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.
211
questions
2
votes
0answers
45 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 ?
2
votes
0answers
37 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?
1
vote
0answers
26 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
189 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 ...
2
votes
1answer
96 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 ...
3
votes
1answer
95 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 ...
2
votes
1answer
122 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
140 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
96 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 ...
1
vote
1answer
68 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
189 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....
0
votes
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 ...
3
votes
2answers
129 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 ...
3
votes
2answers
154 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 ...
1
vote
1answer
145 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 '...
1
vote
0answers
88 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. ...
1
vote
1answer
85 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 ...
2
votes
1answer
72 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 ...
1
vote
0answers
90 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 ...
1
vote
1answer
159 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 ...
2
votes
0answers
58 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 ...
3
votes
2answers
749 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....
2
votes
2answers
285 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 ...
0
votes
0answers
50 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 ...
0
votes
1answer
92 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 ...
7
votes
2answers
815 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
...
0
votes
1answer
245 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:
...
0
votes
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 ...
1
vote
1answer
142 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
293 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
344 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
234 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 ...
1
vote
0answers
42 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
70 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
286 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 ...
2
votes
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
155 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
685 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 ...
0
votes
1answer
946 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
93 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
132 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
148 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
152 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
117 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
211 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
306 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
136 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
145 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
451 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 ...
6
votes
1answer
143 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), ...
