
0answers
45 views
Japanese Past Progressive? [duplicate]
《アパート『へ』帰る『と』ハガキ『が』一枚届いていた…》
In that sentence, why is the verb using the past progressive form?
届いていた=〜て+いた right? Does it mean that the letter was being delivered when he got to this apartment?
...
1
vote
1answer
77 views
持て余していた vs 持て余している
持て余していた力を、陽菜さんにもらった勇気を、僕のなかで叫び続けている気持ちを、今こそ全部使い切るために僕は走る。
Hi. Why is 持て余す used in ていた form instead of ている form?
If either 持て余していた or 持て余している can be used there, what is the difference between them? I ...
7
votes
1answer
296 views
Tense and conjugation: いないみたいでした v.s. いなかったみたいでした
Consider the following four sentences:
1.誰もいないみたいでした。ノックしましたが、返事がありませんでした。
2.誰もいなかったみたいでした。ノックしましたが、返事がありませんでした。
3.誰もいなかったみたいです。ノックしましたが、返事がありませんでした。
4.誰もいないみたいです。ノックしましたが、返事がありませんでした。
There are two ...
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0answers
82 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
169 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.
...
4
votes
2answers
841 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 ...
