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.
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Understanding 進歩しちゃいない [duplicate]
From first episode of Death Note:
不幸の手紙から全然進歩しちゃいない
What is the meaning of "進歩しちゃいない"?
It looks like it's combining "進歩 + する + いる" to form some larger meaning(?), but the ちゃ is ...
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ら抜き - Can this ever be confusing?
So for ra-nuki, I think it is when an ichidan verb's potential form removes the ra. This makes it distinct from it's passive form. However, I believe the potential form of the godan equivalent verb ...
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Is every form of Japanese verbs attributive?
So, I know that た and ない are attributive such as:
知らない人 - a person that I don't know of (that they existed? still figuring out 分かる vs 知る)
but can you use any form of a verb to be attributive?
知れる人 - a ...
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Honorific Verbs conjugation - ～ていらっしゃる vs お + Verb Stem + になる
In book "Genki II", there's no explanation for verbs that don't have a special conjugation, for when to conjugate either to:
「て Form」 + いらっしゃる
お + Verb Stem + になる
My simple question is ...
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How does reduplication of words work in Japanese?
Recently I've heard words like ただただ and ゆっくりゆっくり showing up. I guessed that saying adverbs one more time over again puts more emphasis on them, but I'm not at all sure if that's true. (Always means ...
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Why does this sentence end in a noun instead of a verb? (Song lyrics) [duplicate]
I am currently trying to translate various song lyrics from Japanese for practice and would like to stay as close as possible to the original meaning of the sentences. Currently, I'm trying to ...
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Is there a way to conjucate transitive verbs to intransitive verbs ? or a pattern to use? [duplicate]
In the last lesson I had in my Japanese course, we learned about transitive verbs & intransitive verbs.
In the Genki II book, there's no explanation as to how a verb is transformed from transitive ...
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How to talk about T-posing
If I wanted to say something like,
Whenever I play such-and-such game, the characters always end T-posing.
〇〇ゲームをすると、キャラクターはいつもTポーズになってしまいます。
Or is this said a different way?
Is there more than one ...
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What does 「そう」mean in this sentence? 「ねっ 私の手を引き剥がそうと しないでほしいです」
This line comes from episode two of Konosuba
ねっ 私の手を引き剥がそうとしないでほしいです
From my understanding of 「そう」, its a verb form for something might happen. For example, 「あの木、倒れそうだよ」would mean "That tree is ...
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What does せり mean in 「ワレ奇襲ニ成功セリ」
What does せり mean in 「ワレ奇襲【きしゅう】ニ成功【せいこう】セリ」?
We succeeded in our surprise attack.
https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/トラトラトラ
I get the following vocabulary:
我【われ】 we
奇襲【きしゅう】 surprise attack
に particle
成功 【...
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Meaning of ご帰還あそばれなされた [duplicate]
Full sentence:
「俺様がご帰還あそばれなされたぞ！」
I think this sentence means something alike to: "I have returned!"
My main problem with this sentence is the usage of あそばれなされた.
From my understanding, this ...
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Why the verb has changed into く form
In the following sentence:
それ以上その姿勢を続けられなくなった
Why is the verb 続けられない transformed into 続けられなく？
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Does 悍ましい derive from a verb?
So I'm confused about おぞましい, because in 悍ましい, there's おくりがな. Atleast I'm sure of it, and as far as I know, おくりがな is added to a verb. So, I'd think that the ま in 悍ましい、is from the irrealis form of a ...
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What is the meaning of なりうるがため in this context?
恐るべき 事態に なりうるがため、 子細を 伝えることはできぬ。
The context is that I'm talking to a wizard in the game who happens to know something about my future.
Currently, I am trying to figure the exact construction/meaning ...
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Can する substitute a previously used verb?
I want to eat, but if I do, I'll get fat.
My attempt at a translation:食べたいけどそれをすると太る.
I expect this is totally unnatural. Even if it is okay I fear that adding それを may make it sound quite formal, but ...
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です vs ありますwhat is the difference between the two? Can they ever be interchangeable?
Q: 日本語の授業は毎日ありますか。一日に何時間ですか。
A: 日本語の授業は毎日あります。一日に二時間あります。
I have questions about the difference between “です” and “あります” regarding the above sentences taken from my textbook. Why is that “です” was used ...
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Can a irrealis form verb be combined with the adjective particle "な"
I asked this question because irrealis form and continuative form verbs can be combined with だ, so can't it be combined with na? I mean it looks ungrammatical but da goes with it so...
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How do you construct the grammar "The way you..." + Verb in Japanese?
I was coming up and practicing with Japanese sentences. I found myself wondering on how to construct this kind of grammar...
THE WAY YOU + Verb
"The way you look at me..."
"The way you ...
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Cannot understand 甘える
I will show two examples from Japanese websites.
First of all, from Weblio：
「彼女は私に甘える＝She spoils me」
Secondly from some site for Japanese English learners (Gabastyle):
「悲しいことが起きたときには友達や家族に甘えてもいいんだよ＝In ...
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What's the origin of "さ", the nonsubjective (dunno how to call it nominalizer)
So, I know that the subjective nominalizer み comes from the imperfective/irrealis form of む, apparently the subjective particle that makes things into subjective verbs?? I just heard this on a website....
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What does よう知らん mean in その辺の仕組みはあんたらと違って よう知らん
I saw this sentence in an episode of attack on titan the speaker is referencing a power she has and that she doesn't understand how it works unlike the listeners who do
The english sub translation was
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Which verb do I use to say I remove makeup and accessories, but in the same sentence as one another, when both of those have a separate verb for each?
I am a beginner in Japanese. Right now I am learning verbs and how to put together sentences, but I am stuck when it comes to which verb to use when there are so many subtleties for different things. ...
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The difference between conjugations of 行く / 行ける and イケる
As an example
「明日、行けなくなっちゃうよ？」(talking about a date etc.)
How can you tell here whether it is 行く negative potential form or イケる negative form? As far as I can see both look like they'd make sense. イケる ...
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Can よ from volitional form be dropped? Heres some context
Recently, I saw this in a Hinative answer.
使うとするなら
I know that とする means to "try to" and なら means if so I'm guessing it means if try to use, but why not use 使おうとするなら? This brings up the ...
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Using passive voice with transitive and intransitive verbs
What's the difference between using the passive voice with a transitive and an intransitive verb?
Take the examples:
パソコンがこわれられた ｖｓ パソコンをこわされた
(PS: I don't know if the particles I used in the ...
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What is the right expression to say "I expose myself to life". Would it be 露呈{ろてい}, 露見{ろけん} or something else?
I tried to write the expression "to expose yourself to life". I would like to express "to expose" like as in "I expose myself to live, with all things, bad and good, that ...
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The use of は and も with non-する verbs
When using a する verb, it seems very intuitive to used は and も to add nuance to a statement. 起床はしたんだけれど、まだ寝ボケだった for example. Or something like 確認もしたのにやっぱり誤り見逃した. To my understanding, は and も can be ...
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About the Potential Form of Verbs 「られる」 [duplicate]
The Potential Form (can) usually is conjugated by replacing whatever verb ending is based on the verb group.
However, I noticed that some verbs such as たべられる can also be written as たべれる. What's the ...
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Problems with understanding xをyに完成する
In the definition for 小説 I found (in bold):
文学の一形式。散文体の文学で，一八世紀以後，近代市民社会の生活・道徳・思想を背景に完成した
lit. Form of literature. Is prose literature and, from (and after) 18th century, modern civilizations xxx
I’...
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Question about possible meaning of “い”る quoted like this
In a novel I'm reading (Umineko no naku koro ni, by Ryukishi07) a child character frequently affirms the existence of a witch named Beatrice (ベアトリーチェ) in anger, as a way of protesting to older boys or ...
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What form is being used in 参らせんとて
I was reading the definition of 庇う:
（１）他からの危険や非難などが及ばないように守る。「部下を―・う」「傷を―・う」「君を―・ひ参らせんとて，現在の主を打ち奉るぞ/義経記 7」
In the example sentence: 君を―・ひ参らせんとて，現在の主を打ち奉るぞ/義経記 7 there is a "参らせんとて". I'm ...
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Usage of っ inbetween て and た forms?
I have seen quotes in manga and games in which a verb will be presented as (If I remember correctly) "しまっていった" as opposed to "しまっていた".
Why is this? Is this an anomaly? Is one form ...
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Special status of 話せる as a verb
I came across 話せる, as the potential form of 話す. However, 話せる can also be found in dictionaries as a verb on its own. It can even take inflections, and has its own potential form, 話せられる! I don't really ...
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What verb form is 惜しみて (from 惜しむ)
I was reading the definition (4) of 惜しむ because I think that's the appropriate one from 大辞林. At least it appeared in 言葉の雨に打たれ 秋惜しむまま冬に落ちる (思想犯):
（４）価値あるものが失われたこと，また，活用されずに終わることを残念に思う。「ゆく春を―・む」「...
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What does 攻めた mean when used about someone's appearance?
I came across the expression 攻めた格好 recently, and I'd like to know what exactly it means. The original sentence was uttered by a character that was surprised to see another in a wildly different place ...
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Are Verb 1 and Verb 2 interchangeable? verb1+te verb2 vs. verb2+te verb1
For example, is there a difference between these two sentences?
風は夜になっておさまった。
風は夜に治まってなった。
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How do you specify percentages of verbs/actions?
I've been googling around a bit for an answer and I can't seem to find anyone else asking this question. Apologies in advance if I'm wrong.
In English, you can say 'I do around 70% of the cooking'. ...
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This line sounds peculiar, I would appreciate your opinions (it uses the verb 許される)
First of all, to give you some context, there are 3 characters that will be referred to as A, B, and C. The following lines are from a dialogue between A and B about C. The character C has done things ...
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How can 突き抜けた be interpreted in this sentence?
I was reading an interview for a video game (if it helps, the genre is action) and the producer says this:
シナリオをつなげていくと、どうしても突き抜けたプレイ感覚が減ってしまうんですよ。 これが痛い。
What is he trying to say by 突き抜けた?
I ...
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What's な doing in 絶えなんとする?
I'm reading Harry Potter in Japanese and it goes:
力は失せ、命も絶えなんとする姿で、ヴォルデモートは逃げ去った。
His powers gone, his life almost
extinguished, Voldemort had fled;
命も絶えんとする姿で would make sense to me, but it's a bit ...
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Nuances and correct usage of verbs modifying nouns
I found this very interesting older post and there are couple of things I am uncertain about.
Could I also technically write "ロックしたSIM/ロックしているSIM" to mean "ロックされたSIM/ ロックされているSIM", ...
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List of Two-Mora Ichidan Verbs
I've been looking for an exhaustive list of them, but I can't seem to find one in English. So far I've got these:
いる/居る
得る
出る
似る
煮る
寝る
着る
干る
鋳る
射る
癒る
経る/歴る
みる's variants, 見る/観る/視る/診る/看る
Are there ...
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「ぶられる」とは「ぶる」の受動態？ What does it mean to be ぶる-ed? [duplicate]
I can't find a related discussion, not here, not on the Internet at large, so I am surprised this seemingly hasn't been asked or discussed.
純真ぶるのはやめろ。この数週間、僕たちはいつ情熱的なキスを交わしてもおかしくなかった。君もそれはわかっているはずだ。...
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Help with monomorphic, polyphonic verbs
OK, I kind of invented that term. But I'm referring to verbs that have identical kanji and okurigana; have nearly identical meanings; but have different readings. I'm sure there are many others out ...
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イ音便 Outside of the て and た Forms
I understand that a lot of the time the consonants in き, ぎ, し and り were dropped, making 書きて into 書いて, 焼き刃 into やいば, 良し into 良い, etc.
When it comes to verbs, it affected their て form as well as た/たら/...
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Difference using そう with various verb forms?
I'm doing some reviews on Bunpro and I got this sentence:
今晩雨が＿＿＿。
And I knew it wanted the verb 降る, and that it wanted me to use そう.
So I put in ふりそう, and was surprised to see that it actually ...
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Why is とき used with instantaneous verb 気づく?
気づいたときには たまっているもの
You'll save [enough money] before you know it.
At least based on the dictionary definition and examples, 気づくseems to be an instantaneous verb, "realize". How then does とき ...
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"Continuous" vs "Discontinuous" verbs: What to call them in English and Japanese?
On my trip home today, I was thinking about how うちに帰っている would be incorrect for my current situation, as I'm currently travelling home and not already at home. I'll walk through my thought process ...
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What does the word もえる mean in the following sentence and what is the kanji for it? [closed]
Here's the sentence:
もえるごみと一緒に毎週土曜日に集めます。
That sentence has been taken from the text explaining different ways of garbage disposal.
What does the word もえる mean here and is there a kanji for it?
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Why is ～ましょう form used in the following situation?
この部屋は図書室です。本やCDを借りたり、宿題をしたり出来ます。日本語の本が２０００冊あります。外国語の本は１０００冊あります。CDは５００枚あります。CDを聞くときはヘッドホンをしましょう。友達と話すときは小さい声で話すようにしましょう。
Why do we have to use the ～ましょう form here instead of just using the ～ます form?
...
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