という ( = toiu ) + こと／と／わけ／もの／のに ( = koto/to/wake/mono/noni) ,etc.

206 Comments

1. Hi Maggie Sensei,

   I had a question regarding the “determine” use of という in these sentences:
   A.)冬に北海道に行ってみればどんなに寒いかということがわかるだろう。
   If you go to Hokkaido in the winter, you will see how cold it is there.
   B.)S子供に会えないということがどれだけ辛いかあなたにはわかりません。
   You have no idea how hard it is not to be able to see your own child.
   C.)できないとわかっていてもまずやってみるということが大切です。
   Even if you know you can’t do it is important to at least try once.

   a.) What does “determine” mean here?
   b.) Could の be used in place of こと here? I know that often の can replace nouns, but I also know that というのは and ということは are different grammars. When can you use の in place of こと?
   Because I heard these two kinds of sentences are equivalent:
   彼がパーティーに来なかったということは知っている
   彼がパーティーに来なかったというのは知っている
   “I know that he didn’t come to the party”

   Are there other examples where you can do this replacement?
   As in, perhaps these two are these equivalent?:
   まだ分からないということが嫌だ
   まだ分からないというのが嫌だ
   “I hate the fact that I don’t know yet”

   Again, thank you so much, this is tricky grammar for me and helped a lot =)

   Reply

   1. Hi Silas

      Good questions.

      a.) What does “determine” mean here?

      →I’m sorry. It is an old lesson but I think I meant “define”. Either way, let me revise it and add more explanation later.

      Anyway, you use ということ attaching to a phrase and make the phrase into a noun.

      b.) Could の be used in place of こと here?

      →Yes, you can rephrase the sentences with の in the usage (1)

      まだ分からないということが嫌だ OK
      まだ分からないというのが嫌だ OK 　or simply 分からないのが嫌だ

      By using という, it adds more explanatory tone.

      Reply

2. やっぱり!

   Something was puzzling me about という, and I thought that Maggie Sensei would have the answer.

   A beginner in any language first learns words and some stand-alone sentences. But, in daily life, people have conversations. They say things in response to what someone else has said, and often speak in half sentences. While watching TV I have recently noticed that という can be the first word that a person uses when saying something. This did not make sense to me, considering that a beginner learns to use という for quotes, definitions and so on, where という is in the middle of a sentence.

   But, you give some examples in “(2) To summarize /boil down something” which fits what was puzzling me:
   A: 「大きな台風が近づいています。」
   B: 「ということは、明日は誰も学校に来ないということですね。」

   という is being used to connect the meanings of two sentences/phrases, and in this case there are two different speakers and B is replying to and completing/modifying the thought of A.

   Unfortunately, I still cannot translate spoken Japanese quickly enough to always be able to connect a series of spoken sentences. But, I’m always learning something, so there is progress.

   Thanks.

   Reply

   1. Hi Michael,

      Yes, you do start the sentence with ということは when you summarize what you just heard/read in conversation.
      Another colloquial/casual way to say ということは is
      ってことは>..(てことは…)
      You may not learn this in the textbooks but you use/hear this a lot in conversation. 😉

      Reply

      1. Textbooks (and web resources) have their uses, for explaining the basic rules. Also, most language learning resources seem to focus on JLPT levels and .. JLPT4-5の問題点は、語彙の多くが観光客にとって役に立たないことです. But that is a different story. :-)

         It’s probably impossible to learn how to speak from reading a book of rules. Especially because I am teaching myself, I occasionally am victim of what I learned first, since I don’t have anyone to warn me about complications. という was one example of this.

         An even bigger problem for me was the particle けど. You wrote about it, saying “I think many of you know the usage of けど ( = kedo) as “but”.” Exactly. That was my problem. When listening to real conversations, I got the impression that ですけど was the most frequent way in which people end their sentences. They couldn’t always mean “but”. And once again your examples gave me a deeper insight into how the Japanese language works in practice.

         Michael

         Reply

         1. I understand your point.
            I will do my best to cover both conversational and formal yet more useful Japanese phrases. :)

            Reply

3. Hello maggie sensei,

   I have a doubt, i recently discovered this expression という感じ
   which is very similar to かんな、こんな感じ、こういう感じ、そういう感じ。
   so iwant to know what is the difference between という感じ and こう/そう/ああいう感じ
   and こんな感じvsこんな vs このような/こういう感じ

   sorry for lots of questions at once🙏
   It is confusing me and hloding back to learn new grammer.
   Once again sorry sensei for lots of question these past few days.

   I’am thankful that i found a wonderful teacher like you💖🙏

   Reply

   1. Hello Ritesh

      ~という感じ
      と is used when you quote something
      Ex. もう食べられないという感じだった。
      = It was like “I can’t eat anymore.”

      1) (casual) こんな→こういう→(more formal) このような感じ like this (referring something/someone right in front of you.)
      2) (casual)そんな→そういう→(more formal)そのような感じ like that (referring something/someone a little bit farther than こういう)
      3) (casual)あんな→ああいう→(more formal)あのような感じ like that (referring something/someone far from you.)

      I hope this answers your questions. :)

      Reply

4. In these lyrics “dog eat dog world”だと言う聞かせ someone said it means I tell myself it is a dog eat dog world. I am not understanding why it means that. I thought it was “I hear [someone] say this” or “it is said/we are told”.

   Reply

   1. Hi Ash

      I think there is a typo in your sentence
      言う聞かせ→言い聞かせ
      1) (someone)に言い聞かせる = to tell(or persuade) someone that ~ / to do ~
      2) (自分に)言い聞かせる = “to tell oneself ~ ”

      So the translation is right. I tell myself it is a dog eat dog world.

      Reply

      1. Ha ha, I didn’t notice the typo. Good eye Maggie. Thank you for your response. Now it makes perfect sense! :)

         Reply

         1. Great!! :)

            Reply

5. Hello マギー先生！

   I have a question that I’d love some help with. It is this particular sentence:

   “物語という物語の探求”

   Sadly I don’t have much more context to go with it, as that is the full sentence and it’s just listed as someone’s hobby. It is about someone who reads a lot, so I don’t think it’s trying to say that “he’s on a quest to find a book called ‘monogatari'”, though.

   I’m guessing the use of という here is the one you have written in (7), “When you repeat something” … so I suppose it’s trying to emphasize 物語, but even knowing that I’m not sure how to interpret this sentence?

   My first guess it’s supposed to be something like ‘the story to end all stories/the ultimate story’, like he’s hoping to find the best story ever? Otherwise I’m not sure how else I could take it, and it’s so hard with the lack of context other than knowing this is a person who loves to read….

   I’d appreciate any help!

   Reply

   1. Hello k,

      I think this sentence is using
      AというA expression which means “the whole/ all sorts of/everything”
      Ex. 犬という犬が好きです = I like all the dogs.
      So pursue 物語という物語 = 全ての物語 = all the stories/all sorts of stories

      Reply

6. Helloマギー先生

   しかし高級魚ゆえに馴染みのない人も多く、日本を代表する魚と言えるのかというと、しっくりこなくても仕方ありません。

   What does this “かというと” mean here?

   Reply

   1. こんにちは Milk

      You use 〜かというと to bring up some question, in this case “whether this fish is representative fish for Japan or not” and answer in the same sentence. (in this case, しっくりこなくても仕方ない = We can’t really say that . ）

      Reply

      1. I see! Is this form only in writing or could it be said in conversation? Is there any other forms that are similar to this?

         Reply

         1. It is a little formal but you hear it in conversation as well.
            The similar expression is
            〜かと言われると/言われたら・ 〜かと聞かれたら　 When you say/you ask me / When it comes to

            Ex. A) 「その店はおいしくないの？　　」
            B ) 「おいしくないかと言われると・聞かれたら、そうだね。おいしくないかなあ。」

            Reply

            1. 教えてくれてありがとうございます！

            2. どういたしまして❤️

7. Maggie Sensei

   Please help me with this paragraph:

   様々な植物で、花外蜜腺といって花以外の器官に蜜腺を持つ形質が進化しているが、これは蜜でアリを誘引し、その付近にアリを常駐させ、彼らに植食性の昆虫を襲わせることで体を守る適応的意義があるとされている。

   Is といって working as と言う　or　居る. To my thinking I think it is working as the first one, but if it so, why not use という。Is it because て is helping with the continuation of the sentence?

   お願いします、先生！

   Reply

   1. Hello David,
      That といって　is from と言う
      And right. It helps with the continuation of the sentence.

      Reply

      1. ありがとうございました。先生。

         Reply

         1. どういたしまして、david! :)

            Reply

8. Hello Maggie Sensei,

   A:「月日が経つのは早いですね。お子さんはも中学生なんでしょう。」
   B:「いえ、中学生_______、もう高校生一年なんですよ。

   for the empty blank above I am not sure if the answer is either
   ではなく or というより。

   What can the explanation for each of them be? ではなく means definitely NO, so maybe that is correct, but then also というより means not quite…
   Thx in advance

   Reply

   1. Hello again Mark

      ではなく No, he/she is not a junior high school student. (negating “he/she is not a junior high school student”)
      というより mean “or rather” so it is a wrong answer.

      For example, if you are assuming
      彼は中学生というより高校生に見えた。
      He looks like a high school student rather than a junior high student.
      Then you can use というより

      Reply

9. Hi sensei, your lesson is really amazing.

   I don’t quite understand why って is in this sentence. (it’s from the manga)

   ちょっと待って、一度くらいキスしたからってあたしは別に…

   Is it there just to emphasizes the part before から or it does have another purpose?

   Reply

   1. WoW

      Hi WoW!
      Do you know the expression
      ~からといって？ (I guess I haven’t made the lesson yet. Maybe I will make one for in near future.)

      Just because we kissed once, it doesn’t mean I (like you.)
      So　this って is
      一度くらいキスしたからといって→(casual) 一度くらいキスしたからって
      quoting the fact “一度キスをした”

      Reply

      1. So, it is somewhat different from という and should be considered as a different expression right?

         Thank you very much, I think I’ll wait for the からといって lesson from sensei then (ﾟ∀ﾟ)

         Reply

         1. Right. という and からといって are different. But といって and からといって are similar. = Though ~,
            I will make a lesson on it for you sometime so please wait.
            As for more usage of って, you may want to check my　って lesson. The link is here.

            Reply

10. Hello! I have a quick question. I studied Japanese in college for several years, and it was never properly explained to me the difference in meaning between something like “よく和食を食べる人がある” and “よく和食を食べるという人がある”

    Can you please enlighten me? I feel like I’m just not grasping something incredibly simple about the slight difference in purpose and meaning here.

    Reply

    1. Hello Zach

       OK, first the verb should be いる not ある
       (You use いる. Noun がいる・ある　いる for living things, people, animal/ ある for object in general.)
       In this case という is to quote
       よく和食を食べる人がいる　 There are people who eat Japanese food.
       よく和食を食べるという人がいる There are people who say that they eat Japanese food.

       Reply

       1. Thank you! I actually know the difference between iru and aru. It’s not a mistake I usually make. I must not have been thinking very much when I wrote those example sentences. Kind of embarrassing actually haha

          Anyways, thank you for the explanation! I think the fact I see it frequently without kanji really throws me sometimes, since I forget that’s the verb being used technically. I’ll keep practicing!

          Reply

          1. No problem! Yes, keep practicing. ☺️

             Reply

11. Hello again, Maggie-Sensei :)
    I have some questions regarding ということ
    I have seen a question regarding this in the comments but I did not understand it properly.
    1)明日は誰も来ません。Answer:　ということは私、一人ですか　(Can I also use ということで instead?)
    2) When do I have to use this in combination and when not: –ということは　…..ということです?
    3) Is there a difference between 明日は誰も来ません。Answer:　ということは私、一人ですか
    AND:
    明日は誰も来ません。Answer:　ということは私、一人だということです?
    Basically, when do I have to use this grammar without ということですin the end and when with ということです in the end

    Reply

    1. Hi Sam

       1） No, you can’t use ということで
       While you use ということは for both statement or questions, you don’t use ということで in a question.
       ということは that means…（summarize what other people or yourself said)
       ということで that’s why/ so/therefore (what you are going to do)
       So if you change the sentence a little, you can use ということで
       明日は誰もきません。ということで私一人で過ごすことにしました。
       Nobody is coming tomorrow. Therefore/So I decided to spend the time by myself.

       2) For example, when you explain or give a definition of verbs.
       生きるということは自分自身を高めるということです。
       理解するということはわかるということです。
       But you don’t have to use という
       生きることは自分自身を高めることです。
       理解することはわかることです。
       By using という, it adds more explanatory tone.
       So unless you are explaining the deep meaning or giving some definition, it may sound too dramatic.

       3) I think you meant to say　私、一人だということですか？

       (1) A 明日は誰も来ません。B ということは私、一人ですか
       (2) A 明日は誰も来ません。B ということは私、一人だということですか？

       They both mean the same but you can express more feelings (such as surprise) more with ということ

       Reply

       1. Regarding your examples in:
          1) Can I also use それで or　だから as a conjunction instead?

          2) If that is the case, can I also use というものはor　のは instead of　ということは
          3) But I heard also that the ということ at the end is also used, when you want to confirm sth, for example: 部長に30分ほど遅れると伝えてください　ANSWER:　はい、わかりました。30分ほど遅れるということですね without the ということは at the beginning of the sentence. What is the difference here compared with your examples?

          And
          I have also a question to というのが
          このエアコンは、もともと業務用で、パワーがあるので、広い部屋でも短時間での温度調節が可能というのが最大の長所です. What does it mean here? is the “NO” particle a substitute for エアコン or is it something differen?

          I am really sorry for so many questions but I do really struggle with them and really appreciate your efforts!
          Happy new year by the way :)

          Reply

          1. Happy New Year,too, Sam! ☺️

             1)

             If B is surprised I guess you can use それで or だから
             A:「明日は誰も来ません。」
             B: 「それで・だから私、一人ですか　。」
             But 私一人なんですね。・私一人なんですか will be more natural.

             **
             Also you can use だから in the following case

             「明日は誰も来ません。だから私一人です。」

             2) You don’t say 生きるというものは・理解するというものは

             But if you refer to a noun, you can use もの
             Ex. 人生というものは

             3）You can repeat what you heard with ということは

             30分ほど遅れるということですね

             If the person say
             部長に30分ほど遅れると伝えてください

             You don’t repeat the same thing with　ということは
             X ということは誰も来ないんですね。
             X ということは部長は３０分ほど遅れるんですね。

             You use ということは to follow up based on what you heard.

             Ex. ということは会議は時間をずらした方がいいですね。

             **
             It might be easier to think this way
             「広い部屋でも短時間での温度調節が可能」という長所

             The part in the 「」 modifies 長所

             I would like to explain more but the comment section is limited so I’ll stop here. ☺️

             Reply

             1. 2) But what about のは instead of ということは ?

                So の of というのが is just replaced with 機能 andが would be the particle for the noun basically? Did I get it right?

                Thank you again in advance :)

             2. First, I wrote 機能 instead of 長所 in my previous comment. Sorry. I fixed it.
                It may change your question so let me explain again.

                「もともと業務用で、パワーがあるので、広い部屋でも短時間での温度調節が可能(A) 」 というのが「最大の長所(B) 」です

                When you explain what B （最大の長所）　is

                AがBです　　A should be a noun. (Explain the functions first) and in the next line この機能が最大の長所です。
                AのがBです　When A is a verb or adjective add の to nominalize. ~可能なのが最大の長所です。
                AというのがBです　When A is a relatively long sentence which ends with a verb or adjective, you can quote with というの 〜〜可能というのが最大の長所です。

12. Hi Maggie, I was wondering if you can expand on the use of といえば. I recently saw a video and they used the examples:
    “もみじといえば、もみじまんじゅう。

    もみじまんじゅうは、広島の名物です。”
    So I understand that maple trees and Momiji manjū are related because the manjū is shaped like a maple leaf in Hiroshima. But what exactly is the sentence trying to do here? When I try to find a translation of といえば what I get is “speaking of”. I think in English it would be weird to say “Speaking of maple leaves, Momiji manjū.” The listener would be left thinking “…what about it??”
    Correct me if I’m wrong, but is what they are saying (implied): “When I think of maple trees, I think of Momiji manjū.”?

    Thanks so much for your help!

    Reply

    1. Hi Kayla

       といえば has a meaning of “Speaking of ~” but it is also used when you mention something typical or typical image that you associate with certain place, person, etc.

       When I think of ~ / When it comes to ~ , the first thing that comes to my mind is ~
       Or I always associate Y with X.

       Reply

13. Hello Maggie-sensei,

    I am having a hard time trying to understand what the gentleman in this video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rbnv4GE4XZk&t=614s&ab_channel=%E9%BE%8D%E3%81%8C%E5%A6%82%E3%81%8F%E3%82%B9%E3%82%BF%E3%82%B8%E3%82%AA%E5%85%AC%E5%BC%8F) says at 7:09, how does the “to ittara” make any sense here? [If you need context, you wouldn’t have to go beyond, 6:50] I understand what each word individually means but the whole sentence together just doesn’t make sense (nareteiru to ittara okashii n desu kedo). Also while you’re at it, can you please explain what he means by the word Mawasu at 7:02 means? Does it figuratively mean to attempt something new? Thank you in advance :)

    Reply

    1. Hi Moses,

       慣れてるといったらおかしいんですけど
       The literal meaning is
       It might sound strange if I say “We got used to it/We are familiar with each other” but..
       と is to quote
       いったら If I say
       “慣れてる” (nareteru): What you are quoting
       You use this pattern
       ~といったら〜
       for example
       といったら嘘になる
       I’d be lying if I said ~

       回す means “to manage to do multiple things” but in this case he probably meant for shooting (カメラを回す）

       Reply

       1. Ohhhh, I get it now. Thanks a lot Maggie-sensei!

          Reply

          1. Good! よかった！　☺️

             Reply

14. Hi Maggie Sensei,

    Can I clarify the following:

    1. [こけし]というお土産を買った
    2. [こけし]と言われたお土産を買った

    Sentence 1 was the correct answer, but I am also trying to understand why Sentence 2 is not correct?

    Literally translated, Sentence 2 sounds like “I bought a souvenir that was called “Kokeshi” “, correct?

    Thanks!

    Reply

    1. Hi Jake,

       Right 1) is correct and your translation for 2) is right.
       Since kokeshi is a name of the gift, it is strange to say と言われた

       Reply

15. Sensei:

    Watching this anime (https://anjsub.com/watch-cowboy-bebop/?v=episode04) I came across わけ。
    But I cannot figure out quite exactly why he would use わけ。

    7:44でもって これがそのテロ集団の
    7:47トゥインクル・マリア・マードックってわけだ。

    In my opinion, I think he uses it to summarize with aa conclusion. I mean she is the leader of the terrorist group, that is her name and the reason of the group. But then is it necessary to use わけ in there. What would happen if I omitted? Why not only トゥインクル・マリア・マードックってだ。?

    よろしくお願いします。

    Reply

    1. I think he uses it to summarize with aa conclusion.
       →Yes, that’s right! ☺️

       Reply

16. Hi Maggie, thanks for the lesson! There’s just one sentence that’s stumping me.

    やめろというのに無理にやった。
    = Although I stopped you, you did it anyway.

    I thought we had to quote commands with ように like
    やめるように言うのに無理にやった。
    =Although I told you to stop you did it anyways.

    Maybe I’m misunderstanding what your English translation. To me, “Although I stopped you, you did it anyway.” seems like

    阻止するのに無理にやった。

    Either way I’m still not sure how to use a command form like 書け with と.

    In hindsight I’m wondering if your sentence was a direct quote like 「やめろ」というのに….

    Reply

    1. Hello Brett,
       Maggie is on vacation right now, so I allow myself to answer your question.

       First please notice the difference between やめろ and やめる.
       The direct translation of やめろというのに is “Although I said stop!”. This imperative form (in combination with this pattern) is very emphatic, expressing strong will by a command.

       The やめるように in やめるように言うのに無理にやった doesn’t imply this nuance; it sounds more like an advise, showing what somebody said to someone => 患者さんにタバコをやめるように言うのに、彼が吸っていては説得力がない.

       The imperative form in combination with という should be interpreted as a strong advise/command or strongly insisting on something, showing also frustration of the speaker. Check the examples below.

       1. 私にどうしろっていうんだ！？=> What do you want me to do!? / Tell me what to do! / What the hell should I do!?
       2. 夫が離婚しろと言うのに… => Though my husband insist on divorcing…
       3. 多くの大人が勉強しろと言うのにはきっと、とても大事な理由があるはずだ。 Many adults have surely an important reason behind insisting others on studying.
       4. だから行かないように言ったのに！ What’s why I told you not to go (there), but you didn’t listen!

       Hope I could clarify things up.
       ヨロシク

       Reply

       1. Thank you, 天人 for helping people who visit here while I was gone. ありがとう💕

          Reply

       2. Thank you 天人！ That did clarify things. You’re very thorough. Sorry for not saying so earlier. I didn’t get an email notification that someone responded

          Reply

          1. Sorry, Brett. There is no notification for this comment section.

             Reply

    2. There is a typo in here … search for

       “Kono tokoro kyuujitu”

       I think that should be “Kono tokoro kyuujitsu” ;)

       Reply

       1. Fixed it. Thank you!

          Reply

17. Hi Maggie

    Great lesson as always. I was just wondering about what is the difference between these two sentences:

    初恋は一生忘れないものだという
    初恋は一生忘れないものだと言われている

    I wrote the former sentence in an essay but it got corrected to the latter one. Could you please explain the nuance?

    Thanks

    Reply

    1. Hi Cake,
       To be honest, I don’t quite get why your teacher corrected it.
       Though ものだという＋noun (Ex. 〜ものだという考え方がある）　is common we see ものだという。pattern as well.
       You should ask your teacher first.

       Reply

18. Hi Maggie,

    This lesson is really long, and I have a lot of questions. Can you please answer me?

    1) can I say
    あれからこの村の人々は皆いなくなったって instead of あれからこの村の人々は皆いなくなったと言う
    and
    動物好きの人に悪い人はいないって instead of 動物好きの人に悪い人はいないと言う
    informally?

    2) can I say
    あなたが好きだ気持 instead of あなたが好きだという気持
    何が起こるかわからない恐怖 instead of 何が起こるかわからないという恐怖
    物が豊富にある生活 instead of 物が豊富にあるという生活
    大もうけできる話 instead of 大もうけできるという話 ??

    3) I’m sorry but I didn’t understand the part of というと which says “Bring up something and continue something which always happens”

    Reply

    1. Hi Eliza
       You can say in casual speech
       あれからこの村の人々は皆いなくなったって
       動物好きの人に悪い人はいないって
       But these could sound a little too light (I mean when you tell someone what you heard.)

       But the closest ones to という　are
       あれからこの村の人々は皆いなくなったんだって
       動物好きの人に悪い人はいないんだって
       These sounds slightly more explanatory.

       2) あなたが好きだ気持 →あなたが好きな気持ち
       The rest are fine.

       という add more serious tone, though.

       3)
       • このところ休日というといつも仕事だ。

       So in this sentence, you bring up the topics, which is 休日 and tell the listener what always happens in 休日

       Reply

       1. Oh thank you so much Maggie!
          You’re really helping me learn Japanese!

          Reply

          1. よかった〜😊

             Reply

19. It appears there might be a typo in one of the English sentences:

    X Please finish all the work by five o’clock from now.
    Please finish all the work by five o’clock from now *on*.

    I also wonder if it might be more natural in English to express the sentence this way:

    From now on, please finish work by five o’clock.

    Reply

    1. Thank you, merrill! Will fix the mistake later. But is it from this lesson??? I can’t find the sentence.

       Reply

20. Thanks for another lesson Maggie-sensei. It looks like という is used for so many things. It must be SO common in Japanese.

    I just want to ask about one of the example sentences.
    • 明日が試験だというのに何も勉強していない。
    • Even though tomorrow is exam, I have not studied anything.

    I often see sentences like these and it confuses me. They use the continuous tense rather than past tense.
    Shouldn’t it be 勉強していなかった or 勉強しなかった, rather than 勉強していない?
    We are talking about the past here (I haven’t studied), so shouldn’t we use past tense?

    Reply

    1. Hello Dennis,
       we can consider that the ～ていないpattern refers to the present perfect tense in English. As you already know, the present perfect is used to indicate a link between the present and the past (=> because something happened/occurred in the past, we can experience now the result of that).

       Here’s an example:
       お母さん：「朝ごはんもう食べた？」
       ①子供：「まだ食べていない」 (= “No, I haven’t yet” => we can assume that the speaker just woke up and will soon eat his breakfast).
       ②子供：「まだ食べない」(=”I’m not going to eat yet” => this implies the will of the speaker and tells us that the speaker is – probably – not hungry. He will eat his breakfast later).

       ヨロシク

       Reply

    2. Thank you 天人　for helping Dennis. I can go back to play now. :)

       Dennis, I have two lesson on verb tense.
       Part 1
       Part 2

       Reply

       1. Thanks very much 天人 and Maggie-sensei!

          Reply

21. I have one question Maggie Sensei, what does ということat the end of a sentence mean?I don’t quite understand its usage in this context: 字面にするとうまく伝わらないかもしれませんが、身振りよろしく歌にのせて返したということ。Thanks for your attention. I’m looking forward to your reply ^^

    Reply

    1. Hi Pedro,

       You use ということ(です） at the end of a sentence to explain the definition.
       It/That means ” ~~~~”
       Q: 〜とはどういうことですか？
       A: That means 身振りよろしく歌にのせて返した

       Reply

22. Hi Maggie!
    Is 「と言う」 and 「って言う」 formal/literary, or is it also used in everyday conversation? For example, if I want to tell my friends, “They say that Americans smile more than others” would saying 「アメリカ人は他のひとよりもっと笑うっていう」 be okay? Or should I add a の at the end? Would that change the meaning because of the emphasis?

    Thank you!

    Reply

    1. Hi Charlotte

       If you change the sentence a little, it is possible to finish the sentence with って
       アメリカ人は他の国の人よりもっと笑うって／or 笑うんだって。

       Reply

       1. Thank you Maggie! So would the #5 form of と言う・って言う (They say/People say~) be seen more in books and narrations, rather than conversations?

          Reply

          1. Exactly! (I added a little note.)

             Reply

23. Hi Maggie!

    I have a question regarding the differences between 「～という意味」and 「～の意味」 when they are used in explanatory contexts. I have several reference books which use both of these, but I am unsure of the specific conditions that require the use of one or the other.

    From my understanding, the former is for defining something, whereas the latter is used to elaborate on what the concept is about/indicate what it represents.

    Ex.
    赤というのは、「血のような色」という意味だ。
    Red is a color that looks like blood. [“means” – definition]

    赤は、「危険」の意味だ。
    Red represents “danger”. [“has the meaning of” – elaboration/representation]

    Would this be an accurate way of interpreting it?

    Any additional information would be greatly appreciated!

    Reply

    1. The main difference is
       という意味= It means ~
       の意味 = the meaning of ~
       ***
       Red represents “danger”. I would say 赤は「危険」を意味する。(or simply use other verb 赤は「危険」を表す）

       If you want to use ”〜の意味”　You can say for example
       Ex.　赤は「危険」の意味で使われる。

       Reply

24. こんにちはマギー先生！
    I have a small question: you mention that というcan be used as a relative pronoun. However, I was wondering when/in what situation you would use という?

    because couldn’t you also write this example:
    マギーは結婚したという噂がある

    withoutというas

    マギーが結婚した噂がある。　？

    So I was wondering if you could explain WHEN you would need to take the extra step and add という。
    Sorry if I worded this in a confusing way, I tried my best!
    ありがとうございます！

    Reply

    1. こんにちは、ClarificationSeeker!

       1) マギーが結婚した噂がある。
       2) マギーは結婚したという噂がある

       2) is quoting what kind of rumor there is. Let me rephrase it so that you can see what kind of emotion is behind it.
       「マギーが結婚したよ/ マギーは結婚したんだって/ マギーが結婚したらしいよ, etc.」という噂がある

       2) sounds more explanatory and emphasizes what comes before.
       You use it when you expresses emotions such as your surprised feelings or when you think the listeners/readers don’t know that information.

       3) 誰も

       Reply

25. Dear Sensei, I am confused with the certain examples which has the ‘da’ affixed to ” to iu noni”..Can you enlighten me on this? Any difference even if it is without the ‘da’?

    Reply

26. Konnichiha, Maggie-Sensei, Mata Watakushi Desu
    Actually I’m Confused Between (Towa) & (Nante/Da Nante), They Sounded Kind Of Similar To Me!
    *Could You Please Show Me In Which Circumstances We Use Each One Of Them?
    *Besides, Is It True That: (Towa) Is A Collocial Abbreviation To (To iu No Ha)?
    * Does (To iu No Ha) = (To iu Koto/Mono Ha)?
    *Moreover, Putting (No/N/Nano/Nan) Right Before (Towa) Makes Sense? Ex: “Subarashii Ninja Seifuku Ga Oru N Towa Na!”

    Haha Asked Too Much

    Reply

    1. @kibounokata

       Ohayou!
       I’m sorry… I just told other visitors but I can only deal with one or two simple questions here.
       Luckily I already have lessons on two subjects so please check the links.

       Q1* Could You Please Show Me In Which Circumstances We Use Each One Of Them?

       * とは：
       When you explain something/talk about the definition.
       人生とは何かを考える
       = Jinsei towa nani ka wo kangaeru.
       = To think what the life is.
       「難解」とは「難しい」ということです。
       = “Nankai” to wa “muzukashii toiu koto desu.
       = “難解: Nankai” means “difficult”.

       When you quote what you just heard.
       全部お金を使ってしまったとはどういうこと？
       = Zenbu okane wo tsukatte shimatta towa douiu koto?
       = What do you mean you spent all the money??

       * ということ
       Please check this lesson
       http://bit.ly/1dpnB4Q

       * なんて/だなんて
       I have a lesson. Please check it.
       http://142.93.68.150/2013/09/02/how-to-use-%E3%81%AA%E3%82%93%E3%81%A6nante/

       Q2*Besides, Is It True That: (Towa) Is A Collocial Abbreviation To (To iu No Ha)?
       Q3* Does (To iu No Ha) = (To iu Koto/Mono Ha)?

       There are cases that you can replace them and you shorten というのは　to とは but I wouldn’t say とは is colloquial.

       When you can’t replace them:
       When a speaker says something and continue explaining.

       Bla bla bla.
       というのは私達は今、大切な時代にいるからです。

       So while とは is just explaining the definition/meaning, というのは explains the reason besides definition/meaning
       →It is because….

       In that usage, you can’t replace it with ということ・ものは

       Q4*Moreover, Putting (No/N/Nano/Nan) Right Before (Towa) Makes Sense? Ex: “Subarashii Ninja Seifuku Ga Oru N Towa Na!”

       No, it doesn’t make sense.

       Hope this helps…

       Reply

       1. As Always, You Gave Me What I’ve Been Exactly Looking For Dear Sensei, Though I Found Many English Sentences Haven’t Mentioned Me An Exact [Translation] To (To Ha) & (To iu No Ha), However You Show Me A Way To Deal With The Both.
          _TASUKARIMASHITA! Arigatou Gozaimasu Maggie-Sensei, O Deha !happyface! !formingheart3!

          Reply

          1. @Kibounokata

             Oh sorry! I added the English translation for you. :)

             Reply

             1. Migoto Desu Ne Sensei, Arigatou Gozaimashita!! Honyaku Shite Kurete
                :-D !heart3! !CHECKHEART! boucingheart!

             2. @Kibounokata
                どういたしまして！　♥

27. Dear Maggie Sensei

    I have a problem about how to use To iu koto da and To iu imi da, if I’m right the meaning of these mean “mean” right?

    and I have seen a lots of Japanese Animation and Series use Dou iu koto da and Dou iu imu da to describe “what does it mean ? so is that different to use it?”

    Please give me a trick how to use it properly.

    Thank you very much

    Reply

    1. @Toongtang

       Hi Toongtang

       Ahh good point.
       The translation of

       1) Dou iu koto da
       2) Dou iu imi da

       could be the same.
       “What do you mean (by that)?”

       But you sometimes distinguish the usages as follows.
       1) asking for why it happened. (process / background)
       2) asking for the real intention of what someone has just said.

       Reply

       1. どうもありがとございます！

          Reply

          1. @Toongtang

             どういたしまして！

             Reply

28. there is one of the という variants i see a lot(TV,internet,interviews,books) but i never understand the meaning. how to use “ということで”?. sometimes i see ということで in the middle of a phrase and sometimes solely.

    Reply

    1. @ivan

       ということで is used when you conclude the result.
       (You explain some situation / reason )
       ということで〜 therefore

       Reply

       1. ということで is more formal or i can use in casual speech too?

          Reply

          1. @ivan

             ということで is a little formal but you can use in a daily conversation.
             If you want to make is sound very casual, you say てことで / ってことで

             Reply

29. Hello, hello~ !ohisama!
    Maggie, please tell me, if we can use 「ってゆーか」 in the context of: “by the way”?
    For example Speaker B asks Speaker A about something. Speaker A answers that he doesn’t know the answer and then he adds “By the way, who are you?” because he doesn’t know speaker B.

    ヨロシク！

    Reply

    1. @天人

       こんにちは！元気でしたか？
       ってゆーか／てか／つーか
       are all very conversational expressions and people (young people) use pretty randomly.
       It is supposed to be used when you mention something related to your previous sentence but some people just use it as “By the way”.

       Reply

       1. Thank you very much, Maggie!

          Another question. 女の子 means “a girl”. (I don’t know, how to put my thoughts in words…) how old max. can be a 女の子? If a girl is – let’s say – 18 yo, can we say to her 女の子?

          Reply

          1. @天人

             Haha there isn’t a specific rule but generally speaking, 女の子 is from a baby to…..early 20s.
             女子 might be more common for 20s~ 30s.
             I am 女の子 forever, though. :)

             Reply

             1. 了解、ありがとうー! boucingheart!
                相変わらずピンピン元気ですよーん♪ :maggie-small:
                あっ、新しいレッスンが！すぐにチェックしなくちゃね！

                PS 遅ればせながら、謹賀新年、マギーさん！

             2. ＠天人

                元気そうでよかったです！
                今年もよろしくね❤

30. Hi sensei,
    How can ask if the sentence in the quotation marks is correct? For example, I want to ask if the sentence: “the apple is red” is correct or not, is it 「りんごは赤いです」という正しいですか or「りんごは赤いです」という言葉は正しいですか。And does it also work if I say I have heard that “the apple is red” by saying「りんごは赤いです」という句を聞いています。
    Sorry if this is confusing(*_*)

    Reply

    1. @Bob

       Hi Bob,
       You can say
       「りんごは赤いです」という文は正しいですか？
       and
       「りんごは赤いです」という文を聞いたことがあります。

       Reply

31. という is one of the most confusing pieces of grammar for me. I have two questions regarding this

    It seems when you’re modifying a noun with a clause with という. It seems you could just put the relative clause before the noun instead.

    *From one of your examples*

    何が起こるかわからないという恐怖 Is there a difference using 何が起こるかわからない恐怖

    Second question if possible. The usage “That means” I’m not sure of the grammar pattern here. It seems that you could put ということは at the start for “This/That means that” or putting it after a clause to mean “Sentence means that” And than at the end of sentence 2 I see ということです like in example ということは、明日は誰も学校に来ないということですね。 But in the example before it has no ということです and it’s just あなたも旅行に行くということは明日は、私一人なんですね。 Which I assume is just casual のです at the end. So how’s it work exactly?

    Sorry for the long questions. I seem to ask a lot of questions and I apologize for doing so. Not many people to discuss these problems with. Thanks in advance.

    Reply

    1. @Shen

       Hello Shen,
       It seems you could just put the relative clause before the noun instead.
       True. It is a subtle difference but
       The difference between
       何が起こるかわからないという恐怖 and 何が起こるかわからない恐怖 is
       ~という is more explanatory it describes 恐怖 more vividly.

       2) Oh sorry. It is an old lesson but I think I didn’t give you any example sentence for ということは(=That means..)
       I will add some later.
       It is a very conversational usage but when someone tells you something and when you summarize what you just hear, you start with ということは

       Reply

       1. Ah. If I may ask. for 2) What would be the written version of it? And you don’t need anything to end the sentence I assume?

          Reply

          1. @Shen

             2) Just repeat what you just heard.

             「〜〜〜〜」ということは…….

             Ex.A: 「 明日は誰も来ません。」
             B: 「ということは(or というと）私一人ですか？」
             → 「明日誰も来ないということは私一人ですか？」

             But it is kind of annoying to repeat what someone says so we tend to start the conversation from ということ（というと） skipping the quote.

             Reply

             1. Thank you for taking the time to answer. Much appreciated. Thanks once again.

             2. @Shen

                どういたしまして❤

             3. Hello, I apologize for posting again but after thinking about it a bit I was still slightly confused.

                If ということは is basically shortening what was said before and than S2 talks about what that means…. Why is ということです used at the end? I see ということです used at the end without ということは at the start and sometimes as you posted ということは is at the start without ということです at the end

                Example: 明日のパーティーに行けないっていうことか。
                Does that mean you can’t go to the party tomorrow? The end being the shortened version I assume of ということ without ということは at the start…

                And than as was posted before without ということです あなたも旅行に行くということは明日は、私一人なんですね。
                So basically what determines what is left out and what is used?

                Sorry for being a bother. Thanks in advance.

             4. @Shen

                Hi Shen,
                You can say
                ということは(1) 〜〜〜ということ(2) です。
                (1) summarizing what the speaker just said/heard
                (2) The speaker is concluding something.

                ****
                OK, I will make a dialogue.
                A: 「明日は、とても忙しいです。」
                B: 「((明日はとても忙しい）ということは、) 明日のパーティーに行けないっていうことか。」（Assuming A can’t go to the party based on the fact A is busy.)

                A: 「Bさん、明日は夜まで仕事をして下さい。」
                B: 「((明日は夜まで仕事がある）ということは、)明日のパーティーに行けないっていうことか。」(Assuming A can’t go to the party based on the fact that B has to work tomorrow evening.)

                *****
                ということです あなたも旅行に行くということは明日は、私一人なんですね。
                I will check your previous comment later but you can’t start the sentence with ということです
                ということです should come to the end of a sentence to conclude something.

             5. Hello, thanks for the reply. あなたも旅行に行くということは明日は、私一人なんですね。 was actually my example . The ということです was not part of it. May have looked that way :p It was just showing the lack of it at the sentence.

                I think I may be over thinking it or making it more difficult than it should be.

                From reading a lot of examples and wondering a bit I’m going to guess that ということです used without ということは is basically just going “so you mean that” or “so that means” skipping the introduction of what you’re talking about. And used together it goes “Judging from the fact A, B”

                Could be wrong as usual. I’m quite slow with this apparently.

             6. @Shen

                I think you got the idea. :)

             7. Nice! Alright I want to thank you for taking up your time. I’m going to go hide now in embarrassment

32. Thanks for this great lesson, it’s old, but soooo important. The various uses of という where a big mystery for me for quite some time, and you unraveled them all, thats amazing.

    Since it’s such a long lesson, I found some typos that have been hiding for half a decade. Not anymore! :i:

    “会議が(or は）中止となった(=Kaigi ga/wa chuushi to natta)
    :u:
    会議が(or は）中止になったというメールを受け取った。(=Kaigi ga/wa chuushi ni natta toiu meiru wo uketotta.”
    These two sentences should have the same partikel for didactic reasons (“to natta” or “ni natta”).

    “tugikonde” “tsugikonde”
    “mannshitu” “manshitsu”
    “Iza toiu toki wa dewa shitene.” “Iza toiu toki wa denwa shitene.”
    “benkyou busoku” not a real typo, but the space should be removed because it’s a compound word which changes the usual pronunciation of 不足.
    “kyuujitu” “kyuujitsu”

    And one tiny question: is the だ before というのに obligatory or can it be omitted? i.E. 明日が試験というのに何も勉強していない。

    Reply

    1. @Zetsuboumanadeshi

       Thank you my spell check angel!
       I haven’t checked this lesson for five years.
       I should change the format as well when I have time.
       いつもありがとう！
       As for your question,
       明日が試験というのに is possible.
       だ emphasizes the fact more.

       Reply

33. Can to iu and tte (the structures for expressing that somebody said something) be used with sou desu (I heard that…) ?

    Reply

    1. @Sakurai

       When you pass along a message, You use verb + “そうです”(=soudesu)

       Ex. 明日、試合があるそうです。
       = Ashita, shiai ga aru soudesu.
       = I heard there is a game tomorrow.

       Ex. 彼はもう日本にはいないそうです。
       = I heard he is no longer in Japan.

       “I heard someone said ~~~”
       Ex. マギーがSakuraiはとてもいい人だと言っていたそうです。
       = I heard Maggie was saying Sakurai is a very nice person.

       Reply

34. Maggie, I got a question :pika:
    In this song:
    貴方が行ってしまったら When you’re gone
    どうやったら私は生き続けられると言うの？ How can I even try to go on

    貴方が行ってしまったら When you’re gone
    やってはみるけど、どうしたら乗り越えられるっていうの？ Though I try how can I carry on

    why is here used this と言うの / っていうの?
    どうやったら私は生き続けられる（の）か VS どうやったら私は生き続けられると言うの？ の違いは？

    ヨロシク！ !riceball! 

    Reply

    1. @天人

       Hello!
       You use ~というの？（more casual: 〜っていうの）when you accuse /complain/ showing strong emotions towards the listener. (How could I ~? implying it is difficult to do so. )
       It looks like a question but it is actually you just want to vent out your emotion.
       So it sounds much stronger than regular question form.

       Reply

       1. Thank you very much, Maggie boucingheart!
          マギー先生は最高です！

          Reply

          1. ＠天人
             どういたしまして♪　Uo・ｪ-oU/^☆

             Reply

35. こんにちは、マギー先生！
    多分このレッスンというものがこんなに長くて難しいけどずっと数日勉強していたのにちゃんとわかると疑うんだ。
    頭がクラクラする笑
    だから疑いを解くように少数質問を聞きたい。
    1. a function as relative pronoun
    動詞を使えば良い？例文：　やってみると怖がる　(I’m scared to try )
    2. when you determine smth
    「難しい」で強調すれば「ということ」か「といもの」を使えばいい？だが「ということ」は「事」のところを使われただけの？
    3.when we speak/talk of something
    「というと」は「について」とか「にとって」など交換できる？
    4.bring up smth and continue smth which always happens
    「家に帰るというとゲームを遊ぶ」を言いたければ、良い？この場合は「というと」か「～と conditional」のどれを書いた方がいいのがよく分からなかった。
    おわりだろう。
    相変わらず間違いがあれば、直してください。この文章という文章はがんばって書いたのにたくさん間違ってしまうって思う。
    I really want to write complicated sentences but to scared ;;

    Reply

    1. *間違ってしまったって思う

       Reply

    2. @ocd

       こんにちは、ocd!
       はは、頭がクラクラしましたか？長いレッスンだから全部一度に覚えようとしないで少しずつ勉強して下さいね。
       日本語で書くと混乱（こんらん）するかもしれないので英語で答えますね。

       1. Your sentence 「やってみると怖がる」means “If A tries, A gets scared” and と is a conditional particle. ~すると〜　
       (If you do something, something will happen)

       You wanted to make an example sentence with
       AというB?
       Then
       A could be a verb or adjective but B should be a noun

       *怖いという気持ち= the feeling of being scared / that you are scared
       *やりたいという気持ち the feelings that you want to do

       2. 「難しい」で強調すれば「ということ」か「といもの」を使えばいい？だが「ということ」は「事」のところを使われただけの？
       Sorry. I don’t understand your question well.

       But when you define something, there are cases that you can use というもの
       愛は耐えるということです。
       愛は耐えるものです。

       However there are a lot of difference between them. It is too complicated to explain the difference here so if I have a chance, I will make a lesson on というもの

       3. No, you can’t.　

       「日本語というとまず何を思い浮かべますか？」
       When you hear “Japanese”, what comes to your mind first?

       について means “about”
       日本についてどう思いますか？
       = What do you think about Japan?

       にとって means “for”
       私にとって日本は特別な国です。
       = Japan is a special country for me.

       4. 「家に帰るというとゲームを遊ぶ」→It won’t work..
       But if you always plays games on your day off, then you can say
       休日というと家でゲームだ。

       ＊＊＊＊＊＊＊
       それではocdの文章を直しますね。２.の文章はよくわからなかったのでそれ以外の文章を直します。

       （１）多分このレッスンというものがこんなに長くて難しいけどずっと数日勉強していたのにちゃんとわかると疑うんだ。→疑うんだ means “I doubt” You are not sure if you will be able to understand this? If so このレッスンは長くて難しいけどずっと何日も勉強したらわかるのかなあ。
       ２）だから疑いを解くように少数質問を聞きたい。→疑いを解くために　but just say わからないところをはっきりさせるために、少し質問をしたいです。
       ３）「家に帰るというとゲームを遊ぶ」を言いたければ、良い？→「家に帰るというとゲームを遊ぶ」と言えばいい？
       ４）おわりだろう。→これでおわりです。
       ５）相変わらず。→いつもの通り
       ６）この文章という文章はがんばって書いたのにたくさん間違ってしまうって思う。→がんばってたくさんの文章を書いたけれどもたくさん間違ってしまったと思います。

       長い文章を書くのは大変ですね。でもいつもocdは努力して日本語の文章を書いているし習った言葉を使っていてすごいですよ。
       Good job!!!

       Reply

36. Thank you for this great lesson! I was able to understand well^^

    As I read through the comments, I saw this sentence:

    君が僕のすぐ後ろに立っていたとは知らなかった。驚いたよ。

    What does “とは” mean? And how do you use it?

    Reply

    1. @Marianne

       Hi Marianne,
       When you hear/find out something you didn’t expect, you say
       ~~~とは知らなかった to show your surprise feelings.

       So by using とは you can express the feeling “I had no idea””I didn’t think it was coming”

       Ex. マギーが犬だったとは… = Maggie is a dog? (I didn’t think it was coming…)
       Ex.彼がそんなことをする人だったは意外だ。(=Kare ga sonna koto wo suru hito datta towa igaida) I didn’t expect he would do such a thing.

       Reply

       1. Thanks a bunch^^

          I wish you good week~!

          Reply

          1. @Marianne

             No problem! You have a nice week,too!

             Reply

37. good evening dear maggie sensei and everyone. question about specific sentence.

    kirei datte kotoba mune ni tsukisasatta

    is this the shortcut for “kirei da to iu kotoba”?

    in case that is correct,

    does the “anata wa” has been omitted and – kirei datte kotoba will be = words like “you are beautiful”

    or i cannot assume that, and the translation would be – kirei datte kotoba = words which are beautiful

    and i need to see 「kirei da」tte kotoba / “kirei da” tte kotoba, in order to get (words like “you are beautiful”)

    oh i am terribly sorry for bringing it up for the third time, (i guess the conflict is not yet resolved) T_T.

    while i was posting this question i’ve realized, “to negai” was used by the singer and i am wondering my she did not use “to iu negai”?

    so sorry dear maggie sensei please don,t get irritated by me T_T.

    Reply

    1. Hello again,
       kirei datte kotoba mune ni tsukisasatta　==> 「綺麗だ」って言葉胸に突き刺さった。＝His “you are beautiful” just stuck in my mind / heart.
       I see you like Alas Love – Suzuki Airi. I like it, too.

       Reply

       1. thank you so much 天人さん, .n_n. wow that’s good to know… to be honest, i really like c-ute especially 矢島舞美様. if it is okay, i would like to ask, do you live in japan?

          Reply

          1. Unfortunately I don’t live in Japan, I live in Poland – it’s a strange country in Central Europe.
             But maybe one day my dream will come true and I will live in Japan.
             Who knows, who knows. Life is full of surprises!

             Reply

             1. oh, i thought you were an american because your english is great…(you must have noticed that my english is bad hehe)…

                i hope that it will come true.. n_n.. 天人さん.

38. Maggie-sensei, how do you quote more than one sentence? Is it possible to do that in a single sentence?

    For example: あの人たちは「美味しい！」と「甘い！」と言いました。

    Is that correct?

    Reply

    1. ＠fluffymoochicken

       Hi, fluffymoochicken!
       It depends on the context but in this case, I wouldn’t connect two sentences with ”と” .
       Just connect with ” 、” (or even with out ” 、” )
       Ex.彼らは、「美味しい！」、「甘い！」と言いました。

       Ex, 彼らは、口々に「美味しい！」、「甘い！」と言いました。

       Reply

39. こんにちは、マギー先生！
    I think you have explained everything what could be explained about という in an outstanding way. Great job!

    I’ve got two small questions:
    1. I’m just wondering about the following grammar construction: ～というはず、 ～というべき、～というともり.
    a) In what kind of situations would you use という+はず、という+べき、という＋つもり?
    (I’m sure that it is used in quotations: ex.「はい、いいですよ。」というはずがありません。I think, it might be used also in explanation like というわけ. How about other possibilities?)

    2. Is there a difference between というと～ 、ということは～ and というわけで～ ?
    例）マギー先生: 明子さんの家族は今四人です。
    私: というと、赤ちゃんが生まれましたね！
    　　　　 ↓
    　 　私：ということは、赤ちゃんが生まれたのですね。
    ↓
    　 　私：というわけで、赤ちゃんが生まれたのですね。

    I think those three expressions can be used interchangeable and the meaning will be still almost the same (= which means / this means / so).

    宜しくお願い致します！
    天人より。

    Reply

    1. @天人

       こんにちは、天人!
       1. a) という+はず

       (I’m sure that it is used in quotations: ex.「はい、いいですよ。」というはずがありません。
       →Yes it is correct.
       と言うはず　is usually used to quote someone’s speech.

       Someone is supposed to say ~~~~
       Someone should say ~~~~
       The speaker expect someone says ~~~~

       b) という+べき = should say, call , would say, call

       Ex. それが法律違反というべきかどうかわからない。
       Ex. おかしいことはおかしいというべきです。
       Ex. これも運命というべきなのだろうか。

       c) ～というつもり　to be going to say ~~~

       Ex. 全部私がやりますというつもりはありません。
       Ex. 彼女に愛しているというつもりです。
       Ex. 自分は間違ったことは何もしていないというつもりですか？

       2. ~というと I already explained in the lesson so please read it again.

       マギー先生: 明子さんの家族は今四人です。
       私：ということは、赤ちゃんが生まれたのですね。(correct)
       ( ということは= That means) You can’t use というと (Speaking of~)

       You use というわけで when you explain some reason. In this case you are not explaining any reason.

       Reply

       1. ご回答ありがとうございました。

          一つ気になることがありますが。先生は私が最後の述べた文章では、「You can’t use というと」と言いましたね。実はこれは「どんな時どう使う」という教科書から取られた例文です(家族の名などをちょっとchangeしたのだけれど). この「というと」という言い回しは相手の言った言葉を受けて、それが自分の思っている内容と同じかどか確かめる時に使うものです。先生が言った通りの”To confirm what other people has just told you.”と同じ意味である。『「というと」の前を省略して接続的に使う場合もある』とある。ならば、「というと、赤ちゃんが生まれたのですね。」は「明子さんの家族というと、赤ちゃんが生まれたのですね。」=> 確認　＝　正解文章（だと思います）。違うかな？

          Reply

          1. @天人
             今回は日本語で書いてくれたので日本語で返事をしますね。
             そうですね、「というと」で文を始めることもありますが、この例はなんか違和感があるんですよね。多分、というとのspeaking ofの方の意味につながるからかなあ。「ということは」の方がよく相手の言っていることを受けて結論に結びつけるときにわかりやすく伝わる自然だと思いました。
             でも語学書にそう書いてあるのならそういう使い方も合っているのだと思います。”語学書様”に異論を唱えるつもりはありません。逆に教えてくれてありがとう！　：）

             Reply

40. こんにちは、先生！最近、日本語に訳し方が分からなくて困っている英語の文法がありますが、手伝っていただけませんか？ここから、英語で説明します。The grammar I’m talking about is “I know that” or of the like. I think in Japanese it’s called 接続詞。For example, “I didn’t know that you were moving to Japan!” or “I just realized that you were standing right behind me. You scared me!” I don’t know how to translate that “that” into Japanese correctly.

    その例文を日本語に訳してみた。
    1) 君が日本に引っ越しをするということを知らなかった。
    2) 君が真っ直ぐ僕の後ろに立っていたということを気づいたばかりだわ。驚いたよ！

    Those are my translations but they’re probably wrong. Could you please translate them for me?

    Reply

    1. @Campbell Carsley

       こんにちは！！
       I didn’t know that you were moving to Japan!”
       1. 君が日本に引っ越しをするということを知らなかった。
       →Correct!! Good job.

       You can also use “なんて” if you want to express the surprised feelings.
       君が日本に引っ越しをするなんて知らなかった。

       “I just realized that you were standing right behind me. You scared me!”
       2. 君が真っ直ぐ僕の後ろに立っていたということを気づいたばかりだわ。驚いたよ！
       1) 真っ直ぐ→すぐ後ろに
       2) Since you use 僕, the speaker is a boy right? Then avoid using だわ suffix because it is for women.
       The direct translation is
       君が僕のすぐ後ろに立っていたということに今、気がついた。驚いたよ。
       But the natural way to say this sentence is
       君が僕のすぐ後ろに立っていたとは知らなかった。驚いたよ。
       Again you can use なんて to show your surprise.
       君が僕のすぐ後ろに立っていたなんて知らなかった。

       So overall you can use “ということ”　for “that clause” but be careful with the particles.
       You have to choose pick the right particle depending on the verb.
       ~に気がついた

       Reply

41. I see… Now is completly clear for me :) どうもありがとうございました、マギー先生！

    Sorry, but since I discovered this page, about 2 months ago, I have asked several questions, in different posts. Is there any way for me to find all my questions?

    And again, thank you very much!

    Reply

    1. @Sandra

       どういたしまして。
       And there is no easy way to find your past comments.
       But I did the search for you just this time. If you leave a comment or question in different posts in future, please write them down somewhere. :)

       ★程

       ★How to use の

       ★よう

       ★〜ておく

       Reply

       1. 私の質問を探して教えてくれてどうもすみません。将来の質問をノートにメモを書いて置こうと思っています。
          いつも日本語に手伝ってくれてどうもありがとうございました、先生。

          Reply

          1. @Sandra

             どういたしまして、サンドラ :)

             Reply

42. こんにちはマギー先生、
    after using という grammar, I have found several sentences where they use past tense といった and I don´t understand why.

    この高校では、テニス、サッカー、野球といったスポーツが盛んです。
    たたみとかしょうじといった日本的なものに興味があります。

    Is といった used because they talk about several sports in the first sentence and about several typical japanese things in the second one? Is the only explanation I find, but probably is wrong… Could you explain a little about the use of といった in this kind of sentences?

    Thank you very much in advance!

    Reply

    1. @Sandra

       Hi Sandra

       That ~といった means “such as~””for example””things like ~” and it is used to give some examples.

       *テニス、サッカー、野球といったスポーツ
       Sports such as tennis, soccer and baseball

       *たたみとかしょうじといった日本的なもの
       Japanese stuff such as tatami mats and “shouji”（paper door)

       Reply

43. こんにちはマギー先生、すみませんが “ということだ” について質問があります。。。
    “つまり。。。ということだ” どういう意味ですか。I have found a lot of sentences using this pattern. I have found that つまり meaning is “in other words”, but what does ということだ add to the meaning of this pattern? Could it be “in other words, it looks like…”?
    For example:
    山田さんはまだ来ていませんか。つまり、また遅刻ということですね。
    Could I translate as:
    “Hasn´t Yamada arrived yet? So/in other words, it looks like he will be late again.”

    どうもありがとうございます先生！

    Reply

    1. @Sandra

       Hello Sandra!
       Yes, we use つまり〜ということだ pattern a lot.
       つまり means “in short, on other words, that is to say”, etc and summarize what it is said in the previous statement.
       山田さんはまだ来ていませんか。つまり、また遅刻ということですね。
       Your translation,
       “Hasn´t Yamada arrived yet? So/in other words, it looks like he will be late again.”
       is just fine.
       Though I would translate,
       Mr. Yamada is not here yet? That means he is late again, huh?
       So つまり is often translated as “That means””I mean””You mean”

       Ex. つまり私がいいたいのは〜ということだ。
       What I mean is blah blah blah.
       Ex. つまり~ということですか？
       So that means blah blah blah?

       Makes sense?

       Reply

       1. Oh, I see… “That mean…” Yes, I got it :)
          I’m sorry 先生 but there is another sentence I have doubts about.

          田中さんから電話があって、少し遅れるということです。

          I would translate:
          Tanaka called and said that he would be a little late.

          That´s what I understand when I read the sentence, so for me it would have the same meaning with 少し遅れるといいました。

          I guess here ということです meaning it is what you explained before: “(3) What I know is, I’ve heard that, They say…:” but here, Tanaka called and said it, it´s an information he gave about himself, so it´s not a hearsay, so I don´t understand why is ということです used here.

          Sorry 先生 for so long question, and thank you very much in advance!

          Reply

          1. @Sandra
             田中さんから電話があって、少し遅れるということです。

             Yes, your translation is correct.
             As you said, ということです has a function to pass the information that you have heard or seen to someone.
             It actually means the same as と言いました and we do say
             田中さんから電話があって少し遅れると言っていました。

             but while と言いました／言っていました just describes the action of “saying something”,ということです focuses on delivering the message and it sounds more formal than と言いました／言っていました. and we use ということです (or とのことです）） much more in business situations.

             Reply

             1. Oh! Now I understand why it´s used ということです in this sentence! Both sentences I asked you were together at the same point of ということです in my book, and for me had different meanings, so I was very confused, but now I got both of them!
                You really helped me a lot, マギー先生.

                心からどうもありがとうございました!

             2. @Sandra

                あ〜よかった！！ :)

44. 本当にありがとうございます、先生！I’m glad my sentences weren’t as bad as I thought :D thanks for all the help助かりました。 絶対、このサイトにまた来るよ☆

    Reply

    1. @Campbell Carsley

       どういたしまして！ほんとうによくできていましたよ。
       また来てね！！:)

       Reply

45. ああ、わかりました (*^^*) 対照的な時に、”は”が使われるんですね。でも、「知る、知っている」と言ったら、たいてい”を”が使われています。hmmm…. I’m still not quite sure when to use the particle か or particle を when saying “know”. I’ll write some example sentences and can you please correct them? (^_^)

    eg1. (you don’t know how hungry I am)
    君がどれだけ腹減ったか知らないよ
    eg2. (do you know how to turn on the tv?)
    テレビの付け方を知っている？
    eg3. (how do you know where maggie hid her bone?)
    なんでマギーがどこに骨を隠したか知ってるの？
    最後の例 (I don’t know any shops that fix tv’s not working)
    壊れているテレビを直す店のことを知らないんだ

    They’re my example sentences, hopefully they aren’t too bad :) thanks for your help!!

    Reply

    1. @Campbell Carsley

       This is the best way to master the language.
       All your example sentence are very well.
       My suggestions :

       1) eg.1 It will be more natural to add なんて
       ~ なんて知らないよ。

       2) (I don’t know any shops that fix tv’s not working)
       I would say,
       どこで壊れたテレビを直してくれるか知らないんだ。

       よくできました！！

       Reply

46. なるほど〜分かりやすく説明してくれてありがとう！添削もありがとう！(((o(*ﾟ▽ﾟ*)o))) あっ、もうひとつの質問を聞いてもいいかな？日本語で言い方が分からないので英語で言います。When you want to say a sentence using the verb ‘know’ in Japanese, which particle do you use? Because, I’ve seen the particle は and を and also か being used with the verb ‘to know’ (as in 知ってる) Sorry for the long question, but all I want to know is what particle do Japanese people tend to use when they say 知ってる. thanks in advance :)

    Reply

    1. @Campbell Carsley
       OK, 知る・知っている・（casual contraction　知ってる）
       We usually use the particle “を”
       〜（〜のこと）を知っている（casual contraction　知ってる）

       Ex. マギー先生のサイトを知っていますか？
       = Do you know about Maggie Sensei’s site?
       Ex. 真実を知りたい。
       = I want to know the truth.
       Ex. この携帯の使い方を知らない。
       = I don’t know how to use this cell phone.
       But if you want to show some contrast, you can use は

       Ex. Aは知っていますが、Bは知りませんでした。(= I know A but didn’t know about B)
       Ex. この携帯の使い方は知らない。( I don’t know how to use this cell phone but I know how to use other cell phone.)

       ＊〜か知らない ~か知っている = to know whether ~ or not/what, who, which, as to
       Ex. 誰が来るか知っていますか？
       = Do you know who is coming?
       Ex. 何時に会うか知らない。
       = I don’t know what time we are supposed to see each other.
       Ex. マギーがどこに骨を隠したか知っている。
       = I know where Maggie hid her bone.

       Reply

47. このレッスンも分かりやすくてありがとうございます！でも、疑問があるんです。例えばですね、I want to know why the resources of our once beautiful have been overusedって英語で言いたいとしたら、日本語で言うと、「なぜ美しかった地球の資源は使い過ぎられたということを知りたいんです」という意味になりますか？その文章で「ということ」をつければいいでしょうか？よろしくお願いします(^_^)

    Reply

    1. @Campbell Carsley
       こんにちは！

       「なぜ美しかった地球の資源は使い過ぎられたということを知りたいんです」
       ↓
       よく書けています。
       確かに”資源”を主語にすると使いすぎられたと受け身にしないといけないと思うかもれませんが、”使いすぎられた”はあまり使いません。”乱用された”にするか人を主語にして”使いすぎた”にした方が自然かもしれません。

       （かつて）美しかった地球の資源はなぜ乱用されたかということを知りたいんです。
       （かつて）美しかった地球の資源をなぜ（人々は）乱用したかということを知りたいんです。

       Reply

48. hey im just asking about your sentence
    “Sensei, keiki to iu keiki wa sakki minna tabeta ja nai desu ka”

    I understand the majority of this lesson however this sentence still confuses me mainly the “minna tabeta” i read that us “sensei just now didnt everyone eat all the cake”

    Reply

    1. @Daniel

       Hello Daniel!
       OK, this “minna” means “the whole thing／everything” not “everyone”

       Reply

49. 先生が言った通りはもっと自然と思います　：P
    But even if it doesn’t sound natural, is か well used in the sentence?

    Reply

50. あああ、わかりました!
    では、｢問題があるか伝えてください｣=Please let me know if you have any problem??
    有り難うございます、先生!!

    Reply

    1. @Orti

       Please let me know if you have any problem.
       How about,
       何か問題があれば言って下さい。/ 何か問題があれば教えて下さい。

       Reply

       1. ああ、I forgot to hit Reply again

          先生が言った通りはもっと自然と思います　：P
          But even if it doesn’t sound natural, is か well used in the sentence?

          Reply

          1. @Orti

             Could you tell me if there is a problem or not?
             In that case you can say
             問題があるか（どうか）教えてくれますか？

             Since your sentence was a conditional, it will be better to use れば
             （先生が言った通りは→先生の文章の方が，自然と→自然だと）

             Reply

             1. あああ、なるほどね
                添削しくれて有り難うございます!

             2. @Orti

                どういたしまして！（Now you can use くれて perfectly!)

51. 今日は、先生!（^O^）/
    このすばらしいレッスンを作ってくれて有り難うございます!!(やっと｢くれて｣を忘れなかった:D)
    それぞれの使い方を分かったかどうかチェックしてみます、間違いを訂正してくれますか?
    I’ll write my example and what I’m trying to say, here I go!
    という：
    ・Quotation:
    ・・お母さんは今日遅く帰っていたと言った= Mom said that she was going to come home late.

    ・Be called:
    ・・A: あそこに座っている人はなんと言うかな?=　What’s the name of the person sitting over there?
    B: たけしという教師です=　He’s a teacher called Takeshi.

    ･Define something:
    ・・その紫色のディスクはDVDといいます= Those violet discs are called DVD

    ・Emphasize:
    ・・スペイン語という言語は面白い言語ですね=　Spanish is an interesting language

    ・Numbers:
    ・・今日の抗議運動は300ぐらいという人が逮捕されてしまった= During today’s protest, 300 people were arrested.

    ･Something heard somewhere：
    ・・A:　へビーメタルという音楽を聴くと攻撃的になってしまうという=　They say that if you listen to heavy metal you become aggressive。
    B: そういうことは嘘だ!=That’s a lie!

    ･As relative pronoun:　
    ・・昨日、誰もいなかったという海辺を見つけた!=Yesterday I found a beach where there wasn’t anyone．
    ・・ずっと息子を批判しているというのはちょっとひどいだ=It’s a bit severe to be always criticizing your son.

    ･To repeat something:
    ・・毎日という毎日は勉強していたというのに失敗してしまった= Despite of having studied every single day, I failed anyways.

    ・In case of:
    ･･また遅れてしまうという時は君を待つように電話してね=If you are late,please call me so I will wait for you.

    ということ：
    ･When you determine something:
    ・・催しを準備するということが難しいです=It’s difficult to organize a festival
    ･･愛する人が死ぬときまで悲しみということが分からない=You don’t know pain until a beloved person dies.
    ･･英語が好きじゃなくても、そういう言語をわかるということがすごく便利です=Even if you don’t like english, it’s very useful to know a language like that.　(I wanted to say “it’s very useful to know a language so widely used around the world” but I couldn’t figure ou how)

    ・To sum up:
    ・・雨があまり降っているということは今日出かけません=It’s raining too much,　so I’m not going out today．
    ・・A:彼女と話すとずっと気後れしてよく考えられなくてしまう…=When I talk to her I get all nervous and can’t think well…
    　　B:ということは彼女が好きみたいんだね(笑)=So it seems that you like her

    ・They say…:
    ・・今彼は病気で寝ているということだから別の日に来た方がいいと思います=They told me that he’s sick and sleeping now, so I think it would be better to come another day.

    というと：
    ･When speaking about something:
    ･･折り紙作家というと神谷哲史や小松英夫などなどを思い出す=When I hear Origami artist, I remember Kamiya Satoshi, Komatsu Hideo and many more.
    ･･私の大好きなスポーツというとテコンドーだ=My favourite sport is Taekwondo

    ･To mention something that always happens:
    ・・パティオをきれいにしたばかりというといつも雨が降ってしまう=It always rains when I’ve just cleaned the patio
    ･･アメリカといったらマクドナルドだ=If you think in United States, you think in Mc Donald’s

    ･Ask and answer by yourself：
    ･･何回も中国語という言語は日本語より便利だと言われたことがあるが、なぜ日本語を勉強しているかというと大好きだから=I’ve been told a lot of times that chinese is more useful than japanese, but I study Japanese because I really like it.

    というもの：
    ･Which is called…:
    ・・昨日、テルミンというものを始めて見た=Yesterday I saw a theremin for the first time.
    ･･まだ食べたことがないが、ハイチュウというものは美味しいそうだ=I haven’t tried it, but they say that Hi－Chews are delicious.

    ・To emphasize:
    ・・Facebookというものは癖になってしまった=Facebook has become a habit

    という訳：
    ・To explain cause:
    ・・宿題を終えている間パソコンはとつぜん故障してバックアップがなかったから全てはなくなってしまった。という訳で失敗した。= The computer failed suddenly while I was finishing my homework, as I didn’t have any backup everything was lost. That’s why I failed.

    ･In a negative sentence:
    ・・悪い人だという訳ではないが、なぜか彼に信じられない…　= I’m not saying he’s a bad person, but for some reason I can’t trust him.
    ･･あなたができないというわけではないけど…任せてくださいね= I don’t mean that you can’t do it but…please leave it to me.

    というのに：
    ･･毎日練習しているというのにまだサンバを弾けない= Even though I’ve been practising every day, I still can’t play samba.
    ・・ちょっと冷たいだというのにその中で優しい精神がある= Despite he/she being cold, he/she has a kind heart.

    It took me a while to write this down, but I finally made it.(笑)
    To finish this loooong comment, I spotted a few minor mistakes:
    ・「•何故かというと…./どうしてかというと…+reason

    (=Nazeka to iu to …/Doshite ka to iu to)」

    ・「•いつかというと…（=Itsukaraka to iu to)+place」

    ずっと先生に感謝していますよ、有り難うございます!!

    Reply

    1. @Orti
       こんにちは、Orti!

       わ〜がんばりましたね。
       では私もがんばって添削しますね。

       ・・お母さんは今日遅く帰っていたと言った
       → 遅く帰ってくると〜

       ・・A: あそこに座っている人はなんと言うかな?
       →なんという人かな？ is better
       B: たけしという教師です
       →OK! If you want to make it sound more polite
       たけしさんという先生です。is better.

       ･Define something:
       ・・その紫色のディスクはDVDといいます
       →Perfect!

       スペイン語という言語は面白い言語ですね→Perfect!

       ・今日の抗議運動は300ぐらいという人が逮捕されてしまった
       →今日の抗議運動では300人ぐらいの人が

       ・・A:　へビーメタルという音楽を聴くと攻撃的になってしまうという
       →Perfect!

       B: そういうことは嘘だ!=That’s a lie!
       →Good! (But we usually say それは嘘だ）

       ･As relative pronoun:　
       ・・昨日、誰もいなかったという海辺を見つけた!
       →Umm it is possible if someone was talking about the beach before. But if you simply found a beach without people, you can just say “誰もいない海辺を見つけた。”
       If you hear someone was talking about the beach and telling you a story, you can use という
       Ex. 昨日、サメが出たという海辺を見つけた。

       ・・ずっと息子を批判しているというのはちょっとひどいだ
       →ひどい。

       ･To repeat something:
       ・・毎日という毎日は勉強していたというのに失敗してしまった= Despite of having studied every single day, I failed anyways.
       →We don’t say 毎日という毎日. But the rest of the sentence is good.

       ・In case of:
       ･･また遅れてしまうという時は君を待つように電話してね=If you are late,please call me so I will wait for you.
       →遅れるときは電話（or 連絡）してね。待っているから。

       ということ：

       ・・催しを準備するということが難しいです
       =催しもの（or we often say イベント)を準備するということは難しいです。

       ･･愛する人が死ぬときまで悲しみということが分からない
       →It’s OK but 愛する人が死ぬ時に初めて悲しみということが分かる is more natural.

       ･･英語が好きじゃなくても、そういう言語をわかるということがすごく便利です
       →OK, a little correction to make it sound more natural.
       英語が好きじゃなくても、そういう言語がわかるということはすごく便利です

       ・・雨があまり降っているということは今日出かけません=It’s raining too much,　so I’m not going out today．
       →あまり is used with a negative sentence. あまり〜ない
       今日、出かけません is your will, so 雨がいっぱい（すごく／たくさん）降っているので出かけません is more natural. But you can say 雨がいっぱい（すごく／たくさん）降っているということは今日はキャンプは中止だろう。

       ・・A:彼女と話すとずっと気後れしてよく考えられなくてしまう…
       →Good! Just ずっと →とても　（ずっと is used to describe a time duration.)

       　　B:ということは彼女が好きみたいんだね(笑)
       →ということは彼女が好きなんだね。

       ・・今彼は病気で寝ているということだから別の日に来た方がいいと思います
       →Perfect! Good job!

       ：
       ･･折り紙作家というと神谷哲史や小松英夫などなどを思い出す
       →Just one など　神谷哲史や小松英夫などを〜

       ･･私の大好きなスポーツというとテコンドーだ=My favourite sport is Taekwondo
       →OK, but It is more natural to say 私の大好きなスポーツはテコンドーだ。

       ･To mention something that always happens:
       ・・パティオをきれいにしたばかりというといつも雨が降ってしまう
       →It doesn’t work in this case. This function of というと is usually used with a noun
       ･･アメリカといったらマクドナルドだ=If you think in United States, you think in Mc Donald’s
       →Perfect!

       ･･何回も中国語という言語は日本語より便利だと言われたことがあるが、なぜ日本語を勉強しているかというと大好きだから
       →Good!
       というもの：

       ・・昨日、テルミンというものを始めて見た
       →Perfect!
       ･･まだ食べたことがないが、ハイチュウというものは美味しいそうだ
       →Perfect! 　(ハイチュウおいしいよ！:) ）
       ・To emphasize:
       ・・Facebookというものは癖になってしまった
       →Facebookというものは癖になる。

       という訳：

       ・・宿題を終えている間パソコンはとつぜん故障してバックアップがなかったから全てはなくなってしまった。という訳で失敗した。
       →パソコンは→パソコンが
       →バックアップがなかったから→バックアップしていなかったから
       →全ては→全て
       the rest is perfect!

       ・・悪い人だという訳ではないが、なぜか彼に信じられない…　
       →彼は（彼のことは）or 彼を（彼のことを）
       ･･あなたができないというわけではないけど…任せてくださいね
       →OK.
       But if you want to make it sound more natural
       →あなたにそれができないというわけではないけれど、どうぞ私に任せてください。

       ･･毎日練習しているというのにまだサンバを弾けない
       →サンバが

       ちょっと冷たいだというのにその中で優しい精神がある
       冷たいだというのに→冷たいというのに
       However In this case, we just say 冷たいが
       優しい精神がある→気持は優しい

       Thank you for spotting the mistakes.

       Reply

       1. 今日は、先生!添削してくれて本当に有り難うございます!!
          少し質問残っていますね.

          ・Given that “パティオをきれいにしたばかりというといつも雨が降ってしまう” is incorrect, how would you say “It always rains when I’ve just cleaned the patio”?
          ・｢ずっと｣と｢いつも｣の違いはどのですか?　I’ve been trying to figure out by observing　their uses in different examples, but it seems that both ずっと and いつも may be used as “always” or “forever” depending on the context :/
          ・The か　used after 寒い　in 「冬に北海道に行ってみればどんなに寒いかということがわかるだろう」　and after 辛い　in 「子供に会えないということがどれだけ辛いかあなたにはわかりません」 has similar meaning to the one used in the “self questions-answers” made with というと？？
          I mean, is it something like “how it is to be/feel (adjective)” or “how (adjective) it is when(something)” depending on the interrogative word preceding the adjective?? Therefore that question is used as the object of the sentence?

          もう一度有り難うございます、先生！

          Reply

          1. @Orti

             １）Given that “パティオをきれいにしたばかりというといつも雨が降ってしまう” is incorrect, how would you say “It always rains when I’ve just cleaned the patio”?

             →Just say,　パティオをきれいにするといつも雨が降ってしまう

             ２）｢ずっと｣と｢いつも｣の違いはどのですか?　I’ve been trying to figure out by observing　their uses in different examples, but it seems that both ずっと and いつも may be used as “always” or “forever” depending on the context :/

             いつも is all the time, always and it is often used to describe your habitual actions.
             ずっと is as I said, time duration or when you see things will happen continuously for a long time.

             Ex. マギーはいつも仕事をしている。= Maggie is always working.
             Ex. マギーはずっと仕事をしている。= Maggie has been working for a long time.

             Ex. いつもいい友達でいて下さい。= Please always be my good friend.
             Ex. ずっといい友達でいて下さい。= Please be my good friend for good. (You are talking about future from now.)

             3) I don’t know exactly what your question is but

             どんなに寒い”か” = “how cold it is”
             どんなに辛い”か”= how hard it is

             This か shows interrogative words and has a function to quote a question.

             Please let me know how much it costs.
             いくら”か”教えて下さい。

             I don’t know what happened.
             何が起きたの”か”わからない。

             Reply

52. Hi, Maggie sensei!
    Could you please tell me what っていうことで means here, because, well, even if I know the words I dont fully understand the conversation.
    It’s from Saurai Sho’s dart trip in 24h tv of this year. Sakurai-san enters in a tabaco shop and it’s full of manekinekos,so he asks why there are so many manekinekos (it looks like a manekineko shop and not a tabaco shop, lol). So she tells:
    瀬戸の友達が
    陶器屋さんに行ってて
    半端モノいらない？
    っていうことで
    陶器を受け始めたら
    こうなっちゃったんです！！

    Thank you in advance.

    Reply

    1. @Ana

       Hi Ana!
       OK, っていうことで here has a function to conclude the previous sentence. →As a result, That’s why, therefore
       So in this case,
       Reason :His friend who works for a ceramic shop asked him if he wanted the ceramics that they can’t sell.
       ↓
       っていうことで= That’s why, That how I started…, As a result,　therefore
       ↓
       Result : He started to take them and ended up like this.

       Reply

53. Sensei! Good evening!
    Could you explain me please, how everyone understands what meaning of the word みんな is implied?
    For example, “minna tabeta ja nai desu ka!” you can translate as “But everyone ate it, didn’t they?!”

    Reply

    1. @b2
       Hi, b2! I’m sorry I’m on vacation and away from Jaoan right now. I can’t answer your question until I go back there. Please wait 10 more days.

       Reply

    2. @b2
       Sorry that it too me a long time to answer your question. Now I am back to Japan.
       みんな is a casual way of saying 皆(みな）
       It could refer to people, things or issues.
       So the translation is “everyone””everything” “all”

       So みんな食べたじゃないですか。(=Minna tabeta ja nai desu ka) could mean
       “But everybody ate it, didn’t they?” or “You ate everything, didn’t you!”
       You will know which one by context.

       Reply

54. Dear Maggie-sensei,
    since I think you are probably the best person to ask for that translation I ask here right away.
    There is a sentence which is simply breaking my neck because I simply have no idea what’s the best way to translate it properly. It’s that one:
    ”いや、間違ってるのは、今現在俺はこんなことで悩んでいる場合では
    ないということだ。”
    I think it fits best in this category…does it mean “It’s not wrong that I am worried about such a thing right now” or is it “It’s wrong that it is not that case that I am worried about such a thing right now” …..or something totally different..the more often I try to analyze this sentence in my head the more difficult it turns out…Thanks in advance (_-_)

    Reply

    1. @Doci

       Hi Doci! You got a complicated sentence, huh?
       I would say,
       ”いや、間違ってるのは、今現在俺はこんなことで悩んでいる場合ではないということだ。”
       No, I was wrong. (What I have been doing was wrong.) It is not the right time to worry about such a thing.(Now is not the time to worry about such a thing)

       So the speaker realized “現在こんなことで悩んでいること=worrying about such a thing.” is “間違っている=wrong” and “そんなことをしている場合ではない=it is not the time to do so”.

       Makes sense?

       Reply

       1. Aah! That makes indeed sense!
          I think the real problem was the “場合ではない” thing…I thought I could translate it literally and didn’t know that its like the same like “時ではない” that’s why no matter how I thought about it..it couldnt make sense at all…
          Thanks a lot for the quick reply! Helped me a lot!! ;)

          Reply

          1. @Doci

             どういたしまして！It is a tough sentence! わかってよかった！ !happyface!

             Reply

55. sensei it is also correct if we write it like this??
    ‘Nanbyaku hito ga sono saigai de nakunatta’

    Reply

    1. @Faila

       ‘Nanbyaku hito ga sono saigai de nakunatta’
       We don’t say ”Nanbyaku hito” but you could say,

       何百人の人(達)がその災害で亡くなった。
       = Nanbyakunin no hito(tachi) ga sono saigai de nakunatta.
       or
       何百人もの人がその災害で亡くなった。
       = Nanbyaku nin mono hito ga sono saigai de nakunatta.
       (~ もの= emphasizing)

       Reply

56. Hi! Thank you for this!
    I’m a little confuse:
    the estructure ということです　can be used to summarize something you just said without meaning somebody else said or I heard
    Like このじゅうぎょうで満足していないということです。
    That means that you are saying you aren’t satisfied with this situation, emphasizing that, that insatisfaction with the situation is something you mean.
    I don’t know if I explain myself well but I hope you can help me m(_ _)m

    Reply

    1. *じょうきょう instead of じゅうぎょう
       sorry I misspelled

       Reply

    2. @rirachan

       Hi rirachan!
       この授業で満足していないということです。
       Yes!
       If you hear this quote from someone else,
       Ex. マギー先生、リラちゃんはこの授業で満足していないということです。

       It is the case (3) I’ve heard…They said…

       If you are telling someone your opinion directly
       Ex.この授業で満足していないということです。

       It means (1) or (2) When you determine something or summarize (= conclude) your opinion.

       Reply

57. •彼の教え方といったら！

    (=Kare no oshiekata to ittara.)

    The way he teaches… (It could be negative or positive.)

    But if you say:

    •彼の教え方ときたら！

    It will always be negative, right?

    Reply

    1. @Cygnus

       Exactly!!! きたら is usually negative.

       Reply

58. It’s a bit hard to understand in the 1st read.. ugh..

    「という」が好きじゃない。。 (T_T)

    じゃ、もういちど、初めから読んでおく。。

    みんなさん！「がんばって」ってください。。 (>_<)

    Reply

    1. @u.kyou

       Haha I know it’s difficult, huh? Don’t try to understand the whole thing at one time. Little by little, OK?

       Reply

59. maggie senseiif we want to tell someone,
    I have said to (someone)”…..”
    (gives information for someone that he/she said to somebody that…)

    what the japanese means? how about ~と言われた?

    Reply

    1. @マリアさん

       Ex. I said Maria “You should study Japanese more!”
       →私はマリアに「もっと勉強しなさい！」と言った。

       Ex. I told Maria to study more.
       →私はマリアにもっと勉強しなさいと言った。

       Ex. Maria said to me, “Maggie, you have to be nice to me!”
       →マリアは私に”マギー、もっと私に優しくして！”と言った。

       Ex. Maria told me to be nice to her.
       →1) マリアは私にもっと優しくしてと言った。
       →2) 私はマリアにもっと優しくしてと言われた。(If you have “I” as a subject, you should translated it in a passive form. So you can use 言われた）

       So if the subject is a person who says something, ~と言った
       If you are told something and make yourself as a subject you can say と言われた。

       Can you translate these?
       He said I was too strict.

       Answers :
       彼は私が厳し過ぎると言った。or
       （私は）彼に厳し過ぎると言われた。

       Reply

60. Ahhh, I wish I could edit my comment.
    性→正　
    変換ミスしちゃいました。Ｓｕｂｍｉｔボタンを押す前に文章に目を通しておくべきだったね。すみません。

    Reply

61. Very 分かり易い＆包括的な breakdown of という・ということ。
    I think I might have found a small typo(the romaji sentence is also off)
    誤：４月というと別れた彼のことを考えてします。
    性：４月というと別れた彼のことを考えてしまいます。
    　　or
    　　４月というと別れた彼のことを考えたりします。
    I suppose the former is more likely though.

    Reply

    1. @Shimewaza

       Typoみつけてくれて有り難う！！コメント読んでいるだけでかなりの日本語の達人！！と分かります。

       Reply

62. Maggie Sensei~

    Yes please!　期待します！

    Reply

    1. @saki,

       Hello saki!!
       I have just uploaded a new lesson about ん for you.
       I really hope it helps you to understand when and how to use it.
       If you have any questions, ask me anytime.

       Reply

63. @saki,
    Hi Saki!
    OK, I can make a lesson for you about ん! You mean like
    やるんですか。
    食べるんです。
    that kind of ん right?

    Reply

64. Thank you so much Maggie sensei! This is very informative!
    These という(=toiu) ということ（=toiukoto) are very complicated but the always appear in daily conversation, I am very confused too, お陰さまで now I get a clearer picture on them…

    Yet I have another question too:
    Apart from という and ということ, “ん” is another topic which I have no way to understand and make use to it, would you mind making a lesson on this topic too?

    Many many many thanks, 大感激！

    Reply

65. Nice site you have here, very informative and useful for Japanese newbies like myself! Btw, this statement has a slight mistake:

    3)私は、マギーといいます。(=Watashi wa Maggie to iu.)

    Reply

    1. Thanks for spotting that mistake! I fixed it!

       Reply

    2. @blue
       Thank you for visiting this site and also thank you for spotting the mistake.
       @gimmeabreakman
       Thank you for fixing it!

       Reply

66. Topさん

    Thank you for visiting this site!
    また来てね。

    Reply

67. Wow..I just discovered this website…
    Really amazing^^

    Reply