Oh, hi everyone! Sorry, I was being lazy because it is my day off. :)
Today’s we will learn how to use V+ たり+ V+ たりする( = V+ tari+ V + tari suru)
Many of you know how to connect two verbs with ~て ( = te) / 〜で ( = de).
★ to do A and B
Ex. 昨夜は歌って踊った。
= Sakuya wa utatte odotta.
= I sang and danced last night.
Note : The speaker is focusing on two actions, singing and dancing and that’s it.
★ to do A and then to do B
Ex. 食べて寝る
= tabete neru
= to eat and then go to sleep
⬇️
When you list multiple actions we use たり( = tari)
★ to do A and B and other stuff (etc./ such).
Ex. 昨夜は歌ったり踊ったりした。
= Sakuya wa utattari odottari shita.
= I sang, danced and other staff last night. (I did things like singing, dancing and etc.)
And the order of the verb is not important.
Ex. 食べたり寝たりする
= Tabetari netari suru.
= Eating and sleeping and etc.
*******
Basic forms :
★present tense :
verb A+ たり( = tari) + verb B+ たりする ( = tarisuru)／(more polite) たりします( = tari shimasu)
★ past tense :
verb A+たり( = tari) + verb B+ たりした( = tarishita)／(more polite) たりしました( = tarishimashita)
*************
⭐️ How to form :
1) verb plain form
Ex. 1) する( = suru) = to do
Ex. 2) 歌う( = utau) = to sing
Ex. 3) 食べる( = taberu)= to eat
Ex. 4) 書く( = kaku) = to write
Ex. 5) 読む( = yomu) = to read
Ex. 6) 踊る( = odoru) = to dance
⬇️
2) Make a past tense and …
Ex. 1) した ( = shita) = did
Ex. 2) 歌った ( = utatta) = sang
Ex. 3) 食べた ( = tabeta) = ate
Ex. 4) 書いた ( = kaita) = wrote
Ex. 5) 読んだ ( = yonda) = read
Ex. 6) 踊った ( = odotta) = danced
⬇️
3) add り ( = ri)
Ex. 1) したり ( = shitari) = to do/ doing/ did and ~
Ex. 2) 歌ったり ( = utattari) = to sing/ singing/sang and ~
Ex. 3) 食べたり( = tabetari) = to eat/ eating/ate and ~
Ex. 4) 書いたり( = kaitari) = to write/ writing / wrote and ~
Ex. 5) 読んだり( = yondari) = to read / reading / read and ~
Ex. 6) 踊ったり( = odottari) = to dance / dancing / danced and ~
Note : たり ( = tari) or だり ( = dari) ?
You use だり ( = dari) after the letter ん ( = n)
Note : negative form :
〜なかった ( = nakatta) + り(=ri)
Ex. 歌わなかったり ( = utawanakattari) not to sing and ~
Ex. しなかったり ( = shinakattari) not to do and ~
Ex. 来なかったり ( = konakattari) not to come and ~
4) And you finish the sentence with
present tense : する ( = suru) ／します ( = simasu)
past tense した ( = shita)／しました ( = shimashita)
☆When you continue the sentence.
して ( = shite) ~
*************
From the above picture:
「休日は、食べたり寝たりして過ごしています。」
= Kyuujitsu wa tabetari netari shite sugoshite imasu.
= I spend my days off eating, sleeping and etc.
⭐️ ゴロゴロ= gorogoro = Being relaxed in a lazy way, lolling
*******************************************
⭐️ How to use 〜たり ( = tari)
🔹 verb A + たり ( = tari) + verb B + たり ( = tari)
= To do A and do B and etc./stuff./such
!to right! Repeat たり（ = tari) twice.
We use たり ( = tari) when we give examples or express repeated actions.
Ex. いつも怒ったり悲しんだりするのはもう嫌だ。
= Itsumo okottari kanashindari suru nowa mou iyada.
= I don’t want to be angry or feel sad all the time anymore.
Ex. 日本語を読んだり書いたりするのは難しい。
= Nihongo wo yondari kaitari suru nowa muzukashii.
= It is difficult to write or to read Japanese.
Ex. マギーはおもちゃで遊んだり散歩に行ったりするのが好きだ。
= Maggie wa omocha de asondari sanpo ni ittari suru no ga sukida.
= Maggie likes to play with a toy and go for a walk, etc.
Ex. 最近は、外出したり映画を観に行ったりするのを楽しんでいる。
= Saikin wa gaishutsu shitari eiga wo mini ittari suru nowo tanoshin de iru.
= I’ve been enjoying things like going out and going to see a movie lately.
Ex. 去年は仕事で日本へ行ったり来たりしていた。
= Kyonen wa shigoto de niho ye ittari kitari shiteita.
= I went to Japan back and forth for my work last year.
Ex. 映画が始まったら携帯電話を使ったり大声で話したりするのはやめましょう。
= Eiga ga hajimattara keitaidenwa wo tsukattari oogoe de hanashitari suru nowa yamemashou.
= Once a movie starts, do not use a cellphone or talk loud.
Ex. 今日は、雨が降ったりやんだりだ。
= Kyou wa amega futtari yandari da.
= It’s been raining on and off today.
🔹 Using the same verb in an affirmative form and a negative form :
〜(し）たり〜(し)なかったり : on and off
Ex. 学校に来たり来なかったりする生徒がいます。
= Gakkou ni kitari konakattari suru seito ga imasu.
= There are students who sometimes come and sometimes not to come.
= There are students who don’t come regularly.
Ex. 忙しい日は、食べたり食べなかったりです。
= Isogashii hi wa tabetari tabenakattari desu.
= When I am busy I sometimes eat and sometimes don’t eat.
= When I am busy I sometimes skip the meal.
************************
You are supposed to use たり(=tari) twice in a sentence when you connect two verbs.
However, you may hear/see a sentence with just one たり ( = tari)
1) to do something and etc.
Ex. 日本語はアニメを観たりマギー先生のサイトも使って勉強します。
= Nihongo wa anime wo mitari Maggie Sensei no saito mo tsukatte benkyou shimasu.
= I also study Japanese watching “anime” or using Maggie Sensei’s site.
📝 Note :
You are supposed to say マギー先生のサイトを使ったりする( = Maggie sensei no saito wo tsukattari suru) but sometimes you drop the second たり(=tari) in conversation.
:l: Your Japanese teacher or Japanese experts will hate when the see/hear someone drops one たり(=tari) along with some of the following colloquial ways of using たり ( = tari) but
actually you do hear those a lot in daily conversation. My site is to teach “Real Japanese” so I will teach you anyway.
Ex. 「お休みの日は何をやっているの？」
= Oyasumi no hi wa nani wo yatte iruno?
= What do you usually do on your day off?
「本を読んだりします。」
= Hon wo yondari shimasu.
= I read a book and etc.
Ex. たまにジムに行ったりしてる？(casual)
= Tama ni jimu ni ittari shiteru?
= Do you go to the gym and stuff once in a while?
Ex. 最近は作曲をしたりしてるんだ。
= Saikin wa sakkyoku wo shitari shiterunda.
= I have been composing music and stuff lately.
2) to soften your speech avoiding sounding too straight (direct).
Ex. 私の日本語が間違っていても笑ったりしないで下さい。
= Watashi no nihongo ga machigatte ite mo warattari shinai de kudasai.
= Even if my Japanese is wrong, please do not laugh at me or anything.
(Sounds softer than 笑わないで下さい。( = warawanai de kudasai.)
Ex. 初めてのデートだったらケチったりしない方がいいよ。
=Hajimete no deeto dattara kechittari shianai hou ga iiyo.
= If it is your first date, you shouldn’t be stingy and stuff.
(Sounds softer than ケチらない方がいい。( = kechiranai hou ga ii.)
Ex. 旦那に浮気されたりしても平気なの？
= Danna ni uwaki saretarishite mo heiki nano?
= Are you really going to be OK if your husband is having an affair and stuff?
3) conditional sentence :
Ex. 私の気持を彼に知られたりしたら困る。
= Watashi no kimochi wo kare ni shiraretari shitara komaru.
= I will be in trouble if he finds out how I feel about him.
Ex. チャラくみえる人が実はまじめだったりするんだよね。
= Charaku mieru hito ga jitsu wa majime dattari surundayone.
= The guy who looks shallow could be actually very serious, you know.
4) Emphasizing
Ex. この日のこと忘れたりしません！
= Kono hi no koto wasuretari shimasen!
= I will never forget this day.
Ex. そんなひどいことしたりしません。
= Sonna hidoi koto shitari shimasen.
= There is no way that I will do such a horrible thing.
Ex. 知らない人についていったりしたらいけませんよ。
= Shiranai hito ni tsuite ittari shitara ikemasen yo.
= Do not follow any strangers.
5) When you assume something.
Ex. マギー、今度の休み暇だったりする？(very colloquial)
= Maggie, kondo no yasumi himadattari suru?
= Are you free next weekend by any chance?
📝 Note: Again this type of speech may annoy some people. But a lot of young people use it.
I would say not to overuse it. It sure does sound a bit shallow.
6) 〜たりして(=tarishite) = maybe, It could be, it is possible that…
In casual conversation, we end the sentence with ~たりして… ( = tarishite….) when we imply some possibility in a subtle way.
Ex. マギーは マックスのことが好きだったりして…
= Maggie wa Max no koto ga sukidatatrishite…
= Maybe Maggie likes Max, you know.
(It sounds more subtle than 好きなんじゃない ( = sukinanjanai)?)
Ex. 一人暮らしをしたらすぐに彼氏ができちゃったりして…
= Hitori gurashi wo shitara suguni kareshi ga dekichattarishite…
= If I start to live alone, I might be able to get a boyfriend right away.
(It sounds lighter or cuter than できるかもしれない = dekirukamo shirenai. )
Ex. あ〜あ、これで私達終わりだったりして…
= Ah a… Kore de watashitachi owaridattarishite.
= Well, maybe our relationship is over now…I don’t know… / We could be over…
(It sounds slightly less serious than 終わりかもしれない = owarikamo shirenai)
Ex. こっちの方がよかったりして…
= Kocchi no hou ga yokattarishite.
= Maybe this one is(could be) better, you know.
(Note: Compared to こっちの方がいいよ。( = Kocchi no hou ga iiyo) This one is better! , It sounds more subtle. )
**************
It is more limited than verbs but たり( = tari) is also used with adjectives or nouns.
🔹 noun A + だったり( = dattari) + noun B+ だったり( = dattari)
= A and B and etc. / Sometimes A sometimes B/ It could be A or B
🔹 adjective A たり(=tari) adjective B
= “A or B”, “A and B, etc” “sometimes ~ and sometimes ~”
⭐️ How to form :
★noun :
noun A + だったり( = dattari) + noun B+ だったり( = dattari) = It could be A or B./ Sometimes A and sometimes B.
★i-adjective :
adjective A + たり( = tari) + adjective B + たり( = tari)
Ex. 美味しい = oishii = delicious
⬇️
(past tense ) 美味しかった= oishikatta
⬇️
add り( = ri)
美味しかったり = oishikattari
Ex. まずい = mazui = (to taste) bad
⬇️
(past tense ) まずかった= mazukatta
⬇️
add り(ri)
まずかったり = mazukattari
Ex. 母の料理は気分によって美味しかったりまずかったりする。
= Haha no ryouri wa kibun ni yotte oishikattari mazukattari suru
=My mom’s cooking is sometimes delicious and sometimes not depending on her mood.
★na-adjective:
adjective A + だったり( = dattari) + adjective B + だったり( = dattari)
Ex. 元気 = genki = healthy, fine, energetic, active
(past tense) 元気だった
add り( = ri)
元気だったり( = genki dattari)
Ex. 彼は、日によって元気だったりそうでなかったりする。
= Kare wa hi ni yotte genki dattari soude nakattari shimasu.
= He is sometimes active and sometimes not, depending on the day.
Note : If you simply connect two adjectives we use で( = de) and て( = te)
静かで美しい= Shizuka de utsukushii = quiet and beautiful
********
マギー先生より = Maggie sensei yori = From Maggie Sensei
みんなはお休みの日は、何をやっていますか？
= Minna wa oyasumi no hi wa nani wo yatte imasuka?
= How do you spend your days off?
***
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162 Comments
Could you please explain the second example under 3) Conditional sentences?
チャラくみえる人が実はまじめだったりするんだよね。
I think I understand the first example, but in this one it looks like たりする means something similar to かもしれない
In fact if I hadn’t seen your translation I would’ve completely misinterpreted the meaning of the sentence, as I was thinking of something along the lines “but he actually happens to be serious, you know”.
Many thanks in advance!
Hi enrique
You can rephrase the sentence with かもしれない → まじめかもしれない
The nuance difference is, たりする is more vague compare to かもしれない
You bring up some possibilities more softly with たりする avoiding direct expression
People tend to think shallow looking guys are not serious. But they could be serious. (there are cases such as they are serious.)
can you explain ~たりしてはいけません as it i can not find the answer any where, i really do appreciate the help if you can ease my stress on finding the answer.
sorry forgot to add this , its the form ~たり、〜たりしてはいけません
Hello Sean
~たり、〜たりしてはいけません
means “You must not do things such as ~ , ~ and so on ”
Ex. 教室では騒いだり、走ったりしてはいけません。
You must not do things such as making noises, running around and so on in the classroom.
Hi Maggie Sensei, I am copying a question by Victor Hugo posted on June 19th, 2020 for which I do not see a reply. Would you be able to answer it as I have the same question. Thank you very much.
Hi Meggie Sensei! How are you?
I’ve been wondering how to construct a sentence with the たりたりする structure but in negative tense. For example: I don’t gamble, I don’t drink and I don’t smoke (among other things).
Should I conjugate just the final する into しない -> ギャンブルをしたり、お酒を飲んだり、タバコを吸ったりしない。?
Should I conjugate all the verbs into past negative and keep する in affirmative tense -> ギャンブルをしなかったり、お酒を飲まなっかたり、タバコを吸わなかったりする?
Should I conjugate the first two verbs into past negative, the final verb into past and する into しない -> ギャンブルをしなかったり、お酒を飲まなっかたり、タバコをすったりしない?
Thanks in advance! Regards from Brazil!
Hi Dorina,
I guess I didn’t read his comment. I will repost this answer.
How to connect verb negative form with たり depends on the sentence but when you describe someone’s personality,
the basic form is
〜たり〜たり（〜たり）しない
You also can add は after the last たり
〜たり〜たり（〜たり）はしない
(Using negative form with the last verb)
ギャンブルをしたり、お酒を飲んだり、タバコを吸ったりしない。 (correct)
or adding は
ギャンブルをしたり、お酒を飲んだり、タバコを吸ったりはしない。 (emphasis)
The following two sentences are unnatural.
ギャンブルをしなかったり、お酒を飲まなかったり、タバコを吸わなかったりする
ギャンブルをしなかったり、お酒を飲まなっかたり、タバコをすったりしない (Double negative so very confusing anyway. You can just say したり〜したり〜する)
All these habits are negative.
If you say なかったり〜なかったり.. it sounds like this person is supposed to gamble/drink/smoke but he/she doesn’t do that.
But it is possible to use this form if you change the sentence a little.
(Let’s say this person has bad habits and gamble, drink or smoke all the time but ) There are some days that he/she doesn’t gamble/drink/smoke.
ギャンブルをしなかったり、お酒を飲まなかったり、タバコを吸わなかったりする日もあります。
Hi Maggie先生, Thanks as always for your wonderful site, it’s very usefull!
I can’t understand this used of ーたり、can you help me?
パセリをかけて食べたりもします。
Thank you so much!
Hi Barbara,
That たり has a function of giving some examples, “doing this and that and etc.”
I eat sprinkling parsley and so on/and stuff. (It implies the speaker eat with something else, too.)
マギー先生、レッスンありがとうございます！
質問がありますけど。。。
この文は正しいですか
彼は、日によって元気だったりそうじゃなかったりする。
「そうでなかった」じゃないで「そうじゃなかった」を使ってもいいですか
Sorry if I made any mistakes, I wanted to try writing my question in Japanese hehe \(^.^)7
こんにちは！
元気だったりそうではなかったりする
→元気だったりそうでなかったりする
→(casual) 元気だったりそうじゃなかったりする。
どの文章も使えます。
ありがとうございます！^^
どういたしまして！
(Note for you: じゃないで→じゃなくて ☺️）
Hello Maggie Sensei! Recently i’ve been reading Nihongo Switch transcript (EP.37) and i came across this sentece:
雪を掘って道を作ったりすることを「雪かき」と言います。
My question is what 作ったりする means here? I feel like i understand this sentence but at the same time i don’t :/
Hi Daniel,
If the writer thinks the definition of 雪かき is only 雪を掘って道を作る, the sentence would be
雪を掘って道を作ることを「雪かき」と言います。
The function of this たり is the writer thinks there are other definitions of 雪かき
” ~ and etc.”
Aah alright i understand this now :O Thank you!
You’re very welcome!
Hello maggie sensei
Thanks as always for your wonderful site. just got curious but when can you omit suru at the end of the second tari?
like from your examples
今日は、雨が降ったりやんだりだ。
忙しい日は、食べたり食べなかったりです。
also in the same case, i did a little searching but seems like when omitting the suru in the second tari, i noticed people used で to connect a second clause in the sentence. or if used with node, you add na, like ~たりなので. is that right?
Hello Matthew
Ah, OK, as you say the basic patten is
A たり B たり する・している
You can say
今日は、雨が降ったり病んだりしている。
忙しい日は、食べたり食べなかったりしている
But sometimes you end with だ・です omitting ている
~ たり（している+noun) だ・です
今日は、雨が降ったりやんだり（している日 （状態)）だ。
忙しい日は、食べたり食べなかったり（している日 (状態)）です
Hello Maggie sensei,
Long time no see. How have you been?
I have a question related to たり and とか
(1) マギーはおもちゃで遊んだり散歩に行ったりするのが好きだ。
For this sentence, can I use とか also?
マギーはおもちゃで遊ぶとか散歩に行くとかのが好きだ。
(2) 昨夜は歌ったり踊ったりした。
For this sentence, is it OK if I use とか
昨夜は歌くとか踊るとかした。
Thanks my Lady.
久しぶり、Frozenheart! 元気でしたか？
I think I explained the nuance difference between Vたり and Vとか in my とか lesson.
As for 1) and 2) たり is much more natural than とか
はい、元気です。
Thanks for your answer.
I will check the とか lesson also.
Good! 元気でよかった！ :)
Sensei, how is 帰ったあと working here?:
このような子供たちは、宿題やビデオで勉強したり、オンラインで授業をうけたりしていました。先生が家に行ったり、他の子供が帰ったあと学校で授業をしたりしている場合もありました。
The thing is that children are having break from school due to Corona and this article says that teacher have been going to houses giving classes, but then it mentions about the teacher giving classes to other children after returning home at the school.
So that would mean that the teacher goes home and after it he or she teaches children at school?
Hi dizzt,
the teacher is giving classes not to other children.
The teacher is giving classes to these children ( = このような子供たち) after other students left the school and go home.
お世話になりました、先生。
☺️
Hi Meggie Sensei! How are you?
I’ve been wondering how to construct a sentence with the たりたりする structure but in negative tense. For example: I don’t gamble, I don’t drink and I don’t smoke (among other things).
Should I conjugate just the final する into しない -> ギャンブルをしたり、お酒を飲んだり、タバコを吸ったりしない。?
Should I conjugate all the verbs into past negative and keep する in affirmative tense -> ギャンブルをしなかったり、お酒を飲まなっかたり、タバコを吸わなかったりする?
Should I conjugate the first two verbs into past negative, the final verb into past and する into しない -> ギャンブルをしなかったり、お酒を飲まなっかたり、タバコをすったりしない?
Thanks in advance! Regards from Brazil!
Dear Victor
I am so sorry for this late reply. Someone informed me that I haven’t replied to your question.
How to connect verb negative form with たり depends on the sentence but when you describe someone’s personality,
the basic form is
〜たり〜たり（〜たり）しない
You also can add は after the last たり
〜たり〜たり（〜たり）はしない
(Using negative form with the last verb)
ギャンブルをしたり、お酒を飲んだり、タバコを吸ったりしない。 (correct)
or adding は
ギャンブルをしたり、お酒を飲んだり、タバコを吸ったりはしない。 (emphasis)
The following two sentences are unnatural.
ギャンブルをしなかったり、お酒を飲まなかったり、タバコを吸わなかったりする
ギャンブルをしなかったり、お酒を飲まなっかたり、タバコをすったりしない (Double negative so very confusing anyway. You can just say したり〜したり〜する)
All these habits are negative.
If you say なかったり〜なかったり.. it sounds like this person is supposed to gamble/drink/smoke but he/she doesn’t do that.
But it is possible to use this form if you change the sentence a little.
(Let’s say this person has bad habits and gamble, drink or smoke all the time but ) There are some days that he/she doesn’t gamble/drink/smoke.
ギャンブルをしなかったり、お酒を飲まなかったり、タバコを吸わなかったりする日もあります。
マギー先生、
いつもすごく詳しく説明してくれてありがとうございました！
一番いい先生ですよ！
Max ありがとう！！
うれしいです！💖
Hello Maggie 先生!
I love your blog! And thanks to it I’ve learned a lot! I know I can always come here to find my answers.
But this time I couldn’t figure out by myself just by reading the blog.
I tried to look for some comments here to find some opinions and differences but still I don’t get it. Would you be so kind and please, please help me? 😭
So far I found that:
たり: is used to give several examples/express repeated actions or conditions/or some types of activities.
While
し: is used to give multiple reasons.
But still that was not enough nor clear for me.
I have an specific example I would like you to help me.
For an interview I need to say: my hobbies are: learning languages, watch series and read about cultures.
My example would be like this :
私の趣味は言語を学んだり、テレビ番組を見たり、文化のついてを読んだりしています。
Or
私の趣味は言語を学ぶし、テレビ番組を見るし、文化のついてを読むしています
Hello ジェシ
If you simply list up some of the examples of what you do for fun, I do A, B and such, たり is more natural to use than し
私の趣味は言語を学んだり、テレビ番組を見たり、文化のついての（or 文化に関する）本を読んだりしています。（Perfect)
As you wrote, し gives multiple “reasons” or emphasize your activities.
私の趣味は言語を学ぶし、テレビ番組を見るし、文化のついてを読むしています (not natural)
If you list up why your Japanese is good and emphasize what you do, you can use し
休みの日は、言語の勉強をするし、日本語のテレビを観るし、文化についての（or 文化に関する）本を読みます。
I have a lesson on How to use し Click this link
hello,
Regarding the sentence
パーティを組んでみたり。
is てみる+たり correct ?
Sorry for the stupid question.
Hi Matheus,
It is not a stupid question at all. :)
Yes, you can say Vてみる＋たり→ みたり
Hi sensei, what’s the meaning of tari in this sentence…?
どきどきも浮かれたりもしない
I don’t know who it is talking about but
~ is not feeling nervous* or overly excited.
「しない」と「下さい」の間に「で」がありません
http://prntscr.com/l365o4
Thank you for spotting the mistake. I fixed it. ありがとう！
Hi! I’m struggling to understand translate this phrase:
これから稽古だったり、いろいろなことが始まっていくんだっていう感じがより高まりました。
This is one of the answers to a question about how they felt after wearing their performance costume for the first time, for context!
I noticed that the the beginning part, これから稽古だったり, is a noun + だったり form- but there’s only one. You did mention that this is pretty colloquial, though! So, is this why it’s a bit difficult for me to understand or is there something I’m missing?
Thank you so much for taking the time to read this, and I hope you’re doing well!!
Hi A
Yes, it is a casual way of writing.
it gives a reason first as an example for the following part, いろいろなことが始まっていくんだっていう感じがより高まりました。
Omg thank you so much for this <3 You are definitely the best one in the world <3 All those explanations whithout exception are the best <3 Some offtopic: How Can I get better at knowing what japanese people are saying? I mean I can't figure out if they are saying something like:
し or ち、ほうがいい or ほうばいい or even ほうだいい(This one doesn't even exist and just like in those examples if I really think I heard this one then I will torture myself searching for it, until I realize that it doesn't exist and that person didn't actually said that) So…
I will become better just with knowing more vocabulary/grammar or I will need something more/else?
Hi Naru-chan!
I think what you heard is
~ほうがいい = hou ga ii which means “I prefer” / ” ~ should better do something ”
Talking to yourself.
Ex. もう寝た方がいい。
= Mou neta hou ga ii.
= I should better go to bed now.
Talking to someone else.
もう寝た方がいいよ。
= Mou neta hou ga iiyo.
= You should go to bed now.
If you learn some grammar pattern, you will start to hear things and they make more sense to you.
がんばって！
omgsh thank you so much <3 Your reply really motivated me, the best always <3!!
You’re very welcome.
Now I think of it, what you heard, し or ち part, must be した
So →した方がいい = shita hou ga ii = You should do ~ / I should do ~
Hi Maggie!
I’ve been searching everywhere online for the meaning of たりして that’s closest to what I have in the Try! N3 book. It says here that “たりして is used when you gently say that another person’s appearance is different from normal, or when you gently give an instruction.” I have no idea what that means, or how a sentence like that would sound in English. The sample sentences are:
1) どうしたの？着物着たりして。どこか行くの？
2) 彼女、急に泣いたりして、どうしたんだろう？
3) バスの窓から手をだしたりしてはいけませにょ。
While I do know what all the sentences mean, I can’t figure how たりして makes it different from using the normal plain forms of the verbs. I hope you can enlighten me on this! Thank you so much in advance! (Love you and your website! I’ve always wanted a Frenchie!)
Hello Polar Beagle!
OK, when you see someone in Kimono and find it unusual, you say
どうしたの？ 着物を着ているけれども、どこか行くの？
It could sound more serious and the listener can take there is something wrong with wearing kimono.
This particular sentence is not that strong but by adding たりして makes the phrase soften. (In English “like / ~ and such” “~ you know”)
→ どうしたの？着物着たりして。どこか行くの？
Also
2) 彼女、急に泣いたりして、どうしたんだろう？
sounds more subtle than 急に泣いて which focuses on the fact she cried more.
3) バスの窓から手をだしたりしてはいけませんよ。
This たりして means “and such”
If you say 手を出してはいけませんよ, you focus on just one action.
出したり implies there are other actions that shouldn’t be done.
Oooh my gosh you are amazing. That clarifies things a LOT for me. Thank you SO much. Just another question, based on your explanation, does the kimono sentence sound something like this in English?
What’s up? You’re wearing a kimono and stuff.. Going somewhere?
Yes, you can translate it like that!
and stuff/ and such..
Though the speaker is just talking about one thing “kimono”, it sounds more subtle.
There are many expressions like this in Japanese. You’ll see. :)
Thank you so much! It makes so much sense to me now!! :D
どういたしまして💕
Hi Maggie Sensei!
If I said 「優しかったり楽しかったり感じがあります」, how would this sound to a native speaker? Would it be annoying, too colloquial, etc? If so, is there a better or a more polite way I could say this in Japanese?
Also I heard someone use 「adj-たりとか、adj-たりとか~」. How does this sound to native speakers?
Thank you!!
Hi Rachel
First ( ~ たり）感じがあります part is unnatural.
You wanted to describe someone’s personality?
A is sometimes sweet and fun?
Yes, we say ~たり、〜たりとか〜
Ex. 休みの日は友達と会ったり、買い物にいったりとかします。
Hello Maggie Sensei,
can I use 〜たり〜たりする also with the verbs いる and ある？
ex.週末は映画館に行ったり家にいたりします。
机の上に本があったり、ペンがあったりします。
I think the second one is uncorrect, but I wanted to ask. Thank you very much!
Yes, you can say いたり・あったり
But you are right. The second sentence is not natural.
Ex.嬉しいことがあったり悲しいことがあったりするがそれがすべて人生です。
= There are happy things or sad things but that’s the life.
Can you use たり form more than 2 times in a sentence?
For example; 学校の後でしゅくだいをしたり犬とあそんだり晩御飯をたべたりします。
Also, do we need commas between each たり? Is it gramatically wrong if i used the sentence above instead of 学校の後でしゅくだいをしたり, 犬とあそんだり, 晩御飯をたべたりします?
Can you use たり form more than 2 times in a sentence? →Possible. (But four たり could be too much.)
It will be easier to read if you use 点 （、）
学校の後で宿題をしたり、犬とあそんだり、晩御飯を食べたりします?
Hi Maggi-sensei,
When do we use ~し〜し vs 〜たり〜たり? I read that they can both be used when expressing multiple verbs/ adjectives/ nouns in a sentence without any particular order. Any guidance would be much appreciated!
よりしくお願い致します!
Hi Sue
し can give multiple reasons
どうして仕事をやめたいの？ Why do you want to quit your job?
給料は安いし仕事はきついし… Because the pay is bad and it is hard and so on.
X 安かったり仕事はきつかったり
あの店は高いしまずいし、もう行かない。
x 高かったりまずかったり
***
たり is used when you give multiple examples
休みの日は、洗濯をしたり掃除をしたり忙しい。
I do laundry or cleaning and etc on my day off.
x 洗濯をしたし掃除をしたし忙しい
（You can say 昨日は、洗濯をしたし家の掃除もした.
Not only doing the laundry but I also cleaned the house)
わかりました！ほんとにありがとうございました！
どういたしまして、Sue! ❤️
Maggie sensei,
Regarding the sentence :
“休みの日は、洗濯をしたり掃除をしたり忙しい。
I do laundry or cleaning and etc on my day off.”
Yes, I agree tari is the best for giving multiple examples here.
But, if I want to say and imply that “I was so busy on my day off. Because I did the laundry, I did the cleaning, etc” (Reason). May I use し to express that imply?
休みの日は忙しかった. 洗濯したし、掃除したし、。。。
Thanks in advance , Maggie sensei.
Yes, you can say 休みの日は忙しかった。洗濯したし、掃除したし、…
Hi Maggie. My text book shows the tari form of the verb okoru (to happen) as okitari which does not appear to be correct. However when I put the Japanese sentence using okitari into a translator, it comes up as correct. Why is it not okattari? Love your site. Greetings from Australia
＠Nick
Hi Nick!
OK, there are two forms to say “to happen”
起こる = おこる = okoru
and
起きる = おきる = okiru
Originally 起こる ( = okoru) but you use 起きる (= okiru) as well now.
起きる = おきる = okiru
たり (tari) form is 起きたり = おきたり= okitari
起こる = おこる = okoru
たり (tari) form is 起こったり = okottari
Thank you very much for your reply. So 起こるand 起きるare interchangeable?
@Nick
They are pretty much interchangeable besides certain exceptions.
Hello! Could you tell me if I translated this song sentences correctly?
I traslate this sentense
ここまでの道のり奇跡のような時間
色んな人達と泣いたり笑ったり
支えあってる
The trip here has had moments that have been magical.
We had the support of many people with whom we have cried and laughed
or “We laughed and cried with many people. We have also supported each other”(The two persons only) is better?
＠Kaede
The tense-wise, the last part of translation should be
We have been supporting each other
but not between “two people”, among many people.
Can you have たり form and ことができます form in one sentence??
勉強をしたり歌うをすることができます。
like this maybe???
@haeun
Yes, you can use potential form with たり
But to be able to sing is not 歌うをすることができます
→歌うことができます or 歌えます。
Thanks for answering
What happens is that the song is about two people (I did not put the complete lyrics) so I assumed that supporting each other was just something between them.
＠Kaede
I know it is hard to tell by just the excerpt but judging from that part
いろいろな人達と could modify 泣いたり笑ったり and 支えあったり because it has the same suffix, たり.
Maggie, hello.
You are the cutest dog (except for mine).
I once heard this in an anime (進撃の巨人): エレンを傷つけたりしないよ
Eren wo kizutsuketari shinai yo
And this was translated as ‘I wouldn’t hurt Eren’
So tari can be used to express that someone would do something.?
Hi Robert!
In this case ～たり implies other possibilities beside those, which were mentioned.
So basically it means that the speaker would never do something bad to Ellen, like hurting her in any way.
～たりalso it adds lots of emphasis.
A good translation, which shows the ～たり part, would be: “I would n e v e r hurt Ellen!”
And yes, it can express an action towards another person => EX. 人に嫌がることをさせたり笑いものにするのが好き、だという人が、残念ながら、いる。
＠Robert and 天人
Thank you for helping Robert, 天人 While I was sleeping! :)
Thank you very much, but…
It’ Eren (it’s a german name) and he is male.
Sorry, just when I had a look at it, I started laughing.
Could you translate this sentence please?
人に嫌がることをさせたり笑いものにするのが好き、だという人が、残念ながら、いる。
@Robert-again
Hmm I don’t do the translation but the idea is
Unfortunately there are people who like forcing other people do things they dislike or laugh at them.
Thanks for answering Sensei!
So … even if we take into account that the song is about two people “We laughed and cried with many people. We would also support each other “(The two persons only)” would be incorrect?
@Kaede
No, I wouldn’t say it is incorrect. It could be “two people are supporting each other”. It all depends on the context.
Thank you for answering and for all your patience!
@Kaede
どういたしまして ❤️
Can you use tari with other verbs?
＠Horváth Róbert Ferenc
Sorry, but what do you mean by other verbs?
As I explained in my lesson you can connects verbs with たり
Verb１+たり + Verb２+たり
I mean other than suru
＠robert
Hmmm yes… taberu, neru….many of my example sentences in the lesson have verbs other than “suru”.
Yesss!
I have translated it the same way.
Thanks a lot ;D
@robert
Good! You’re welcome!!
国くにの役所やくしょが職員しょくいんの次つぎの仕事しごとを探さがしたり、探さがす手伝てつだいをしたりしてはいけません。
Maggie sensei, I found this article of yours when I stumbled into this sentence in an article when reading japanese stuff on the web. As there are various possibilities of how to use the たり form, I read your article and now I understand basically how it works. However, I still wanted to make sure if I assumed correctly how it was used on these senteces. Could you help me? お願いします！
in the sentence of the middle, it’s used to give an etc. to the number of functions you could have and in the following phrase, to emphasize that they are not looking for assistants?
@rubemar junior
Hello rubemar junior,
The basic structure of the sentence is
Don’t do things such as A and B.
Verb AたりVerb Bたりしてはいけません。
In that sentence
Verb A = (職員）次の仕事を探す = to find the job (for the emploees)
Verb B = 探す手伝いをする = to help finding the job (for them)
Ça va bien, 天人さん^_^
つまり、「と」は、２つの文をつながって、何がお世話になったかを表すことですね。説明ありがとうございました♪ わかりやすかったです。
天人さんも、マギー先生も、みんなもいいお年を！
@Marianne
明けましておめでとう！
Marianneにとって新しい年が素晴らしい年になりますように！
マギー先生、こんにちは〜
元気ですか? 今先生がいる所は寒いですか?
「〜たり」のあったメッセージについて質問あってマギーの部屋よりこのレッスンで聞こうと思いました。
「その件では 通訳してくれたりと 大変 お世話になりました」
あのメッセージの「〜たりと」は今まで見たことないんですけど、説明してくれませんか?
Merci, 先生♡
@Marianne
Coucou, ca va?
Getting straight to the answer,
～てくれる implies a favor which the speaker received.
～たり implies that the speaker is grateful for many things, and one of these is the translation stuff.
と should be here translated as “for”. It stands for an explanation for what kind of fact is the speaker grateful.
その件では通訳してくれたりと 大変 お世話になりました = I’d really like to thank you for helping me out with the translations (etc).
———-
I’d like to take this opportunity to wish you and Maggie and everyone here, who visits – let’s say – our website a Happy and Prosperous New Year, hoping that everyone will have many blessings in the year to come. May all your dreams come true!
( ｀・∀・´)ﾉﾖﾛｼｸ
@Marianne
こんにちは、Marianne
天人さんがMarianneの質問に答えてくれたようですね。
@天人 Thank you for helping Marianne and nice message for all of us!
May your coming year be filled with joy, happiness and dreams.
こんにちは、先生！
誰かに私が書いた文章を直してもらったときに「直したり、説明したりしてくれてありがとう」とお礼を言いたかったら、こう書けば正しいでしょうか。
よろしくお願いします。
@lucas
こんにちは、Lucas! はい、もしその人がいつもlucasの文章の添削をしてくれている人だったら「たり」を使えます。
Hi Sensei! Thank goodness you are back! Was checking out ur site today but it was down. T-T
Great to see you again!
Sensei, I need help with this word – tachidomari. I cant seem to conjugate it from tachidomaru and it ended up differently. Please help! Thanks for all your help ;)
@Anna
Hi Anna,
Sorry. The site has been down… It has been on and off…
Anyway,
立ち止まり = たちどまり= tachidomari is a conjugation from a verb
立ち止まる= たちどまる= stand still, stop (walking or doing something what you have been doing once)
Do you have an example sentence where you saw the word? If it is used with other verb, it works like this.
You can use this form as te-form. Stop walking/Stand still/ Stop what you have been doing once and then…..
立ち止まり( = tachidomari)+ Verb = to do something standing still/ stop walking/stop doing what you have been doing.
(It is similar to 立ち止まって( = tachidomatte ) )
ずっと働き続けてきたが、たまには立ち止まり（立ち止まって）人生について考えることも必要だと思った。
= Zutto hataraite kita ga, tama niwa tachidomari (or tachidomatte) jinsei ni tsuite kangaeru koto mo hitsuyou da to omotta.
= I have been working all my life but I came to think that it is necessary to stop working and think about my life once.
Here you go:
彼は立ち止まり、ドキドキしながら考えた. Was basically scratching my head. So the tachidomari is the same as tachidomatte is it?
Thanks for the explaination Sensei! I think I am beginning to get the gist of it. Aww…Japanese language honestly isnt easy.
@Anna
Yes, it is the same as tachidomatte.
He stopped (walking) and ~
So you can connect sentences using masu-stem like te-form.
He was surprised to know the fact.
↓
彼はそのことを知って驚いた。
= Kare wa sono koto wo shitte odoroita.
彼はそのことを知り驚いた。
= Kare wa sono koto wo shiri odoroita.
Many learners get confused with this form.
Will add it to the lesson list. :)
That would be great!! Thanks a million, Sensei. Thanks for being so patient and helpful. :cryingboy:
@Anna
You’re welcome, Anna! :)
Konbanha Gozaimasu, Maggie-Sensei!
_I’ve Been Learning Japanese For About Two Years, But Still Don’t Know What Really The Verb “Infinitive-Form” Is Used For? I Mean Sometimes Finds That It Mentions To Past Events, & Usually Followed By Another Verb In Events-Linked Phrase (Especially In Anime). Confused About It, I Really Need A Specific Usage, Onegai Shimasu!
:kkk:
@Kibounokata
Konnichiwa Kibounokata
Infinitive-form such as 食べる・読む・する etc. is used in the following cases
1. Casual conversation:
(1) to tell someone what you are going to do now.
お腹すいたから、何か食べる。
= I am hungry so I am going to eat something (now)
あの本は難しいからこの本を読む。
= That book is difficult so I am going to read this book.
(2) informal question
これ、食べる？= Do you want to eat this?
本、読む？= Do you want to read a book?
何、する？= What do you want to do?
(3) casual conversation
彼、最近、ここに来る？ = Does he come here often?
ううん、来ない。 No he doesn’t
2. Writing:
(1) To describe one’s routine actions/habitual actions
私は、毎朝、８時に起きる。I get up at eight every morning.
そして仕事に出かける And then I go to work.
１０時に家に帰る。I will come back home at 10:00
日本人はお米をよく食べる = Japanese people eat rice a lot.
(2) to express one’s opinion, describe something, to state (basically anything.)
この頃の若者は漢字を使わない。 = Young people don’t use kanji lately.
3. And you use it with other suffixes.
Such as 食べる＋こと・には/とき・noun, etc. (There are too many so I won’t write them here.)
Ahh Etto.
_Thanks Alot For This Worthy Explanation, But.. My Fault Hehe, I Know That Casual-Form Of The Verb, But I Wanted Exactly To Know About This Form, Example:
Suru________Sh(i).
Naru________Nar(i).
Shinu_______Shin(i).
Aru_________Ar(i)… “Neko Ga Ari Desu” Though: Aru = Ari [Or Any Difference?]
_Well, This Form Isn’t Used Too Much, But It Does Change The Context?!
@Kibounokata
Hmm? I thought you wanted to know the usage of infinitive form.
You want to know when to use ます form?
する→します
なる→なります
しぬ→しにます
ある→あります
If so it is a polite form of the dictionary form.
You can use that form for something habitual and also near future. (What you are going do do.)
Or verbs such as あります／います describe a current state.
And you can check my tense lesson.
BTW you don’t say ねこがあります (cat is a living thing so you say ねこがいます)
Sugoi! Arigatou, Maggie Sensei! Saikou Deshou Anata Ha !happyface!
Hhhh I Was About To Correct The Typo For “Ga Aru” Into “Ga Iru” But Was Too Late After Putting The Comment!
!nemui! Mata Arigatou Gozaimashita Sensei !!
@Kibounokata
You’re welcome! :)
Dear Maggie-sensei,
The last couple of weeks, I’ve been searching high and low for this use of たり+たら. I’ve been chatting with a couple of Japanese friends via text and one of them texted me, “私の英語が変だったり、間違ってたら、自然な英語に直してくれない？”
In the beginning, I thought it was a typo with the use of double たら. However, when I conversed with my other friend using a similar sentence, just swapping 英語 with 日本語 and using “間違ってたら、変だったら”, she told me that it would’ve been better had I written “間違ってたり、変だったら”.
I would like to ask if this is a colloquial thing or something? Because I really don’t get it and I can’t seem to find it on the Internet either.. I would appreciate an explanation very, very much. (:
I hope my explanation of my situation isn’t confusing.
Thank you in advance! (:
@ りん
Hi りん
I am not sure if I understand your questions well. But…
1) 私の英語が変だったり間違って(い*)たら、自然な英語に直してくれない？
2) 私の英語が間違って(い*)たり変だったら、自然な英語に直してくれない？
＊間違ってる・間違ってたら is a casual contraction of 間違っている・間違っていたら
Both 1) and 2) are fine.
You can also say
1) 私の英語が変だったり間違って(い*)たりしたら、自然な英語に直してくれない？
2) 私の英語が間違って(い*)たり変だったりしたら、自然な英語に直してくれない？
in conversation.
Maggie-sensei, I truly enjoy reading your posts, and many of them are very helpful and well written with plenty of examples. I’m a beginner still, so please bear with me.
About たり, what does と思ったり usually mean? Does it mean “also thought” or does it imply assumption or emphasis?
Thank you very much in advance!!
@Presto
Hi Presto!
Glad to hear you enjoy reading my posts.
If they use 思ったり solely without any v+たり
Ex. ~~と思ったり….
It is a colloquial usage (like No.6)
We leave the sentence unfinished with たり on purpose.
It sounds softer than 〜と思う
〜と思う= I think ~~~ (Showing one’s strong opinion)
〜と思ったり= Sometimes I think…./ (I could be wrong but) I could be ~~ , It is possible ~~ (Expressing the possibility)
Dear Maggie-sensei.
I came across an expression when I was reading a novel but I can’t figure out by myself.
The expression is なんかもいたりして
I’ll give you the complete sentence and my interpretation about it.
Let’s start
そうして迎えた新学期の最初の登校目には、ご大層な旅行をしていた連中たちの自慢話を聞かされる羽目になるのだ。中に海外旅行になったヤツなんかもいたりして、自分はいつもそういう連中たちの話を聞かされる側の立場だった。
And when I have the first class of the new school term, I just end up listening to my colleages(classmates) bragging about exaggerated stories of their trips. Between them, a story from a guy who traveled abroad (NANKA MO ITARI SHITE?), I always find myself in the side of those who just end up listening that kind of stories.
I know there might be some incongruences in my “translation”, but more than considering it as such, I would prefer call it “adaptation”. But anyway….
I understand the concept of almost everything, but I don’t really know what’s the usage of NANKA MO ITARI SHITE.
If you note something important to point out in my “adaptation-interpretation” please tell me, after all I’m just learning.
And of course, I hope you can help me about that expression.
Thanks in advance.
Note: English is not my first language so forgive my possible mistakes.
Hello acuriousperson,
マギー先生はただ今旅行中ですので、私がご質問に返事をさせていただきます。
中に海外旅行になったヤツなんかもいたりして… = Between them there was for example a guy, who managed to go aboard (lit. a guy, who was on a foreign/international travel), and so on…
この文章に出てきた「なんか」は一例を挙げて示す。「など」という意味と同じです。「も」助詞は「なんか」の意を強めて表す。「～たりする」は、ご存じの通り、一つの動作や状態を例としてあげ、他に同類の事柄がなおあることを暗示する。
Is this really 登校目? I think it should be 登校日.
そうして迎えた新学期の最初の登校日には… = And when the first day of a new (school) semester approached…
ご参考になれば幸いざんす。
天人さん
実は、私はまだ日本語で上手く表現できません。:cryingboy:
ですが質問に答えるために貴重な時間を割いてくれてありがとうございます。
多分、今それを理解することができます。
英語で続き。。。
I said “cannot express” but I can read and understand (most part of the times) :)
Honestly, that was difficult to express.
I already understand why I couldn’t figure out first time when I read it.
Basically I just was mistaking いたる(至る) and いる (two very differents verbs in every aspect).
In this case itarishite is from IRU. (To exist)
For itaru, I should have used ittari, right? (according to the rules of the conjugation for tari-form)
Anyway, that’s why it didn’t make sense to me.
Tari is a form we used to list two actions or two states (or maybe more) but there are some cases when you can list just one action. Just like my example, right?
But when you use tari to list just one action, in this case there is no need to list more because they have similars “usages/characteristics”(in meaning or what they imply)
For example:
新聞を読んだりして友達が来るのを待っていた。
I was waiting my friend to come doing things like reading a newspaper (and stuff*)
What can the subject of this sentence do while he is waiting for his friend?
A lot of stuff, in this case he just say that he was reading a newspaper but he could have done more stuff, like watch TV, drink water, have a light meal, go to the toilet, etc…And even he could have done just one thing: read the newspaper…
where all the examples I gave are the “stuff” placed in the context, obviously they are different in meanings but they are things you can do while waiting for someone and therefore they have some things in common but since if not really neccesary to explain all the things you do, you just say “I was waiting for him while reading a newspaper and stuff like that”.
Maybe I just misunderstand something or maybe not…In any case I understand more than before and I know what my mistake was.
If something is wrong with what I have just say, I’ll appreciate all the suggestion/explanation you can do.
About your message.
The explanation about the “nanka” and the particule “mo” is an easy matter. I think I have no problem with grasp the concept about them.
About the question: Is this really 登校目? I think it should be 登校日.
Yes, you’re right. That was a typo.
And about your japanese explanation.
I understood everything…..except for the last expressión
他に同類の事柄がなおあることを暗示する。
I just figured the meaning by context but I don’t know how to put that into english
Especcially that “nao aru koto”.
Could you please give me some details about that.
And again,
本当にありがとうございした。
こんにちは！
Q. For itaru, I should have used ittari, right? (according to the rules of the conjugation for tari-form)
A: itattari （至ったり）
Q. Tari is a form we used to list two actions or two states (or maybe more) but there are some cases when you can list just one action. Just like my example, right?
A. Indeed. Sometime the speaker just wants that other examples are implied in supposition. We can translate this as: “etc / and so on / and other stuff”. This other examples belong to the same group（同類の事柄）.
This other stuff in your example 「新聞を読んだりして友達が来るのを待っていた。」 would – most natural – be: watching TV. I think drinking water, having a meal or going to the toilet doesn’t fit in this group much. You have to image the most natural things that you do, when you are waiting for someone. You have to do something, that makes the time run much faster. You have to kill the time somehow, so you’re watching TV. Drinking water is a bit… strange.
Q. I just figured the meaning by context but I don’t know how to put that into English Especcially that “nao aru koto”. Could you please give me some details about that.
A. ～がなおある = there are more / still / further…; yet there are…
～ことを暗示する = it implies that…
他に同類の事柄がなおあることを暗示する。= It implies, that there are still other things, which belongs to the same group.
よろしく。
@天人
Thank you, 天人 for helping everyone while I was gone! お陰でゆっくり旅行ができました！
It’s always my pleasure, Maggie!
I’m happy that I could help a little.
@天人
You have been a great help!!
Thank you very much on behalf of everyone who asked the questions during my vacation!
Maggie Sensei What is 魚も釣ってきたり mean?
Thank you
@LTP
Hi LTP,
Catching a fish (or Fishing) also and….
So could you please translate this sentence
身体を鍛えている から 魚も釣ってきたり
and
あの花の裏側だって 虫に食われ朽ちていたり
Why its sentence use たり
Thank you
＠LTP
Sorry but I don’t do the translation here but I can help you correct your translation if it is a short one.
Also I am not sure if it is a part of a sentence.
↓
1) Does it end like that? ~釣ってきたり。 or continues…釣ってきたり、…?
OK, I will show you the structure of the sentence.
Someone is working out (and building his/her body) + so (~から giving a reason) + what to to (giving an example) → he/she (sometimes) goes fishing and etc.
2) It seems like unfinished sentence. Is it from AKB song?
If so…
Even that flower has a secret such as…(giving an example) (if you see the back side of flower), you may find ….and……etc.
1.It end like this ~釣ってきたり。 so i don’t understand this sentence
2.Yes , it from AKB48’s song
I think Japanese language is very difficult to understand and i’m not good at Japanese but when i read your blog that make me understand in Japanese such as grammar,vocabulary and etc. better than before.
Thank you very much
@LTP
Just keep practicing your Japanese. Keep reading, writing, listening…and make a lot of mistakes.
And more importantly enjoy studying! :D
It end like this 身体を鍛えている から 魚も釣ってきたり。
身体を鍛えている から 魚も釣ってきたり。= Because he is building his body so he (can)goes fishing and etc. << Right?
Sorry i'm not good at Japanese language. :cryingboy:
Yes, it from AKB48's song
＠LTP
Good job! You figured it out! :D
マギー先生こんにちは！
「〜たり」は受身形でどうやって使いますか？
例文を作ってみたんですが、どうですか？
「彼女は中学校の頃に殴られたり、押されたり、仲間はずれされたりしてしょっちゅう苛められた。」
She was bullied often in middle school; she was often hit, pushed and left out by others.
@Lava
こんにちは、Lava!
〜たりを受身形で使う時は”（ら）れたり”でつなげばいいです。
「彼女は中学校の頃に殴られたり、押されたり、仲間はずれされたりしてしょっちゅう苛められた。」
*仲間はずれされたり→でもいいのですが、”仲間はずれにされたり”の方が自然だと思います。
あとは完璧です！！
Hey, on one of the examples, the romaji says “sakuya” but the kanji says 昨日 (sometimes sakujitsu, so I can see where the mistake came from), just letting you know.
I was looking up たり with -i adjectives, I don’t understand why it uses する, I wanted to make sure another site wasn’t wrong, apparently it wasn’t, thanks Victor ^_^
@James
Thank you for spotting the mistake, James. I fixed it.
The basic pattern of たり is “〜たり〜たりする” so even with an i-adjective, you usually use with する
Ex. 悲しかったり嬉しかったりする
But there could be a variation
Ex. 悲しかったり嬉しかったり気持ちが揺らぐことがある etc.
And I am sorry. I am not Victor. He has been promoting our site. :)
I don’t understand the “conditional” part of this lesson. What does the use of たり in these sentences mean? How are they different than if you hadn’t used たり?
Ex. チャラくみえる人が実はまじめだったりするんだよね。 (The guy who looks shallow could be actually very serious, you know.)
Before I saw the translation, I thought that sentence meant “The guy who looks shallow is actually serious and stuff.”
If the translation is “could be” (probaby/maybe), shouldn’t the sentence be something like, 「チャラくみえる人が実はまじめでしょう。」?
@Marianne
Ah OK, ~だったりする implies the possibilities.
So if I rephrase the sentence,
チャラくみえる人が実はまじめなこともある。
= The guy who looks shallow could be actually serious/There is a possibility that shallow looking people turn to be serious
Your translation
「チャラくみえる人が実はまじめでしょう。」→More natural チャラくみえる人が実はまじめです。
means “Shallow looking people are actually serious. ” and the speaker determines their opinion.
Thank you so much! I understand ~だったりする now ^^
But I often have problems with でしょう/だろう… Especially when there is no word like “maybe” or “probably” in the translation
I know Maggie Sensei has very little free time, but If you ever have the opportunity, I would love a lesson on all the nuances of でしょう/だろう!
@Marianne
I see your problem. でしょう／だろう are used when we assume something but we don’t always say “probably”/maybe” in the translation.
For example
It will rain tomorrow. can be translated as 明日は雨が降るでしょう(when you are assuming) ／明日は雨が降ります (when you are certain)
If you want, feel free to make sentences and leave them here. I will check them for you.
Alright. Thanks again :)
Thank you for this lesson!
I have a question, how should I say ¨recently I´ve been talking in japanese with a friend on skype and so.”
”最近は友達とLINEで日本語で話したりしました” or should I say ”最近は友達とLINEで日本語で話したりしていた”
thank you!
ups! I said skype and then LINE, well, it is the same. sorry.
@Emmanuel
Hello Emmanuel
Yes, you can use 最近 for recently
Recently I´ve been talking in japanese with a friend on skype and so.
The most natural way to say this is
最近、友達とSkypeで日本語で話したりしています。
Note 1) 最近 or 最近は : We use “は” only when you want to show a contrast.
For example
I used to talk to my friend on the phone but recently I have been talking to him/her on Skype and so.
以前は友達と電話で話していましたが最近はSkypeで話したりしています。(Comparing “before” and “recently”)
Note 2) have been = If the action is still going on, ~たりしています・〜たりしている is better.
Thank you so much! have been studying japanese for 4 years and this is the best site by far! Please keep going on with it :)
Greeting from Argentina.
@Emmanuel
Thank you for the nice message from Argentina!
Hope you come visit here often! :)
Is it normal to sometimes drop the する verb at the end?
I was reading the lyrics of Kana-Boon’s ないものねだり and there’s a line that says
あっち見たりそっちを見たり美人が好きなのね
did they just decided to drop it, or is it a completely different grammar?
Hello Gabriel,
there many situations where たり is used without する, for example in constructions such as: ～たり～たりです・だ (this one is used especially in idioms: 1-3) or ～たり～たり～(4) or ～たり～なかったたりです・だ (5):
1. まさに願ったり叶ったりだ！
2. どれも似たり寄ったりだな。
3. デートに遅刻したり、財布を落としたりしちゃって、今日は踏んだり蹴ったりだ！
4. 行ったり来たり動く。
5. 天気によって富士山が見えたり見えなかったりです。
This, of course, doesn’t change the meaning. Notice that in these constructions opposed verbs are used: 行ったり来たり、見えたり見えなかったり. ”あっち見たりそっちを見たり” is also opposed and means: looking here and there / looking here, looking there, looking everywhere.
What’s important, you cannot make constructions such as ～たり～ or ～たりだ (using one ～たり without する):
1. （誤）友達と話したり、買い物する時間もない。 ==> （正） 友達と話したり、買い物したりする時間もない。
2. （誤）あの池の水は暑い夏でも冷たかったりです。 ==> （正） あの池の水は暑い夏でも冷たかったりします。
ご参考まで。
あ、まずい、タイプミスだ！
“or ～たり～なかったたりです・だ (5)” ==> or “～たり～なかったりです・だ (5)”
The concluding する, can it be any form of する, including the potential form? できる
ハワイに行けば、ゴルフをしたり、海で泳いだり できます。
If I go to Hawaii, I can swim in the ocean, I can play golf and can do other things.
@Brett Davidson
~たりできる →Yes, it’s possible. :)
今日は日本語勉強したらりうんどうしたりしました！
@John
よくできました！！ :) いつでもここで練習してくださいね。
（I think it is just a typo 勉強したらり→日本語の勉強（を）したり）
Hello,
Ive heard this sentence today:
「ゆっくりしか歩けないし、まっすぐ歩けなかったり、重い物持ってなかったり」
Why is the tari form is use in the past negative, further more why is there no suru ?
助けてください マギー先生！
@Jean Christophe
Hello Jean,
(I think the last part is 重いもの（を）持てなかったり）
So this sentence connect the following things.
1) ゆっくりしか歩けない
& connect with し
2-1) まっすぐ歩けない
& connect with たり
2-2) 重いものを持てない
Now when we connect 歩けない & 持てない with たり
It will be 歩けなかったり持てなかったり
There isn’t any example sentences with negative form, huh?
I will add them later.
When you use たり with a negative verb form,
The formation will be,
☆verb past tense negative form (~なかった）+ り
Ex. 日によって食べたり食べなかったりする。
Ex. 日によって電話をかけたりかけなかったりする。
Ex. 日によって歌を歌ったり歌わなかったりする。
Ex. 日によって掃除をしたりしなかったりする。
but these are not a past tense. If you want to make it in past tense, just change
Ex. 日によって食べたり食べなかったりした。
Ex. 日によって電話をかけたりかけなかったりした。
Ex. 日によって歌を歌ったり歌わなかったりした。
Ex. 日によって掃除をしたりしなかったりした。
I came across the verb “kaeri ni/ kaeri michi”. Can all japanese verbs be added with ri at the end just like kaeri? And what does it mean, sensei? Thanks!
@anna
帰る= karu is a verb and it means to go home, to return, to go back
The noun is 帰り= kareri
帰りに= kaeri ni or 帰り道に= kaeri michi ni means “on the way back home” “on one’s way home
Thanks sensei! But is it possible to turn all verbs into -ri ending?
@anna
I think so (including causative and passive forms)
But if I can think of any verbs which we can’t turn into =tari form I will let you know.
最近、日本の料理を作る〜！(^-^)♡
@Ninipana
わ〜日本のお料理が作れるんですね、すごい！！:)
あ、ちょっとね、「お休みの日は」。
@ninipana
おはよう、ninipana!
お休みの日は、日本語を勉強したり、友達と映画を観に行ったり、料理を作ったりする
→Perfect!!
どんなお料理を作るの？
マギー先生、おはようございまーす（＾－＾）このレッスンも本当に楽しかったです！
お休みのは、日本語を勉強したり、友達と映画を観に行ったり、料理を作ったりする～！