15
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How can we determine the subject of 「彼{かれ}が来{こ}ないことを知{し}りませんでした。」?
This sentence can technically mean both, but it usually (or almost always) means 1.
To mean 2., we normally say
彼は来ないことを知りませんでした。 = He didn't know about the (someone else's) absense.
because 彼 is ...
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How would a fluent speaker understand ありがとうございません?
It's not common at all and I don't remember whether I've heard it in my entire life, but ありがとうございません is not gibberish, and it could pass as a meaningful wordplay to describe ありがた迷惑 if used in an ...
- 307k
13
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して行｛い｝かない versus しないで行｛い｝く
Sentence A:
A: 宿題をして行かない生徒が多いです。
This almost always means "There are many students who go to school without doing their homework." (ie, they go to school anyway)
In English, "Don't ...
- 307k
12
votes
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Verb ending in -ん with positive meaning?
That ん isn't a shortening of ぬ, it's a shortening of the auxiliary む.
According to Classical Japanese rules, the negative ~ぬ is the 連体形 of ~ず. This means it is used to modify nouns. In particular, ...
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11
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meaning of 歩けなくなっちゃって
Here's where 歩けなく comes from:
Start with the verb 歩く, "to walk".
Turn it into its potential form: 歩ける, "able to walk".
Make it negative: 歩けない, "unable to walk".
Turn the newly formed i-adjective into ...
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How would a fluent speaker understand ありがとうございません?
While it’s not impossible to interpret, it is unusual (far more than “thanks, but no thanks”). This is mainly because the grammatical construction of 〜うございます is mostly no longer productive and ...
10
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Omission of く in negative form of い-adjective
There are at least three types of omission of く, which should be distinguished.
The "traditional western" euphoric change is called ウ音便 and is described in this question, this one and a chart in this ...
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10
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How does 一回だって in this sentence mean "not even once" when there's no negative?
The だって in your example means:
だって 🈩〘副助〙
❹《最小を表す語に付いて、下に打ち消しの語を伴って》全面的否定を表す。…も。
「こんな会社は一日だって我慢できない」
「わずかだってミスは許されない」
(明鏡国語辞典)
Used in this sense, だって(≈も) is always followed by negation. eg
「...
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10
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Natural way of saying "I don't think X"
I don't think it's sold at the normal grocery store.
普通のスーパーで売っているとは思いません。
I think it's not sold at the normal grocery store.
普通のスーパーでは売っていないと思います。
Both are correct sentences, and they convey the ...
- 307k
9
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Is it possible to use causative sentences to say "not to do"?
Using the terms from snailboat's link:
Not [force doing]
He didn't have me wash the dishes (but I washed them because I was bored).
Similar to → He did not force me to wash the dishes.
Force [not ...
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9
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せず - What does it come from?
what is the original form
The verb する.
and how does it become せず?
ず is an auxiliary verb ([助動詞]{じょどうし}) which attaches to the [未然形]{みぜんけい} of the verb. せ is one 未然形 of する and is the one which ず ...
- 5,005
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Is it ok to say 問題ない instead of 問題じゃない? Why?
問題ない is not negating the noun (that would be 問題じゃない or 問題ではない, as you correctly noticed). Rather, it is saying 問題がない (or 問題はない), literally "there isn't a problem".
I think you can safely treat 問題ない ...
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9
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Origin of ません (-masen)?
According to Shogakukan's big 国{こく}語{ご}大{だい}辞{じ}典{てん}, the verb ending -masu ultimately derived from a combination of humble polite auxiliary verb 参{まい}る plus the verb する, as a shift from either &#...
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8
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して行｛い｝かない versus しないで行｛い｝く
If sentence A has a comma like:
A: 宿題をして、行かない生徒が多いです。
B: 宿題をしないで行く生徒が多いです。
then Sjiveru is right.
However, it doesn't have a comma, so they have the same meaning. They mean "There are many ...
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8
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Is it ok to say 問題ない instead of 問題じゃない? Why?
問題ない does not mean 'It's not a problem', which is what 問題じゃない would mean. You may be aware that ない is the negative form of ある, 'there is', which means that 問題ない means 'There is no problem.' Note that ...
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8
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ない in つまらない and similar adjectives and their conjugation with すぎる
Dictionaries say すぎる in this meaning is placed:
after the 連用形 of a verb, like 動きすぎる
after the stem of an i-adjective, like やさしすぎる
and after the stem of a na-adjective, like しずかすぎる.
つまらない is an ...
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8
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Is な used for emphasis or negative imperative in this sentence?
「おまえ、そんな体験したこともねぇのにわかったようなこと言うなっ」
How can I know?
When it's spoken, you could easily tell the difference by the pitch accent:
わかったようなこと[言うな]{LHL} ← negative imperative
わかったようなこと[言うな]{LHH} ← mild ...
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Why does 不甲斐{ふがい}ない mean "worthless" while 甲斐{かい} means "worth"?
不甲斐ない was originally 腑甲斐ない. 腑 is an uncommon kanji meaning "gut." According to this article, 腑甲斐ない was much more commonly used by novelists in the Meiji and Taisho periods. According to this ...
- 307k
8
votes
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Conjugate る-ending verbs into negative form
There are generally 3 categories of verbs, and their names depend on which textbook you use. There are Type 1 (五段), Type 2 (一段), and Irregular verbs.
The conjugation for negative form for Type 1 ...
Flaw♦
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What is the nuanced function of 何ひとつ in a negated sentence?
This 何ひとつ is a negative polarity item. This means 何ひとつ is always followed by a negative expression, and 何ひとつ by itself is an intensifier. You asked about "何ひとつ in a negative sentence", but ...
- 307k
8
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て form of past negative sentence with ちゃう
ちゃう can be used in several completely different ways. Since you mentioned negation, I am certain you are entering the wild and wonderful world of the Osakan dialect.
As standard Japanese:
[Verb] + &...
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Is it possible to use causative sentences to say "not to do"?
Direct translation of "He had me not wash the dishes." is, as you wrote "彼は私に皿を洗わせませんでした。". That is correct.
But it's bit awkward for me, I real situation he stopped me to wash dishes because I ...
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What is the correct grammar for "neither x nor y"?
A: 僕は学生でもないし、先生でもない。
B: 僕は学生でもなく、先生でもない。
C: 僕は学生でもなければ、先生でもない。
D: 僕は学生でも、先生でもない。
what is the correct grammar for "... neither x nor y ..." in Japanese?
I think 「～も～もない」「～もないし～もない」「～もなく～もない」「～...
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必ずしも within this sentence
I think that 必ずしも is like 必ず but just used for negative sentences.
I am pretty sure that 必ずしも must be used with a negative verb, which inevitably makes it mean "not always". It is the fact that it is ...
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