Questions tagged [verbs]
動詞. A class of words which describe events or states and can be inflected to indicate tense, aspect, voice, and so forth. In citation form, all Modern Japanese verbs end in -(r)u.
1,067
questions
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2answers
55 views
Meaning of たりしたら
I was reading something and I found this thing attached to a verb. The sentence was this one:
ふと脇を見て、そこに洗濯物がたたんであったりしたら。
What meaning does it have?
2
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1answer
91 views
Using 来る for product release
Is 来る strictly for coming to a physical location, or can it be used to describe a product a product release.
For example:
来月映画は来ます。
The movie will be coming out next month.
これは先月来た映画の写真です。
This is ...
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1answer
205 views
Why are there so many three kana kunyomi verbs beginning with あ?
謝る、扱う、現れる、表す、諦める、争う、改める、…
Why are there so many verbs beginning with あ and with three kana kunyomi?
Is there some etymological reason for this? I can't imagine this is completely incidental, though ...
5
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1answer
106 views
What effect does adding 「取り~」 before a verb have?
I've encountered many verbs with 「取り~」 inserted. Up till now I've treated 「取り+verb」 as separate vocabulary, but quite often, the definitions are not much different than the base verb alone. In ...
4
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1answer
105 views
Can the particle を work as から in certain situations?
I found the next sentence:
村を飛び出した
Because of 飛び出す being an intransitive verb, then that を is not working as a direct object marker, right? Then can を work as a "substitute" for から in this ...
0
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1answer
54 views
What's the difference between 【Noun + が + いadj】 and 【Noun + の + Verb】
I was reading and I found the next sentence:
そこから動きの鈍った魔物がもぞもぞと入り込んでくる
And I had that question, What's the difference between that and saying
そこから動きが鈍い魔物がもぞもぞと入り込んでくる
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0answers
36 views
Past-tense inflection used for a future action [duplicate]
In this sentence
早く寝た方がいいですよ。
which is translated as
You should go to sleep early.
I am confused about the reason in which the past tense inflection for 寝る is used. Is this a similar construct ...
1
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1answer
58 views
Understanding the negative potential form
In this sentence:
無用なものを入れると、無用なものしか取り出せない
Which I interpreted literally as
"If you put in useless things, nothing but useless things aren't able to be taken out."
It seems that a more ...
3
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1answer
165 views
How would one say “to call on a student”?
I would like to write a sentence to the effect of "the student was afraid to be called on." I have searched all over to find the verb of "calling on" a student and the best I can ...
3
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1answer
99 views
Conjugating Nidan Verbs
I am studying elementary Japanese, not classical forms of the language. In the online dictionary Jisho.org, I found the verb 憂ふ/'to be worried or concerned about' listed as a nidan verb. Does that ...
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0answers
163 views
Where does the -a stem come from with auxiliary-constructed transitive/intransitive verb pairs if the base verb is a 二段活用 (or カ行変格活用)?
It seems to be generally understood that transitive/intransitive verb pairs, when they are not a 四段活用 and a 二段活用 that share the same 終止形, were created by taking a base verb, whether transitive or ...
2
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1answer
386 views
Why 鍵を開ける instead of 鍵で開ける
So I am a beginner when it comes to japanese and today I stumbled upon the phrase "鍵を開ける".
As I understand, one of the usages of the particle で is, how something or where something is done.
...
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2answers
73 views
Difference between っての名詞 and る名詞
In the grammar explanation for なりに on japanesetest4you.com, I ran into the following sentence:
私には私なりの理由があっての事だったんです。
I am curious about one part in particular:
があっての
Is this any different than がある? I ...
0
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1answer
70 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 ...
4
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2answers
88 views
注意を向ける vs. 注意を向けさせる - same meaning?
I understand the difference in concept; YがXを向ける = "Y turns X", and ZがYにXを向けさせる = "Z makes Y turn X". But in practical usage with 注意を~, I can't tell the difference. Do native ...
2
votes
1answer
131 views
Modifying nouns - iku
My textbook (Minna No Nihongo I ch. 22) gives:
私がいつも買い物するスーパーは野菜が安いです
(The supermarket I always do my shopping at has cheap vegetables (for sale)).
I'm guessing this is ok actually, and it might be ...
1
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1answer
97 views
やまをこえ、のを こえて、。。。— how to interpert “こえ”?
I'm a newbie and I'm now trying to parse my first text, the １１ぴきの猫 children book.
There is a sentence: 山をこえ、のを こえて、どんどん 行くと、はるかむこうに みずうみが みえました。
I think the overall meaning is clear, but I'm puzzled ...
2
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1answer
187 views
休む usage with を？
I'm a beginner to Japanese, and I just learned about transivity. I read that the verb 休む is intransitive, and it means "to take a break from." I also read that intransitive verbs cannot take ...
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1answer
35 views
歩いてた what is form of verb? [duplicate]
I have seeing in some song this:
いつもひとりで歩いてた
How was this form formed? (歩いてた) Explain tocme please.
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0answers
40 views
what does the と particle indicate or mean used before a verb? [duplicate]
We're taught that と particle is used as and & with connecting nouns.
1. But in this sentence 上司が「一杯、飲もう」と言った the verb 言った is followed by と.
And the sentence means [My boss said: "Let's have ...
2
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1answer
169 views
Comprehension problem of 世に囁かれる星の数にも届くそれらは、一種の「願望」である。
世に囁かれる星の数にも届くそれらは、一種の「願望」である。
I have this sentence in Japanese that I'm not sure I completely understand. My own comprehension of the sentence is: "Those who reach the severals stars in the ...
3
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1answer
120 views
Please explain use of 入る in this context
This is an excerpt from SAO - the context is that a character has suggested Kirito may be a spy. Leafa responds by saying:
スパイにしてはちょっと天然ボケ入りすぎてるし
Not asking for a translation, as I already ...
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1answer
71 views
聞かす vs The Causative Form of 聞く (and what about 聞かさせる???)
I was reading Naruto and came across the word 聞かされた. I understood its meaning, but soon got confused when tried to go about its conjugation. And thus I came across these...
寝る・寝かす
聞く・聞かす
待つ・待たす
散る・...
1
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1answer
137 views
Can I use て connecting form with ている?
I know I can use て-form to connect verbs (e.g chronological order) and I know I can use ている for repeated action. My question is: can I combine them?
For example:
毎日{まいにち}コンビニに行{い}って、 りんごを買{か}っている。
...
2
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1answer
144 views
How to negate connected verbs which in て-form?
As I know if I connect verbs with て-form then the last verb determine the tense, politeness. But how can I negate the sentence? Should I just negate the last verb or should I negate the verb which in ...
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1answer
63 views
Is there a situation where 造語 such as “ググる” could be used with the “ます” ending?
I ask this out of pure curiosity, but would there be any situation where you could reasonably say something along the lines of, "はい、今はそれをググります。"
What I've seen/thought of Katakana+る words ...
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0answers
50 views
Where does the か in なかった come from? [duplicate]
So I'm trying to understand Genki's preferred past negative form of です, that is: じゃなかったです. I'm confused by the なかった.
As I understand it from this source, this is a combination of two 助動詞: the 連用形 ...
2
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1answer
114 views
How to express “<imperative> or <imperative>”?
I want to express the structure “A or B”, where A and B are verbs in the imperative mood. The specific example I want to say is “Stand and rot or fall apart right now.”
I assume just saying 「...
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2answers
238 views
What's the origin of ～み following a 形容詞?
I found a HiNative question where someone asked about the difference between [痛]{いた}さ and [痛]{いた}み. A native Japanese speaker gave this answer:
「痛さ」は形容詞「痛い」が名詞化した名詞です。
「痛み」は動詞「痛む」の連用形が名詞化した名詞です。
I ...
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1answer
53 views
Ending Grammar in 遅くなる前に、帰りや。
I do not understand the grammar behind 帰りや in 遅くなる前に、帰りや。The meaning I have for this sentence is "Please go home before becoming late." It looks as if it is a grammar form using verb stem + ...
3
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1answer
78 views
のける after て form
I was reading モンスター while learning verbs and read this:
「君は院長のために、あのオペを絶対に成功させなきゃならなかったし、期待にこたえて見事成功させてのけた。」
On Jisho it says that のける can be used as an auxiliary verb behind a て form meaning 'to do ...
2
votes
1answer
49 views
だれにも + passive verb
誰にも怪しまれずに動き回れた
Does 怪しまれず take the に in 誰にも or has the second に after も been omitted because it can not be used after も?
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0answers
44 views
What is the difference between Japanese は and を as a particle?
so for topic markers I usually use は but what about を? I assume its used for verbs? if its not then correct me.
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1answer
77 views
Is the sequence -んだと missing?
I found this sentence in a textbook:
来月までには出来あがらないと思います。
It was translated as "I think that we'll not make it until next month".
But the と particle after the negated verb is confusing me. I ...
2
votes
1answer
110 views
How to refer to a person as an 'It'
In english you can call objects an 'it', as well as people, and generally seen as rude to call a person an 'it'. Is it possible for something similar to be done in japanese? Call a person an 'it'?
If ...
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1answer
68 views
Meaning of -てる in 付けてる
I have stumbled across verbs such as 付けてる, listed as a conjugation of 付ける in takoboto. Is this equivalent to 付けている? Or what?
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1answer
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Is 「出ちゃいけません」 short for 「出ちゃってはいけません」?
The sentence in question:
道の外側に出ちゃいけません！
While it is obvious what it means, I am wondering how precisely it is constructed grammatically.
The textbook way of expressing "must not do" using ...
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3answers
684 views
Why is 測 written in hiragana sometimes?
The dialog in this PDF document has the word はかります but when I search the word in romaji, only 測ります (and some other variations), show up in the results. Why is it that the kanji word 測 is written like ...
3
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1answer
348 views
Volitional verb (意志動詞) and non-volitional verbs (無意志動詞)
I don’t get how "日本語が上手になるように毎日勉強しています" (日本語が上手になる) is a non-volitional verb/uncontrollable verb
(Uncontrollable Verb - 雨が降る can’t control when it rains. 朝になった can’t control time)
I ...
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1answer
269 views
Question about these sentences with 稼｛かせ｝げる
I'm reading a light novel and a runaway girl's brother has finally come to pick her up. The two are talking and the girl says she isn't quite ready and doesn't want to go back home.
He eventually ...
0
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1answer
52 views
How does this verb interaction work?
In the sentence, how do verbs interact?
時を表す同じ語を前後に置いて、それを強調する意を表す。
I understand 時を表す同じ語を前後に置いて as place identical time representing words at the front and rear but I don't really know if this is ...
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1answer
151 views
ご存じ how to use properly and why
I found a couple of examples using this noun; neither makes a lot of sense.
i think that ご存じ is an irregular polite form of 知る. However, if that is the case it is a bit odd as the polite form of a ...
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1answer
42 views
Looking for help sorting out how some verbs work and hopefully a good resource for sorting such things out
I am having a bit of trouble figuring out which of these is for what; which i have to admit as i am learning more ways to say the same thing then the polite, humble ways to say one or more of those i ...
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0answers
60 views
Is there a rule to writing verbs in hiragana or kanji when used as a suffix? [duplicate]
A common pattern I've noticed is for verbs like 行く and 来る after the て form of another verb. I know this is grammatically simply verb listing, but in terms of meaning the verbs often times sort of ...
1
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1answer
114 views
Verb nominalization with plain form vs の
I was wondering if there is any clear rule as when to use plain form vs の
eg.
その食べっている人。
ラメンをたべるのが好き。
0
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1answer
41 views
What's the nuance between these two example sentrences from Genki I? [duplicate]
I'm currently studying Japanese using Genki as one of my resources. At the end of Lesson 8 for the second edition of Genki I, in a section called Expression Notes 9, the textbooks tries to explain ...
0
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1answer
104 views
How do you say as you can see?
I've found other ways to say "as you can see" but most of them are the literate verb to see 見てる. I'm trying to explain something in the sentence.
2
votes
1answer
207 views
Why are there separate passive versions of so many verbs? How do they differ in meaning from the regular passive conjugation?
The example I came across today (though I've seen this with many other verbs):
「潰れる」 – "to be crushed"
which, as far as I can tell, means exactly the same as 「潰される」, the passive form of「潰す」.
...
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1answer
82 views
What's the difference between 済ませる【すませる】 and 終える【おえる】?
What's the difference between 済ませる【すませる】 and 終える【おえる】?
I've tried looking at jisho.org, goo.ne.jp, ALC, HiNative and here, but I'm still unsure about the difference between these two words. I think it ...
1
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2answers
136 views
Unknown verb form (typo?) in manga
I've been trying to translate Touhou doujinshi, when I came across this sentence:
A man talks about events related to youkai's den down the road.
The first part of the sentence is:
なんでも綺麗【きれい】な女【おんな】...
