Thank you for all your wonderful lessons as always.
I am struggling with a few phrases and jut wanted to check if they sound correct and natural in Japanese?
The more Japanese I study, the more confused I get.
日本語勉強すればするほど、わからなくなる。
Is your baby sleeping well?
赤ちゃんよく寝ますか？
Our little baby really does not like wearing his shoes.
あかちゃんわほんとに靴がはいるきらいいです。
I guess all children develop differently.
子どものはそれぞれは立つ違うと思います。
Hello maggie sensei,
Can you please tell me how the “masen ka” form used to make invitations should be translate? I get a little bit confused. For exemple in the following sentence: bangohan o tabemasen ka? I have seen some explanations telling it can be translated as “won’t you eat?” And some instead translating it as ” would you like to eat?”. What is the correct translation?
Also what is the différence between “masen ka” and “mashou ka”? Thanks in advance
Hello maggie sensei,
I am confused about the use and translation of “masen ka” when making an invitation. For exemple in the following sentence : bangohan o tabemasen ka? I’ve seen some translating it as won’t you eat? And some translating it as will you (like to) eat? What is the correct translation?
Also can you tell me the difference between mashou, mashou ka and masen ka when used to make invitations? Thank you in advance
Hello Yenicall
OK, many people (especially when they have started to learn Japanese) seem to have a problem understanding the nuance difference between mashou, mashou ka masen ka, so I will make a lesson sometime.
1) masen ka?
Ex. Tabemasen ka? = It could be 1) You are not going to eat? or 2) Would you like to eat? (invitation) (invitation) depending on the context and the intonation.
For example someone wouldn’t eat something, you ask これ、食べませんか？ = Kore tabemasen ka? = You are not going to eat this?
But if you offer some food to someone, you also say これ、食べませんか？ = Kore tabemasen ka? = Would you like to eat this?
2) mashou
It means Let’s ~
So imagine the food is already served in front of you and you tell someone at the table,
So, Ex. さあ、食べましょう！ ＝Saa, tabemashou! = Let’s eat.
3) mashou ka?
Again it changes the meaning depending on the context
(1) Do you want me to do something for you?
Ex. 手伝いましょうか？ = Tetsudaimashou ka? = Do you need my help? / May I help you?
(2) Shall we do ~ ?
Ex. そろそろいきましょうか？ = Sorosoro ikimashou ka? = Shall we go now? (But you may see the translation Let’s go)
Hello ホットサンド
Yes you can translate that.
中途半端男 It refers to a man who lacks dedication to a task, or who does things in a half-hearted or incomplete way.
Good afternoon Maggie. I had some doubts about a phrase I found. The sentence is as follows: 発言の自由は政府支配の新しい触手によって年々むしばまれつつある。
1 – What is the function of つつある?
2 – Is 発言 only for written things? or just for spoken things?
3 – What does むしばむ mean?
4 – This word is not in the sentence, but I would like to know the meaning of: がっつく. I had a little trouble understanding.
1. Verb+ つつある = (literal expression) be in the process of doing something (expressing the on-going change)
2. 発言 is for spoken thing
3. むしばむ = to erode (passive form) むしばまれる to be eroded （To be affected by something negative)
4. がっつく = eating like a pig. It can be used to express someone greedy
Hi Sora
つつある focusing on the process of doing something (on-going change) towards completion. It is used in a formal speech or writing.
Ex. 戦争が終わりつつある。The war is coming to an end
If you just express what one is doing or the current state, you use ている
Ex. テレビがついている = The TV is on. (current state/condition) →You can’t say テレビがつきつつある
Ex. 手紙を書いている = I am writing a letter. (The action is happening right now and it focusing on the current action) →You can’t say 書きつつある
It depends on the word and it could be very different from the original sound.
As you said, the original “ho” could be closer to ホー but ケアウホウ （Bay = 湾(わん）) is commonly used for the bay.
The thing is you don’t always pronounce the Japanese vowels あいうえお/アイウエオ when they are combined with consonants
Ex. ほうりつ (法律） houritsu = law ➡️Actual pronunciation is hōritsu (ō = stretching “o” sounds)
I see! If I understand, even with ホウ the same rule applies and one would say this like hō (stretched)
So even in katakana, generally whether a nobasu or vowel is used (ホー/ホウ) this just means the consonants are both being stretched. And it would be read as (hō).
And whether it shows up with ー or ウ in the name is more just a written formality.
Thanks just surprised me when I saw the vowel instead of the nobasu.
As I usually see in katakana the nobasu used to imply stretching the vowel (ニューヨーク/フィジー）
Likewise in hiragana the vowel is used instead as you say. (ほうりつ/りょこう）
So when I saw ホウ instead of ホー I wasn’t sure if that had meant to pronounce the vowel! (笑）
Thank you very much for your explanation! If not mistaken I think I got it now and was just overthinking it.
So even in katakana, generally whether a nobasu or vowel is used (ホー/ホウ) this just means the consonants are both being stretched. And it would be read as (hō).
→That’s right.
So you know how to write katakana for the well-known things, places, countries, people’s names such as ニューヨーク、フィジー, ヨークシャ(ー）, ドーナツ,etc. However if you hear uncommon names, it is very natural to get confused whether you stretch the vowel or use the vowels. :)
1) Is the following sentence correct/natural?
What is the difference betw と する and に する
「貨物船」とは、貨物 を 輸送 する 船舶です。
Kamotsusen is a vessel that carries cargo
ライオン は にく を えさ と する。
Lions feed on meat
鯨くじら は プランクトン を えさ と する。
Whales feed on plankton
パンダ は ささ を えさ に する。
Pandas feed on bamboo grass
2) As for Hen is it pronounce as medori or mendori or ..,?
( google translate = mesudori )
雄鶏 おんどり Rooster
雌鶏 めんどり Hen
Hi Evon
何も is used in a negative sentence.
何も美味しくない Nothing is delicious.
何 in that sentence is actually an object so you use an object marker を
何を食べますか？ What would you like to eat?
魚を食べます I will have fish.
And
何を〜ても is a sentence pattern and it means “whatever you do ~ = everything one does ~ is ~ ”
何をしても面白い Whatever someone does is funny = Everything someone does is funny
何を読んでもつまらない Whatever I read is boring. = Everything I read is boring.
If you want to say this sentence without a verb, you can use 何でも
何でも美味しい
Hi there,
There is an anime is currently airing, its name is “推しの子 (Oshi no Ko)” and I translated it as “kid of my favorite idol” cuz the anime is about an idol named “Hoshino Ai”. But someone says it’s not true as it may be translated to one of those:
– the kid you support
– the kid who is a fan
– or the child of a fan
which is correct?
thank you.
Ah OK, it could be confusing because the literal meaning of the title can be “the kid you support” ( = the idol herself = “My favorite idol” ) but if the story is about the child whose mother is your favorite idol then your translation is right.
kid of my fav/ a child of my fav.
If you are focusing the idol herself you can still say 推しの子 so “My favorite idol” works.
I read the story but it is complicated, huh? The main character reincarnated as a child of his favorite idol.
The following two have different meanings
the kid who is a fan = ファンの子 ( A child who is your fan)
the child of a fan = ファンの子 (A child of your fan)
Hi everyone! Sorry that the site has been down and some of your recent comments were gone. I think I answered all your questions but if you haven’t read them yet, please ask me the questions again. I’ll be happy to answer your questions. Have a great weekend! いい週末を！🐶
The reason why I asked you to reply in Japanese is that I want to stop learning Japanese by using English. I am trying to connect Japanese language direct to the world and direct to my own thoughts/impressions etc., without English getting in the way.
This is where the 「直接的な言い方を和らげる」 is important. In fact, a scientist was explaining a procedure to some students. I forgot to take that into account. In trying to make sense of what he said, I was putting myself in the position of the listener, and that was my mistake. When I put myself in the position of the scientist, talking to students, then I got closer to what I would be thinking/feeling (感じ?!) in that situation. When I did that, then the purpose of 「こんな感じで」starts to make more sense at a more intuitive level .. without the English translation.
No problem, Luna!
Yes, you can use 距離 in that context. 長距離（長い距離を）走る = to run a long distance
FYI 隔たり is often use to express a gap/difference
二人の意見には大きな隔たりがある
There is a wide gap in the opinions between the those two.
Hi! Maggie sensei, I’m wondering about this sentence…..
会いたかった なあ Does this mean “I’ve been wanting to meet you for long time”? and still looking forward to see you, right? Also what is the meaning of なあ? Someone told me that it’s like to show strong feeling of really wanted to meet. Is it? or actually it’s just suffix of the sentence, no emotional.
Hi Luck
会いたかったなあ I wish I could have seen you/him/her/them.
So you wanted to see someone but you missed the chance/you couldn’t.
By attaching な/なあ you can add the feelings (in this case regret)
Please check my lesson on な/なあ. Link is this https://bit.ly/3TOe1BD
Good night Maggie. I came across a sentence and would like to know if it is grammatically correct. The sentence is as follows: 私はこの怪物の弱点をついに見つけました。その神経もいつも以上に高ぶっております。
Hello Maggie-sensei!
I have a simple question. If my dog is 7 years old, I can say 犬は七歳です, right? But what if my dog is only 7 months old? Do I say 犬は七月歳です?
Is the (noun)し(verb) construction common? I’ve come across the phrase 愛し創り上げる, which contextually I’m assuming means “lovingly create”/”create with love”, but I’m a bit confused about the grammar here.
It is hard to tell you by just the phrase without knowing the context but
愛し（あいし） in that sentence means “愛して” love (something/someone) and create ~
I think you know connecting verbs with te-form but you can also connect the verb with masu-stem
愛します→(masu-stem) delete ます 愛し
So it happened to be “し” but if it is a different verb, for example
食べて寝る = eat and sleep
食べ寝る (the masu-stem of 食べます is 食べ)
Hi Maggie, What is the difference between 角かど and 角かく ?
Got the following example sentences from websites; all of them is かど right??
とおり の 角 に たって いた。
I stood at the corner of the street
角 に おおきな 目印 が あります。
There is a big sign at the corner
角 で ひだり に 曲まがる。
Turn left at the corner
すいぎゅう は おおきな 角 を もって いる。
Buffaloes have big horns
すぐ 角、あかい の みせ です。
It’s the red shop just at the corner
Do you know if there is a difference between using に and で with the verb 保存する？
I would’ve guessed で、 but when I looked up native example sentences on Weblio, I saw examples using both に and で!
例 ファイルをディスクに保存する。
冷暗所で保存して下さい。
I can understand why に would be used. に often implies a destination or directionality. Basically, 「ディスクに保存する」implies that the disk is the destination of the file, or that the file is being moved to the disk in order to save it.
But で also makes sense, as it marks the location of an action such as in a 冷暗ところ。
Does this mean that both of these particles are interchangeable, and I can use either one?
Can 「冷暗所で保存して下さい」 also be 「冷暗所に保存して下さい」？
If so, is there a difference in nuance? For example, do these two sentences
画像をスマホに保存
画像をスマホで保存
mean the exact same thing?
Good. You figure out the function of に.
冷暗所（れいあんしょ）に保存して下さい
冷暗所で保存してください。
You can use them both. The difference is
に implies the object you put in 冷暗所 is somewhere else but you move it/them into the cold and dark place (ex. refrigerator)
And you use で when you indicate the place where you keep/conserve something.
画像をスマホに保存 (the file was somewhere else or even in the same cellphone, from where the pictures are to the file in the cellphone)
画像をスマホで保存 (You save the pictures “with” (tool) your cellphone.)
You can not use 個 with everything.
You use it with small items and if it is something small but is obviously long, you use 本
So 鉛筆一個, 箸一個、車一個 are not natural.
This is a rough male speech
1) It is similar to さ・さあ (子供は子供らしくさあ） →rough ガキはガキらしくよ・よう
2) The last や is another rough way to say よ (→This よ is to encourage someone to do something. It is not rough like the one in 1).
笑っていこうよ →(rough) 笑っていこうよ
Hi Miki
じゃんじゃん is onomatopoeia to express doing something heavily, vigorously, keep doing something a lot.
じゃんじゃんやっちゃう = Keep doing something more and more
じゃんじゃん飲んで = Keep drinking a lot!
My locker is far away from my English classes. That is the reason why I carry all my books with me. Is it going to rain hard or just a drizzle?
私のロッカーは英語の教室まで遠く離れています。すべての本を持ち歩いているのはその理由があるからです。今日は大雨が降るのかそれとも小雨が降るのでしょうか？
it has function as adverb, it can mean
1. everyone 2. All
just translate it one by one
私たちはこれまで明日のことを皆はなしてきたから、
Because we all have talked the matter about tomorrow until now,
さて、現実に戻って、今日のことを話そう
for now, let’s go back to reality and talk about today
in sentence one you can see i translate 皆 as “all” and 私たち as “we”
Thank you so much for everything you do for us, I’m studying and hope I’ll pass the JLPT this year and your website is so useful, I feel so grateful for everything you put here!
Best regards from France !
So… shorter form ため is more formal than ために, right? But can I use both forms in ALL examples above? How big is the difference between formal and less formal version? Will I sound weird if I use only ため in informal situation or conversely?
As I wrote in this lesson you san use either ため or ために in the examples of the usage 2) Expressing a reason/cause
If you are writing to your friends, ため is just fine but in conversation, it might sound slightly unnatural.
渋滞のため、着くのが遅くなりそうです。(formal conversation/ writing (formal and informal) )
渋滞のために、遅くなるよ。(informal)
Japanese has been an interest of mine for some time and while some may suspect it is my interest in Japanese media, like anime and manga, which sparked my interest. Such interests came later to me in life while my interest in the language was pre-existing.
It wasn’t until an old friend of mine suggested an educational video game series called “Learn Japanese to Survive” that I really started picking up the basics of the language and encouraged me to practice outside of the game. Now I feel like I have all of the Hiragana characters memories though my Katakana and Kanji could use some work. Though I am able to recognize some Kanji characters as well.
Besides Japanese, I’ve also enrolled in a beginner’s Spanish course as well so I feel confident that I could potentially read and write in that language at an early early level too. However, when it comes to speaking and hearing, as well as writing or reading for the case of Japanese, I feel slow.
It took me awhile before I feel like I could say I achieved mastery in the English language, my native tongue, and even then I still am prone to forgetfulness of certain grammar rules. Like those matter anymore in English speaking countries. lol The reason I believe for my difficulties in learning English and other languages like Spanish and Japanese is because I was a special needs student. I am a slow learner. So I guess I am writing this message to you to ask… do you know anyone willing to work with me in one-on-one sessions until I could attend a fluent level? I don’t have much money so my budget is limited, but I would forever be appreciative of you if you could point me in the direction of someone who could help teach me.
Hi Aliyah
It is a great idea to work on your speaking and taking a class on line. That way you can improve your Japanese. There are many Japanese on-line schools. Google “On line Japanese lesson”. The price is not that expensive, I believe. I hope it fits your budget.
And if you still can’t find a good teacher, write to me
through an email on the following page. http://142.93.68.150/about-us/
Hi Maggie-sensei! I thought this lesson was a bit difficult! Is it right to say that you would use てある only if you are currently seeing/experiencing the subject? For example, if I say: 壁にポスターが飾ってある,then I am probably looking at the poster on the wall right now. If the poster was in a different house, I would probably say 飾っている , right?
Another question, I sometimes hear ておる／ております Is it something completely different?
Hello ルナ
Maybe the English translation might have confused you for the example sentence.
Even if you are not looking at the poster right now, you can still describe the wall, 飾ってある
Here’s the difference
Ex. 壁にポスターが飾ってある (Describing the current state of the wall. Someone put the poster on the wall in the past and you are looking at the result.)
Ex. 壁にポスターを飾っている (The subject is a person (or a store) Someone is putting the poster on the wall (either right now or routine work, they usually put the poster on the wall.)
ておる is a humble expression of Vている
Ex. 鍵を預かっています。 ( We keep your key.)
→鍵をお預かりしております。
Hi ルナ again
猫カフェで、たくさん猫を見ていた > Focuses on me who saw cats at the cafe.
→Right. The speaker was looking at many cats.
猫カフェで、たくさん猫を見てあった > Focuses on the cats that I was able to see by going to the cafe.
→This sentence is not correct.
For example if someone who works there placed lots of toys for cats for the customers and the cats ahead of time and you describe the state, you can say
猫カフェには、猫のためにたくさんのおもちゃが置いてあった。
Ok. Would you say that てある is mostly used to describe inanimate objects?
Would this be correct: 猫を撫でてので、服に毛が付けってある
I’m sorry for so many questions D:
In that case you say
猫を撫でたので、服に毛がついた
As I wrote in the lesson, you intentionally do something and leave it
For example if you are looking at the clothes and there is a name tag on it (someone put the name tag on it and leave it for some reason) you say
服に名札がつけてある
So if you looking up the sky and it is cloudy, you say (1) but you won’t probably say (2)
If you see the sky is getting really dark and it looks like it’s gonna rain any minute, you say (2) because 降り出す has a meaning of “It is about to rain”
2.
(3) 「街灯にぶつかりそうになった女性」
(4) 「街灯にぶつかりそうになる女性」
If you are describing what has just happened more vividly, I would say (3) is more natural.
Thank you.
When you want to cheer up someone, you say 元気を出して、so if I wanted to say you make the “genki” come out of me, it’s still wrong to say 元気を出されます ?
出される is a passive form so you can’t use it in this case.
Though 元気にしてくれる/元気をくれる are much more natural, if you want to use the causative form
出される should be 出させる
（私の）元気を出させます/出させてくれます
1. The newspaper has several pages. The front page is called 一面 and ３面 technically means “the third page” but it refers to the social news page.
So you probably got the article from 日経新聞 but it refers to the section called きょうのことば where they explained a trend word of the day on the third page.
2. 勢 means “companies, entities, group” so 海外勢 means “foreign companies” in this context.
Hello! About this sentence:
彼が私のこと好きかどうかわからなくなってきた
I asked a similar question the other day, but I’m still confused about the use of きた in sentences such as these. Why is it わからなくなってきた and not わからなくなった or わからなくなっていた?
Hi ルナ
Yes you can say わからなくなった/わからなくなっていた
but the nuance changes. The English translation could be the same so let me explain the difference.
１）わからなくなってきた Focusing on the moment when she is speaking.
Describing the change from the certain moment in the past to the present moment. She thought he had liked her but she is getting confused and losing the confidence.
The change is happening now.
2) わからなくなった I don’t know his feelings anymore.
English translation is “present tense” but she’s already done defying her feelings.
3) わからくなっていた is describing the state (not the change) in the past.
So again, you can use all of them but it depends on how you want to express it. (focusing on the change from the past up to now, the change in the past, the state on the present moment, etc.)
FYI
I have a lesson on
ていく てくる So please check the lesson when you have time.
Link: Click here
させた I let my daughter do whatever she wanted. (Talking about the specific time in the past.
させてきた is I have been letting my daughter. (Expressing the duration of time from some time in the past up to the moment when they are talking.)
I have a question sort of related to shopping, but hard to categorise.
I left a clothes shop the other day and as I was exiting, the alarm went off.
I waited politely for someone to come and check, but I didn’t know how to say:
“Your store alarms went off.’
Or
“I am not sure why… but your store alarms went off?”
When you want to tell them the alarm goes off even though you paid
すみません、アラームが鳴ったんですが…
= Sumimasen. Alarm ga nattan desu ga…
= Excuse me. The alarm went off..
You can add
このまま出てもいいですか？
= Kono mama dete mo ii desu ka?
= Can I just leave?
1) が has many different functions but this が is just to connect the sentence. “so”/”and”
You often leave the sentence with が without finishing it.
Vたいのですが + (what should I do/Do you have any advice?/ Can you help me?, etc.)
2) と in that sentence is to give examples and quote them.
I think you know the pattern AというB B which is A
You sometimes omit という/といった
〜ショッピングもよしと（いった(ように）)、魅力たっぷりの〜
Hi, Maggie-sensei! I love your posts very-very much, thank you for your work!
My question is about this example: 彼女はまだ２０歳にはなっていないはずだ
I didn’t know we can use wa twice in one sentence – it’s like we have two topics of the sentence. Could you elaborate on that please? Are there any tips/rules for using wa multiple times in a sentence?
You are right. You tend to avoid using the same particle because repeating the same particle may look/sound confusing.
彼女はまだ２０歳にはなっていないはずだ
You can say
彼女はまだ２０歳になっていないはずだ as well but the nuance changes a little.
彼女は this は is a topic marker
20歳には→ this は is to show the contrast. (showing the contrast of 20 years old and other ages. For example, maybe she is close to 20, like 19 years old but not she hasn’t turned 20 yet.)
So even if there are two は, it won’t be confusing.
I will show you another example.
この会社は、給料はいいが、仕事が多い。
= This company offers good salary but gave us a lot of work.
まんざらでもない is a vague Japanese expression and it means “not so bad/ not totally bad and actually something is good” ./someone seems kind of satisfied or happy with something.
女の子の服もまんざらじゃなさそうだし
I don’t know the situation but
It seems like the girl’s outfits are not so bad.or The person who is wearing girl’s outfits seems to like wearing them.
The reason i got confused is because in some site i found an explanation that say まんざら＝必ずしも。
The scene is the tomboy girl is trying the dress, She is usually using boy clothes and when she tried to try skirt, She said to herself (女の子の服もまんざらじゃなさそうだし)
まんざら is not exactly the same as 必ずしも.
You often use まんざらじゃない/ まんざらでもない in the situation like you expect someone would be unhappy with something but actually they actually kind of like it.
So in your example sentence, you assume the girl would hate that skirt because she was complaining or she usually hates wearing a skirt.
But once she puts it on, she looks rather happy with it. Though she is not saying anything, you can see she is thinking “Hey, this is not that bad. I actually like it.”
I find your blog extremely helpful and one of the most useful out there. Thank you for all your work and effort.
I wondered if you could create a lesson on
こじんめんだん at Japanese kindergartens. It’s something that I am really struggling with.
Any phrases/vocabulary similar to the below would be super appreciated!
*My child has been toilet-trained.
*She goes to the potty by herself at home, but cannot go by herself outside the house.
*She speaks English at home and can only say a few single Japanese words.
*How is she doing at school.
*Ways to talk about one’s child: She is stubborn/independent/sociable/scared of strangers/quiet/very active at home.
*She holds food in her mouth./ I am worried about choking hazards.
and so on.
I’m happy to hear you find this site useful.
OK, let me help you.
*My child has been toilet-trained.
うちの子*は、トイレのしつけができています。/オムツがとれました。
= Uchi no ko wa toire no shitsuke ga dekite imasu./ omutsu ga toremashita.
*She goes to the potty by herself at home, but cannot go by herself outside the house.
家では一人でトイレに行けますが、家の外では一人で行けません。
Ie dewa hitori de toire ni ikemaseuga, ie no soto dewa hitori de ikemasen.
*She speaks English at home and can only say a few single Japanese words.
家では英語を話していますので1) 日本語は一言、二言しか話しません。/ 2) 日本語はほとんど話せません。(2) She barely speaks Japanese.)
= Iedewa eigo wo shnashite imasu node 1) nihongo wa hitokoto futakoto shika hanasemasen / 2) Nihongo ưa Hotondo hanasemasen .
*How is she doing at school?
娘は、幼稚園ではどんな感じですか？/ちゃんとやっていますか？
= Musume wa youchien de wa donna kanji desu ka? / Chanto yatte imasu ka?
*Ways to talk about one’s child: 1) She is stubborn/2) independent/3) sociable/4 ) scared of strangers/ 5) quiet/ 6) very active at home.
*She holds food in her mouth./ I am worried about choking hazards.
and so on.
口の中に食べ物を入れます。/喉につかえないか心配です。（窒息（ちそうく）しないか心配です）
= Kuchi no naka ni tabemono wo iremasu / Nodo ni tsukaenai ka shinpai desu. (Or Chissoku shinai ka shinpai desu)
Hi Topaz
So this person followed you first and you follow him/her back, right?
Did you say thank you for following before? If not, you can say
こちらこそフォローありがとうございます。And you can continue これからもよろしくお願いします。
Hello! I have a question about one grammar aspect, because my 先生 told me one thing and my workbook keeps mistaking those two (well, maybe the workbook is wrong)
「思っていたより」と 「期待していたより」の違いはなんですか。
先生 told me that 「思っていたより」is used when the outcome is better than expected, for example このケーキは思っていたよりおいしかった。 (You expected it to taste bad)
And 「期待していたより」is used when the outcome is worse than you expected, for example 試験の点数は期待していたより悪かった。
Is this right? Because when I searched in the internet, the opinions vary a lot and I don’t know anymore :((
Very good questions.
Technically
思う = to think
期待する = to expect
And they both can be translated “to think” but 期待する means “to hope” and it is used for something one is looking forward to.
So your teacher is right. The outcome should be good when you use 期待したより ~
You can say このケーキは思っていたよりおいしかった/おいしくなかった。 but it sound unnatural to say このケーキは期待していたよりおいしかった。
If it is a negative sentence, you can say
このケーキは期待していたよりおいしくなかった
I will give you other verbs that are often used in this pattern.
予想する = to fore
想像する= imagine
考える = to think (logically)
Among these verbs, only 期待する is used is used when the outcome is good.
No matter how many years pass, I always find myself visiting and revisiting your blog posts😂 Your quality is unrivaled.
I have a vocab question: how do you say the word “interchangeable” in Japanese?
e.g
”Jealous” and “envious” mean the exact same thing. They are interchangeable.
”Wanna” is interchangeable with “want to,” with the former being more casual.
I typically wouldn’t want to bother you with words I can just look up in the dictionary, but I just can’t seem to find it.
On jisho, 「同意語」and 「同義語」show up, but being interchangeable is a bit different from being synonyms. For example, “while” and “during” are synonyms, but they aren’t interchangeable.
e.g
While I was sleeping, an earthquake happened.
During I was sleeping, an earthquake happened. ❌
The word that always comes up on DeepL is 「互換性」
e.g
”Wanna “は “want to “と互換性があります。
However, when I look up example sentences, it’s used with computers and devices and is translated as “compatible.”
Hello Maggie Sensei, Happy New Year and Wish you be Blessed with Good Health and Fortune
This the first question on this year.
1. What is the meaning of 僻む(ひがむ）
2. What is the meaning of 振り回す in the sentence (彼女はいつも友達に振り回されていてイライラする)
3. Are they have a same meaning : 取り繕う・決め込む・偽装
1. to have an inferiority complex feeling jealous of someone.
2. 振り回す to involve someone into something for one’s own convenience in a selfish manner.
For example, her friend says, “Let’s go out tomorrow and do something.” And though you were busy you arranged your schedule to go out with her. Then she said she changed her mind and she doesn’t want to go out anymore. So you rearrange your schedule. Then she said you should meet her somewhere instead. In this kind of situation you are 振り回されている.
3. No, they are different.
取り繕う to mend something/keep up with lies
決め込む persist in doing something/make up one’s mind
偽装 disguise
Hello Maggie sensei! I was reading a book and came across this sentence: “ぼうっと、その場に立ちすくんだ” and I can’t figure out what the use of んだ is for here! I hope you can help me understand.
Good morning Maggie. I found a sentence and I’m not sure if my translation is correct.
The sentence is as follows: ビスマルクは戦士提督から征服勝利を目指すそうです
And my translation was: Bismarck appears is aiming for conquest victory from the admiral warrior. My translation is right?
Hi Homer
Good. Just ~ そうです means “It seems like” or “I heard ~”
Hello Maggie Sensei! Casual reader of your blog from Malaysia here. Just dropping to say thank you for all the years I have been using your blog, back since 2015-2016 when I first started learning Japanese. Having passed N1 a few years back, using Japanese for work, and currently living with a Japanese spouse, none of them would be possible without your wonderful blog. I sometimes teach elementary Japanese on the side, and I would reference your explanations ask they are easy to understand and quite detailed.
Once again, thank you from the bottom of my heart :)
Hello Aki
Awww that is so sweet of you. Thank YOU for your kind words.❤️
It is just amazing that you have been using this site for 6~7 years.
これからも皆さんのためにがんばってレッスンを作り続けますね。
Love,
Maggie
Good morning Maggie. I found the following sentence and had difficulty getting a part of it and would like your help if possible.
The sentence is as follows: それは氷のような砂糖菓子。
触れれば冷たさに指先が凍り、
舐めれば甘さに舌が痺れゆく。
まさに至宝と慕うにふさわしい―――
I can’t understand the part: まさに至宝と慕うにふさわしい
Could you help me, I describe the functions of the particles and explain the meaning of the words?
Hi Mutuio
It is a bit dramatic expression to describe some sweet.
I will give you the clues first.
まさに means “precisely”
ふさわしい “worthy”
~と = as
慕うに is a formal (for written form) way to say 慕うのに to adore/respect/look up to/to love
The particle に after 慕う is used with ふさわしい
〜にふさわしい appropriate for ~ / worthy of ~
Hello maggie sensei,
Thank you as always
What is the meaning of 頭をもたげる
thank you again
Hi Alex
頭をもたげる means １） to raise one’s head 2) some hidden idea crosses one’s mind/comes to the fore
Thank you very much sensei
You’re welcome! :)
Hi, Maggie!
First of all, thank you very much for the lesson. It was incredibly helpful. ^^
About にしては, apart from what it was explained in the lesson, my textbook says it can also appear in the form それにしては. However, I’m having a hard time trying to find helpful examples taken from real and daily-life Japanese that show me how is それにしては used. The very few ones I could find were kind of stiff sentences that, although they show the idea of the meaning of それにしては at some extent, they were a bit artificial. So, if you could please give me some examples of how それにしては is used in daily life, I’d appreciate a lot.
You state something first. (Or someone states something)
You use それにしては ( = even so, in spite of, although) when you hear/see something is different from your expectation.
今日は、平日だけど、それにしては人が多いね。
The speaker thinks there are fewer people on weekdays
→Though it’s a weekday, there are unexpectedly many people today.
毎日、がんばって節電しているが、それにしては電気代が高い。
The speaker had expected lower electric bill because they have been saving electricity.
I have been trying to save electricity but still electric bill is high.
A: 「👨のうちはお金持ちなんだって」
= I heard 👨’s family is rich.
B: 「それにしては毎日、コンビニで安いパンばかり買っているよ。」
= But he buys cheap bread at a convenience store every day.
B thinks if 👨 is rich, he wouldn’t buy cheap bread every day at a convenience store. (Different from B’s expectation)
A: 「一度も海外に行ったことがありません。」
= I have never been abroad
B: 「それにしては英語がうまいね。」
= But your English is great.
B thinks if A has never been abroad, A’s English skill is so-so.
Thank you very much for answering me and for your examples and explanations! They have been super helpful in order to understand better the usage of それにしては. ^^
Good morning Maggie. Could you tell me why the verb in the following sentence is in the volitional form: ペットの糞は飼主が持ち帰りましょう
That sentence is on a sign and I don’t understand why the verb is in the volitional form and not just the polite form.
Hi Mutuio
Please read my volitional form lesson. Link is here
As I mentioned in the usage 4), you use volitional form to tell someone to do something.
It sounds friendlier than 持って帰ってください
I’m confused to this sentence translation.
” 結婚するなら絶対にお金持ちというわけではない。
It is not necessarily true that I would only marry a rich man. ” I get it as “It is not needed to be rich when getting married” . How about this 僕は絶対にお金持ちと結婚するとういわけではない。
Maggie sensei
This is Jens Hoeg in Denmark now mastering :-) Hiragana and a little Kanji
I am struggling with this little sentence (from an account on ancient Japanese history year 600-900):
八世紀 の なか ごろ, ….. (hasseiki no naka goro)
I finally came to interpret “hasseiki”八世紀as something like “eight world history” so maybe it means in “the 8-hundreds”. Eight = 八 (hachi), history/narrative 世 (se), history account = 紀(ki)
Can you help? (The text is about land ownership in ancient Japan)
Jens Hoeg
Hi Jens
八世紀 means “the 8th century” (世紀=せいき=seiki=century)
and なかごろ means “the middle of” so 八世紀 の なかごろ means “the middle of the 8th century”
Maggie – Thanks a lot. That explains it. I have another little puzzle
雨が 降る でしょ う から , 傘を も っ て いかれた方が よ ろ しいですよ 。
Ame ga furu deshō kara, kasa o motte ikareta hō ga yoroshii desu yo.
Is “いかれた” (IKARETA) the passive TA form og IKU? If so is it a polite (using passive) way of saying (plain) “ita ho ga ii desu”? Also, I guess “yuroshii” is more polite than just “ii”. Thanks again MAGGIE!
Hi Jens,
In this case いかれた is a polite form not a passive form.
Check my 敬語（けいご） honorific expression lesson. Link
And right. よろしい is a polite way to say いい
For education purposes, can I have your citation about the realted topic?
Good morning maggie. I have a question about the following sentence: 街明かり照らした賑やかな笑い声.
it was translated as: lively laughter illuminated by the city lights.
I would like to know why the verb 照らした was translated into the passive form in the sentence and why the sentence didn’t end up like this: excited laughter that lit up the city lights.
おはよう、Berly
I agree with you.
照らした is not a passive form so it means “the lively laughter illuminated the city lights”.
If you translate the English sentence, it will be 街明かりに照らされた賑やかな笑い声
Thanks for the reply maggie.
I have one more sentence that I would like to know if the translation is correct. the phrase is: この未来を少しずつでも突き動かすよ and its translation was: Awakening, even if little by little, this new future.
Unless I’m mistaken, the translation of 突き動かす should be stimulate, right?
Yes, 突き動かす means to stimulate (someone) to do something, to stir up, to make something move, etc. So I guess the translator is focusing on the result after “stimulating the future” and make the future awake.
Hello Maggie sensei
not gonna ask a question.
I want to thank you for your hard work. I think many japanese learner are helped by the site.
Also thank you for a great year, hope you have a good life and good health.
welcome the new year.
Your kind message made my day!
And thank you for always visiting this site to study with great energy!
I will do my best to keep making more and more lessons.
Stay 元気！！
Love,
Maggie
And also. Just right now saw this phrase
はいでは今日も授業をやっていきます
I was watching the video about grammar:)
In videos like that there are a lot ていく
説明していきます・～見ていきます
書いていきます
Hi, Maggie, thank you!!
I have one question.
I sometimes see it in different videos. For example, a girl comes to the cafe, and orders food. She shows what she orders, for example, a cake. Then says about this cake “食べていきます”. What kind of idea of ていく is that?
Also, i often hear something like 説明していきます、見ていきます in the situations like the above one.
what does it mean?
食べていきます = I will eat (and leave the restaurant)
It implies the speaker goes somewhere after they eat.
So you can’t use this expression when you eat at home.
説明していきます/見ていきます
In this case, it doesn’t imply any movement.
You use ていきます when you express the process of explaining/seeing something.
If you just say 説明します/見ます, it could be just one time action.
By using Vていきます, you can express what you are going to do (for a certain period of time).
good night maggie. I found the following sentence and I had doubts about the function of も: 悲しいことも隠して笑う.
in the translated sentence there was no “too” or “even”, so I was wondering what the function of も is in this sentence.
Hi Theseus
That も means “even” sad things.
Good afternoon Maggie. I came across the following sentence: ゴミは出さない持ち込まない. I would like to know if it is correct, because I don’t know if two verbs in the negative form in a row are correct.
Hi Kadoc,
It must be a catchphrase so they combined two sentences.
ゴミは出さない。 (そして(ゴミを)）持ち込まない
It looks like one sentence but it is actually two sentences and omitted そして
Hello sensei, thank you and have a nice day
i want to ask, what is the meaning of
蝮があの世で泣いている
thank you very much
Hi Alex
あの世 is afterlife, another world
The viper is crying in another world.(or in the grave)
Hello sensei,
Is this some form of ことわざ？
I see it when people (usually on twitter) feeling disappointed about something.
Right. あの世で泣いている or 草葉の陰（くさばのかげ）で泣いている are the expression when someone does something bad and that makes their deceased family or friends (someone close) who are already dead sad or disappointed.
I see, thank you very much sensei
どういたしまして :)
Hello maggie sensei,
always thank you for your help
can ついでに and がてら used interchangeably?
please show me the sentences
Hello
Ah, I think many dictionaries said がてら = ついでに = taking the opportunity
but they are slightly different.
AのついでにB (The main action is A. While you are at A, do B)
AがてらB (the same as above or to do B because one gets to do A at the same time)
For example,
散歩のついでにパン屋に行ってきた。The main action is 散歩
散歩がてらパン屋に行ってきた。You can use this when the main action is パン屋に行く and the speaker thinks going to the bakery will be a nice walk for him/her.
運動がてら自転車に乗って会社に行った。
I went to the office by bike because I can get some exercise at the same time.
going to the office by bike = good exercises.
運動のついでに自転車に乗って会社に行った is not natural.It sounds like the main action is doing exercises
You can’t use がてら when you do two actions at the same place.
スーパーに来たついでにバターを買った。
X がてら
thank you very much sensei
You’re welcome! 遅刻しないでね😉
Good night Maggie. Can you tell me why the verb 遅刻して is in the Te form in the following sentence: 遅刻して申し訳ありません。
Hello Pepe,
遅刻して申し訳ありません。 = I am sorry I am late.
This te-form indicates the reason why you apologize →”for being late”
Thanks Maggie for the reply. I have one more doubt. I found the following sentence: 友達が昨日とは違うことを言っていてムカつく
I would like to know the role of と (after 昨日) in this sentence.
Hi Pepe,
One of the usages of と is to expresses the relationship between two things/parties.
A is the same as B. = A は Bと同じ
A is different from B. = AはBと違う
So in this case A: 昨日まで友達が言っていたこと and B 今日言っていること
Hello Maggie sensei,
Thank you very much and have a good day
can i ask you the difference of these below words?
夜半・真夜中・夜中・夜分
You can also explain me both in English or Japanese if you need to put a detail.
Again thank you very much sensei
1) 夜中 = middle of night (It is a general term to refer to middle of night)
2) 真夜中 = around midnight (You use it when you emphasize 夜中)
3) 夜半 (technically around 23:00 ~ 1:00) Compared to 1) and 2) it is used more in written form or formal news.
4) 夜分 The most common way to use this word is 夜分遅く (late at night) and when you apologize for bothering someone late at night.
夜分遅く申し訳ありません。Sorry to bother you this late.
こんにちは、ルナ
的と上の使い方は違いますが、（健康上の理由 (x健康的な理由）, 健康的な生活 ( X 健康上の生活））
以下のような場合は、同じ意味です。形だけ注意が必要です。
理論上は、可能だ。 = 理論的には可能だ。 = It is possible in theory/Theoretically possible
技術上、難しい = 技術的に難しい Technically difficult
技術上の問題 = 技術的な問題 = Technical problem
good afternoon maggie. I found this phrase and I had some questions that I wish you could answer. the sentence is:
主を守り、主を助け、主の為に尽くす―――
盾持ちや首捕り武者なぞ遠く及ばぬ、 これこそ我らが忠道なり。
1) what does it mean: 遠く及ばぬ? I didn’t understand the function of 遠く in this sentence
2) what does it mean: 忠道なり?
3) why is 捕り as a noun and not a verb?
Hello
This is classical Japanese
1) 遠く means “far”
及ばぬ in modern Japanese is 及ばない
So 遠く及ばぬ means nowhere near / far from ~ (it doesn’t have to be the physical distance.)
The people like 盾持ちや首捕り武者 can not not reach us.
2) 忠実なり in modern Japanese is 忠実である = our faith
3) 〜捕り is a noun. headhunter(s)
Good afternoon teacher Maggie. I found two sentences and I have some doubts. The first sentence is: ランダムに生命を作っていたらあるとき人間のオスそっくりで筋力旺盛な魔獣が生まれた。
I would like to know the function of で in this sentence
The second sentence is: そうして、我々の歴史は幕を閉じた。宇宙からの侵略が始まって ９０日。地球は完全に漂白された惑星なった。
I would like to know the function of の in this sentence (after 宇宙から)
Hello Kulio34
1) The function of で in the first sentence is “and” そっくり is a na-adjective (そっくりな）.
When you connect na-adjective or a noun, you use で
2) You see the structure here?
宇宙（noun) + から (particle) + の + 侵略 ( noun )
the invasion from the universe
I have a lesson on this の Check this lesson. The link is here.
so to join two NA-adjectives is it necessary to use で?
Yes, that’s right.
Good morning Maggie, I ended up coming across the following sentence: 一度の奇跡で魔術王と呼ばれた王さまソロモン. I would like to know two things: 1) if there is any difference if i replace 一度 with 一 and 2) why they used 一度 instead of 一
Thanks,
Paulo
Hello Paulo
You can not replace 一度 with 一
一度 means “one time/once”. 度 is a counter for how many miracles happened. In this case, it happened once.
If you count miracle itself, you can say 一つの奇跡
so can i replace 一度 with 一つ? thanks for the answer
Yes, but the nuance changes.
一つの奇跡 = one miracle
一度の奇跡 = one-time miracle (←the miracle that happened once)
Hello Maggie Sensei,
Finally, I can again visit Japan. Since my first visit there has been a question that I have been wondering about. How would a Japanese person ask for their room key?
I knew only about 73 Japanese words (and numbers) on my first trip. I asked reception how to ask for my key and was told that just saying the room number was OK. So, 363 = san roku san. And, yes, it worked. I always got my room key. In one case, in Kansai, the receptionist replied to “363” with “363で”.
I want to do better this time. I notice that you use 号室. So, it would be better to say:
363号室おねがいします, or
363号室のかぎおねがいします.
Using overly polite language (in any language) sometimes creates complications for me, but would
“363号室のかぎ呉れてもらえますおねがいします” be OK? That’s not something I would want to say 3 times a day for a week.
Thanks again for your comments. Yes, I am curious about how I will manage this time with my Japanese language “skills”. My biggest problem now is not being able to practice speaking, except to myself.
For example, with “号室” I of course pronounce it “Gō shitsu”. Native speakers say something that sounds like “Gō sts” to me. It is all part of the fun of learning a language.
I have one more question (if you don’t mind), which I will post somewhere else.
I went to 4 different hotels. Three of them gave me a key card. I never had to ask for a room key. At the 4th hotel the reception staff recognized me after 2 days and usually gave me my room key even before I asked for it.
Sometimes, speaking Japanese can be very easy.
Hi Michael
😆 Too bad that you couldn’t get to use Japanese at the hotels.
I hope you got to speak Japanese while you were in Japan. Are you still in Japan?
Hello Maggie,
I am no longer in Japan, unfortunately.
There were a lot of opportunities to speak Japanese, and to make a lot of mistakes.
Most of my day to day practical dealings were in Japanese — hotels, restaurants and so on. Probably as a result of my listening practice (watching TV) my passive comprehension was quite good, within the limits of my vocabulary. I could understand some things even when I wasn’t paying 100% attention. Also, all your examples in your lessons taught me to not depend on knowing just a few fixed sentences.
This made daily life feel more normal, because I could understand more of what was going on around me. And this meant more freedom in what I could do (not limited to tourist-friendly English) and also resulted in some more human interactions.
On the other hand, the complication was that my passive comprehension was a lot quicker than my ability to speak (it took more time to remember words), so my speaking speed was always lagging behind what I could understand. It was frustrating, but just a matter of needing more practice talking in the real world.
My concerns about not being understood were completely unfounded. It was obvious that my ‘accent’ (in other words, my sloppy pronunciation) sometimes confused a Japanese listener. It was actually better for me to speak slowly and clearly.
Michael
Thank you for sharing your precious experiences in Japan.
I am glad to hear you got to interact with Japanese people and use Japanese.
I do believe all your experiences will motivate you to learn Japanese more. 😉
Hello Alexa,
This たら means “if”. (conditional)
I assume they were talking about something and this person is saying he/she would do that if he/she thinks that is right.
A question concerning 下手 vs. 貧弱.
下手 is the word beginners learn, such as in: 日本語が下手です.
It seems to carry the nuance of ability/skill, being good or not at something.
Would the word 貧弱 also be appropriate in some circumstances, where ability is not the issue? For example:
A: 私の日常会話能力は貧弱です.
B: 何故ですか.
A: 語彙が小さすぎるから.
As a roughly literal translation from English, this sounds more “normal” to me because skill/ability is not the problem, but rather a small vocabulary size.
I realize that making literal translations from how I think in English does not always work. Native speakers of a different language just think/talk differently.
Thanks for your assistance.
Michael
Hello Michael
A: 私の日常会話能力は貧弱です.I guess you can say that but you might see/hear more with 低い with 能力.
When you are talking about 語彙, you can say 貧弱な語彙 /語彙が貧弱
A: 語彙が小さすぎるから.
→語彙が少ないから
You can also say 語彙力が乏しい (= とぼしい)
Thank you very much.
My problem was as much with English as it was with Japanese, since there are many ways in which I could talk in English about poor vocabulary.
For example, it is common for beginners in English to confuse “few” with “small” (it depends partly on the noun being used).
So, I was having the same problem, but in the opposite direction.
When you (as usual) give examples with alternate words and alternate grammar, it helps me develop my intuition for the creative aspect of language.
I like the word 乏しい. It comes close to what I was trying to say.
You’re very welcome.
I’m always here for you. :)
Hi Maggie sensei
Please can you explain to me the difference between: saisho, mazu, hajime and hajimete and also the contexte in which each is used as some of them May mean the same thing . I get a little bit confuse, because i read many of these words can mean “the beginning”, “first”, “firstly”, “first of all”.
Thank you for your help
Hello, Yenicall
When you talk about something in order,
firstly/ first of all →you can say either “mazu”/”hajimeni”/”saisho ni”
When you does/did something for the first time
hajimete
in the beginning of something you use hajime/saisho
Ex. hajime or saisho kara wakatte ita. = I knew from the beginning.
Thank you for your Quick response.
どういたしまして🐶💕
Hi maggie
What is the meaning of the following? This is a song by the way.
大人 の 振り して 諦めちゃ
奇跡 の 謎 など 解けない よ
もっと ワイルド に もっと 逞しく 生きて ご覧
To give up being an adult is like an unsolvable miracle puzzle OR
Stop being an adult is hard.
Did I get it right?
ありがとう
Hi soleyman
If you give up acting (or pretending) like an adult
you are going to be able to solve the mystery of miracle.
While 後ろめたい means “feeling guilty about something” and expresses one’s feelings of regret
「悪びれる」 expresses one’s attitude and you usually use 「悪びれる」 in a negative sentence.
悪びれることなく
悪びれる様子もない
The literal meaning, without showing one’s guilty feelings.
Even though you did something bad, you behave/act as if you don’t feel bad in an unapologetic manner
承知いたしました。
つまり意味がほとんど似ている割に使い方は違うことが多いということでいいでしょうか
最後にもうひとつの質問ですが「慢性的」と「批判的」は同じの意味ですか？
よろしくお願いします
慢性的 = chronic
批判的 = critical, judgmentalで意味が違います。
ありがとうございます。先生のお陰で勉強も着実に捗ります。
いいえ〜これからもがんばって勉強続けてくださいね。
Maggie-sensei a new question to you
Using “nasaru” (なさる) in the short combination form なさい (nasai):
e.g.: この kono 本hon をwo 読みyomi なさいnasai = read this book.
Is this an ORDER and therefore not Polite? My grammar books says so.
BUT you also say : お帰りなさい (o-kaeri nasai = “do coming back” / welcome home)
A hotel in Hokkaida has the name ” XXX kaeri-nasai” = XXX do come back, and this must be polite!
So how “careful” do you have to be in using なさい (nasai) in polite and respectful conversation?
If you wish to say “please read this book” in a really COURTEOUS way I guess you would say:
“Kono hon o yonde kudasai” (please read this book)
OR very, very polite: “doka, (anata wa) kono hon o yonde kudasaimasen deshou ka” (would you not please read this book?) (“would you not please give to me reading this book)
OR even: “doka, (watashi wa) kono hon o yonde itadakemasen desho ka?” (please, could I not receive “from you” reading this book)
Jens Hoeg
Hi Jens
おかえりなさい means 1) Go home now. 2) Welcome back
おやすみなさい 1) Go to sleep/Sleep now. 2) Good night.
These two expressions have two meanings. One is for giving an order and one is to greet someone.
Other than these two greetings(If I think of other example, I will add it to this comment later) , you should be careful who you use なさい (=nasai) with.
You can only use this form when you want to tell someone to do/not to do something in a strong way.
どうか ( = douka) adds the nuance of “I beg you” and express one’s strong desire
So the formality level is
very formal
このほんをよんでいただけませんでしょうか
Kono hon wo yonde itadakemasen deshouka
or このほんをよんでくださいませんでしょうか
Kono hon wo yonde kudasaimasen deshouka?
↓
このほんをよんでください。
Kono hon wo yonde kudasai.
Please use this book.
↓
(casual) このほんをよんで
= Kono hon wo yonde
↓
(command)
このほんをよみなさい
= Kono hon wo yominasai
↓
(much stronger command
このほんをよめ
= Kono hon wo yome
Please check my meireikei lesson. The link is here.
Thanks MAGGIE
Wjat you say reflects exactly what is stated in my Essential Japanese Grammar Book. I asked because my friend Yusa-sensei at Nara Josei Daigaku said that he felt no offense in using ###-nasai. But I guess he was thinking of special uses and occasions! What yoy say agrees with my feeling that NASAI is something a teacher might say to pupils and reflect a request which is almost a command.
The degree from very polite request to the very strong command like “YOME” is clear to me now. I also now that the “strong command” can be used in like in “GANBATTTE” where it does NOT reflect a command but rather an encouragement.
Right. When you cheer someone up, or encourage them, you do say Ganbatte or Ganbare.
And as for nasai, when parents tell their children to do something, they use ~なさい.
I wouldn’t say it’s offensive at all. It is just a matter of your relationships.(older people →younger people, adults →children, etc.)
But you don’t use nasai or ~te to a stranger.
Maggie-sensei From Jens Hoeg your very recent patron :-) Question: how would you say “all over the world in Japanese” Like all over the world: Would you use “yo (no)” or “sekai (no)” for “world” and would “all over be “itaru tokoro (de ni) or “doko demo” or something like “doko ni mo”
I guess “itaru tokoro (de ni) or “doko demo” is more like “everywhere”? Sensei, it is O.K. to include kana in your reply, I am ascending the learning curve and you cannot penetrate into Nihon-go without using kana.
Hello Jens,
all over the world
→There are a few ways to say this.
The most common one is
= せかいじゅう ( = sekaijuu)
But as you said, you can also say せかいのいたるところ +に/で( = sekai no itaru tokoro ni/de) or せかいのあらゆるところ+に/で ( = Sekai no arayuru tokoro + ni/de)
anyway in the world will be
せかいのどこでも = sekai no doko demo
I hope it helps. :)
And ありがとう for considering to join my Patreon！
Hello Sensei. Can you tell me the meaning of しっかり and しっかりできている in this sentence: 彼と戦う覚悟は、 しっかりできている。?
Hello Paulo
しっかり means “solid, firmly” and it modifies 覚悟ができている = made up one’s mind
→made a solid decision
Hello. May I ask if we can use the たい form of a verb with ために when we want to express the cause. For example, would the following sentence be correct in Japanese:ゆかさんは大学に入りたいために、毎日勉強しています。
You don’t use たいために. You say 入るため. If you want to use たい, you can say 入りたいので/ 入りたいから
One exception: There is an expression to emphasize the desire
入りたいがために. You see this form more in written forms.
Maggie-sensei, sumimasen ga, anata ni shitsumon ga arimasu:
Concerning Potential forms of Verbs you can use “V-koto ga dekiru) or the true Potential form (V+eru/rareru). For the latter, where is the accent? Example “oyogu” (swim) How is the pronounciation of Vmasu (oyogimasu) compared to Vpot (oyogenasu)? Or “kakimasi” vs. “kakemasu (can write)” same for RU verbs. Where is the accent in e.g. “miraremasu” (can see). Jens Hoeg in Denmark – Copenhagen no Daigaku but often at Nara Josei Daigaku :-)
Hello Jens,
I wish I could link the audio file for you here.
Basically the accent falls on ま with whether it’s regular masu-form or potential masu-form.
およげます
かけます
みられます
Maggie-sensei. Anata no benri-na henji o, arigato gozaimashita. Yoku wakarimasu! Watashi wa ima Nihon e Nara Josei Daigaku de hataraki-ni ju-kai gurai ita-koto ga arimasu Mo yoku chotto Nihon-go o hanashite imasu ga, zannen desu, kana to kanji ga mada wakarimasen. Shikashi saikin ni Kana no “flashcards” o katte benkyo-shite imasu. Kana o wakaru-no wa mukashi-kunai da to omoimasu. Sorai ni anata ni kana de shitsumon o o-tazune itasu to nozimimasu. Iensu
Dou itashimashite. Hiragana & Katakana no benkyou ganbatte kudasai.:)
Hai Maggie senxse. Nihon-go o yoku benkyo-koto suru tame ni, watakushi wa mamonaku anata no hosho-nin ni narimasu. Chotte matte kudasai! Harau-koto suru tame ni Mastercard o mitsukenakute wa narimasen yo!
Arigatou gozaimasu.🙏☺️
こんにちはマギー先生！教えてくれてありがとう。
質問があります。
The ないで/ずに grammar structure, how can you add an additional verb or action.
Example: 食べないで出てしまった = I left without eating.
What if I want to say “I left without eating and sleeping” how would I say and?
こんにちは Lee
For that particular example it is unnatural to say
X 食べないで寝ないで出てしまった。/X 食べずに寝ずに出てしまった。
Connecting with vこと＋も
何も食べることも寝ることもなく
Connecting with masu-stem 食べ＋寝 +も
食べも寝もしないで出て行ってしまった。
Sometimes you mix the forms
何も食べず寝もしないで
何も食べることもなく寝ないで出て行ってしまった
た
I apologize for posting again. my notebook has a problem and i don’t know if the question is being sent.
Hello Maggie. I have some doubts about the following sentence I found in a manga: 何? 驚くことはない。 夢みたいにものさ。目覚めれば忘れる.君に行ってほしいところがある。それなりに賑やかなところだよ。真面目な君のことだ。償い足りないなんて感じているだろう？うんうんわかるとも。
1) what is the meaning of それなりに? would be something close to “kind of”, “quite” or “somewhat”
2) what is the function of さ after もの?
3) what is the function of とも after わかる?
HI Rafael/Thiago/Marus/Berelo
First I received all your questions. Sorry. Sometimes it takes time to approve the comments so please be patient. Since all the questions were the same, I deleted the previous ones.
１） それなりに in its own way. Maybe the place is not very lively but it is lively in its own way.
I have a lesson on なりに The link is here.
2) さ is a casual suffix to express one’s opinion.
3) This とも is to show one’s strong agreement or emphasize what comes before.
わかる→わかるとも
知っています→知っていますとも
I know →I do know
Hi Maggie sensei,
I have ２ question about this lesson
in this lesson, sensei wrote that
X 山田さんが加藤さんにお菓子をくれた。→wrong!
we are all agree that くれる is use for “family group or very close friends”
but today, my Japanese co-worker asked me that
このかばん、誰が買ってくれた？
I just don’t understand that why he used “くれた” instead of “あげた”、he’s not in my “family group”, and he also don’t really know that the one bought me a bag is one of my family or not?
I got confused about this example too:
“= Can you give the sweets to my son?
You can also say
そのお菓子を息子にもらえますか？”
isn’t it should be translate to “can I received the sweets from my son”?
because in ~もらう grammar, the one go with に・から is the one we received things from?
Hello ルアン
山田さんが加藤さんにお菓子をくれた
In this case, if the two parties, 山田さん and 加藤さん are not related to the speaker, it sounds unnatural.
You say 誰が買ってくれた？ (Who bought the bag for you?) or 誰に買ってもらったの？ (Who did you get the bag from?) to someone who is close to you based on the idea or assumption that someone else bought the bag for you. (In this case, the giver could be your family , customers, friends, etc.)
This phrase only works with someone close to you, equal to you or superior (who has been working more than you have or for the same period of time.)
Thank you so much maggie sensei
Can you explain this for me too?
“= Can you give the sweets to my son?
You can also say
そのお菓子を息子にもらえますか？”
isn’t it should be translate to “can I received the sweets from my son”?
because in ~もらう grammar, the one go with に・から is the one we received things from?
It’s written in this lesson too
If the sentence is
そのお菓子は (or を） 息子にもらった
Then, it could be I received this snack for my son (from someone) or I received the snack from my son.
However, そのお菓子を息子にもらえますか？ is a request.
If you are asking your son to give you the snack, you wouldn’t say 息子に
You are obviously asking the listener so it won’t be translated can I received the sweets from my son”?
Good night Maggie. Can you tell me the function of 間に in this sentence: 主神ゼウスと人間の娘との間に生まれた半神半人の英雄。I couldn’t understand that word even after reading your explanation you made.
Could you also tell me the function of the も particle in this sentence: これは相当な手練れ。我が愛馬にも匹敵する怪物女王。
Hello Leonarudo
This 間 means “between”
Here is the basic structure of this sentence.
~はAとBの間に生まれた
= ~ was born between A and B
~ is demigod hero who was born between zeus and human.
***
これは相当な手練れ。我が愛馬にも匹敵する怪物女王。
我が愛馬に匹敵する to be equal to my horse/to be a match for my horse
By adding も you can add the nuance of “even”
我が愛馬にも匹敵する to be even equal to my horse//to be even a match for my horse
They are both translated “certificate” and it could be confusing but
認定書 is a document to approve one’s ability/ qualification/ license.
証明書 is a document to certify something/ to prove authentication
I will give you some typical examples.
インストラクター認定書 Instructor authorization
大臣認定書 = certification from the Minister
Hi Maggie Sensei! I love your use of example sentences for teaching, I find it super helpful :)
One question: is it possible to attach がち to a negative verb/adjective ending? Like, in order to say things like “I don’t tend to forget people’s names,” could we say “人の名前を忘れないがち”？
You don’t use the negative form with がち so you don’t say X 忘れないがち
忘れがち = tend to forget people’s name
The opposite will be “tend to remember people’s name” but it sounds unnatural even in English because you are supposed to remember people’s name.
So you just say
人の名前をよく覚えている。
If it is the context such as “You tend to remember things (which you don’t need to remember/in the way you are not supposed to), you can use 覚えがち
Ex. 人の名前を間違って覚えがちだ。
Hi, 先生！I’ve come back to this post a couple times, but I just can’t figure out which meaning of 限る is being used in this:
「俺、絶対に結婚遅いタイプだわー。…え？そういう奴に限って？んなわけねーし！」
This line is from a game I log into from time to time to practice Japanese. When you click on the character on the home screen, they talk. In this particular example, I guess the “…” represents the character listening to our response, which is apparently 「そういうやつに限って」.
But I’m confused. If I were to reconstruct the conversation, it would be:
Character: 俺、絶対に結婚遅いタイプだわー。
I’m totally the type to get married late.
Me: そういう奴に限りますね。
Yeah, you’re limited to that type of person (?????)
Character: んなわけねーし。
No way/Of course not.
That’s not a conversation that makes very much sense to me. Basically the character says something, I agree, then he suddenly says the opposite? I’m definitely missing something here…
I added a little note for you.
★Talking about opposite characteristics of what people would think, assume. (You may think A is ~ but actually it/he/she is quite opposite)
Ex. 威張っている人に限って気が弱い。
= Those who are arrogant tend to be cowards.
そういうやつに限って is the same usage of this one.
The speaker didn’t finish the sentence but
そういうやつに限って結婚が早いかもしれない*…んなわけないし
The one who says “I am getting married later in life” tends to get married (early)…. No, I’ll take it back. There is no way.
I want to ask something
Yesterday My twitter account receive invitation of strange account
(Apparently a boy on his age of 22)
it says like this
R-18垢、ほぼ見る専の童貞裏垢男子です。夜行性。
22歳になりました
Maybe it is a bad word (I’am not sure)
What is the meaning of “ほぼ見る専” here
thanks, sorry if it is rude to ask
Hi カタリナ
But ほぼ = almost
見る専 is an abbreviation of 見る専門. So if it is for Twitter, he just reads people’s tweets and he almost never tweets.
It sounds very suspicious so I think you should just ignore the invitation.
Hello sensei, thank you for your advice.
Already blocked him
Sorry for late reply
Thank very much 忝ない
You’re very welcome! :)
Hello again, Maggie sensei
I have a question about べき and ものではない
both have the same meaning and can i use it in casual conversation?
For example: そんなことをすべきではない －そんなことをするものではない
Thanks again!
Hello Rafael
They are both a bit formal but you can hear them in conversation.
But in casual conversation, you say
そんなことはやってはいけないよ。
→more casual そんなことやっちゃだめだよ。/やっちゃいけないよ
Can you elaborate on the negative versions?
大きな目 not so big?
少なめで not so much, less?
Could you give me some example sentences with the negative usage?
Technically the negative form is
大きめではない/大きめじゃない
少なめではない/少なめじゃない
but it is rare to use these forms. You just use the opposite words, 小さめ, 多め
The only case that you use the negative forms will be when you deny what someone just said.
Ex. 「ご飯、少なめでいい？」 Would small serving of rice be OK with you?
「少なめじゃなくて普通にもって」 Serve me regular portion not small portion.
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”.
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.)
文 and 文章 both could be the same, a sentence.
But 文 is one sentence but 文章 could be multiple sentences ( more than one sentence)
文書 means “documents”
Hi maggie sensei. I saw a sentence that had the word また別 and I saw that it translates as another or different in some sites. I would like to know what the difference between this word and 別, 区別 or 違い.
Ah OK, so it was the same as my example sentence. :)
Hello Maggie-sensei!
Thank you so much for providing us with such good lessons that are easy to understand! I stumbled across a sentence recently including 「つく」. It goes like this:
このスイッチを押すと電気がつく。
And was translated as: The light comes on when you press this switch.
I have two questions. The first one is: I would like to know why 電気 was translated as light and the second one is what’s the meaning of オマケつき.
Hello Maggie sensei! Thank you very much for your thorough explanation.
However, I have come across a sentence in which instead of ことがありません, they use ことがありませんでした. The sentence is 日本に来る前に海を見たことがありませんでした。日本に来て、初めて見ました。In my opinion, following this lesson I would have opted for ことがありません. The past tense is already used in 見た. However, according to the key, it’s wrong. Could you please explain it?
Hello Sky
You can decide which tense to use depending on the time which you focus on.
日本に来る前 = before I came to Japan. This is the past. When are talking about your past experience in the past you use the past tense 見たことがありませんでした。
If you are talking about your experience up to now.
I have never seen the ocean (→I haven’t seen the ocean up to now.)
The focus time is “now” so you say 海を見たことがありません。
自身 = oneself
Ex. 私/自分自身のための作品 = the artwork for myself/oneself
自ら = 自分から何かをする = to do something voluntarily, to do something personally
Ex. 自ら手伝う= to help someone voluntarily
Can you check this sentence whether it is natural or not?
悲しくて泣いているではなく寂しいからです
Hello ケンタおじいさん
悲しくて泣いているではなく寂しいからです
Your sentence is OK.
You might see the full sentence more, though.
悲しくて泣いているではなく寂しいから泣いているのです。
Or if you want to finish the sentence with からです, you can also say
泣いているのは悲しいのではなく寂しいからです。
Hello sensei thank you very much for your help
You’re very welcome! :)
Hello Maggie-sensei 😊
I have a little question. I reviewed this grammar point with the book “新完全マスター文法 日本語能力試験Ｎ３”. The book talks about another function of -ていく and -てくる but I don’t quite understand it because there is only two examples. The function is “A movement or shift occurring after an action” and the examples are “出かけるとき、天気予報を見てきました” and “荷物はここに預けていこう”. My question is fuzzy, but I don’t really understand the difference with the function of doing something and coming back, and doing an action without coming back. If you can enlighten me. お願いします🤗
You connect two actions with te-form.
You do A and then do B.
If the verb B is 行く or 来る,
you do something (A) and you go somewhere or you come somewhere.
(You can rephrase them with から）
1) 出かけるとき、天気予報を見てきました （←天気予報を見てからきました）
I checked the weather report (action A) when I left the house and came here*(acton B)
(*wherever the speaker is now.)
2) 荷物はここに預けていこう (←荷物をここに預けてからいこう）
I will leave your bag (action A) here and go somewhere (action B).
So these two examples happened to have verbs, 行く/来る but you can use other verbs.
I had lunch and went out →昼ごはんを食べて出かけた。(←昼ごはんを食べてから出かけた)
We talked about it and then decided. →よく話し合って決めた。(←よく話し合ってから決めた）
Thank you very much for your quick response 😊. It’s clear to me now, I didn’t realize that in this case -て was only used to connect 2 actions. Thanks for the explanation and additional examples 😁.
Hi Maggie,
何なに も can mean everything / anything
誰だれ も can mean everyone / anyone
どこ も can mean everywhere / anywhere
Is 何なに も and ぜんぶ interchange able? The following sentences have same meaning?
ぜんぶ ほしい。 何なに も ほしい。 I want everything
ぜんぶ たべました。 何なに も たべました。 I ate everything
ぜんぶ みました。 何なに も みました。 I saw everything
ぜんぶ きこえました。 何なに も きこえました。 I heard everything
Is 誰だれ も and みんな interchange able? The following sentences have same meaning?
うた を みんな で うたいます。 誰だれ も うた を うたいます。 I will sing songs with everyone
いつも みんな に やさしい。 誰だれ も いつも やさしい。 always be kind to everyone
はやく みんな に あいたい です。 はやく 誰だれ も あいたい です。 I want to meet everyone quickly
Is this sentence correct?
うんどうかい で 人間 ピラミッド を くずれました
At the company sports meet, our human pyramid fell
How do you say 店 for the following? – ten or mise
A shop that sells handmade goods
手づくり の 店。
手づくり 店。
ありがとう, せんせい
Hello soleyman,
1) 何なに も →You mean 何も ( = なにも）？ If so, 何も is used in a negative sentence and it means “not to ~ anything” “nothing” and it doesn’t mean everything. (何もない = There is nothing. 何も食べるものがない I don’t have anything to eat.)
If you say 何でも then it means “anything” or “everything”
You can say 何でも欲しい= I want anything.
It is slightly different from 全部 = everything
2) 誰だれ も →I think you mean 誰も ( = だれも）. And it means nobody / not ~ anybody
Ex. 誰もいない = There is nobody. Ex. 誰も行かない = Nobody wants to go.
FYI 誰でも means “anybody”
Again, it is slightly different from みんな = everybody
3) 人間 ピラミッド を くずれました→人間ピラミッドがくずれました
4) 手づくりの店= みせ
手作り店 is not common.
Hello Maggie-sensei!
Thank you so much for providing us with such good lessons that are easy to understand! I stumbled across a sentence recently including 「のに」. It goes like this:
これは練習、マスターと僕の戦いの為のなのに本気にな落ち込む。
I have two questions. The first one is about what is the difference between ための and ために, the second is if the な (after 本気に) and the 、 have some function inside that sentence or you can remove them without having any problem.
1) There is a hidden noun after 為の
マスターと僕の戦いのための（練習 or もの）なのに
Since the word 練習 is already mentioned, you don’t have to say 練習 again and just say ための
(You can sometimes rephrase it with もの as well)
You often omit the noun and just use の
(Check my の lesson if you want to learn more. The link is here.)
So though you use の instead of the nouns 練習/もの, ための is considered as a noun so you use なのに
Noun + なのに
2) Is it one phrase? There is no space between 本気にな and 落ち込む？
If so, I think it is a typo. 本気に落ち込む （本気に is an adverb which modifies the following verb, 落ち込む)
I couldn’t understand the difference between たらすぐに vs 次第
and ofcourse i came across another similar grammer
するとすぐに and~か~ないかのうちに
so please teach us the difference between this four
As for the difference between すぐに and たらすぐに
I explained in this lesson so please read the note. (Basically they means the same, as soon as but 次第 is more formal and たらすぐに is more conversational. But there are cases that you can not rephrase たらすぐ with 次第. Read Note. 2)
するとすぐに vs たらすぐに
Are very similar as well and they can be interchangeable.
As soon as he got home, he went out.
彼は家に着くとすぐに出かけた
= 彼は家に着いたらすぐに出かけた
The difference:
１）verb dictionary form + とすぐに →focusing on the action itself
2) Vたらすぐに →focusing of the completion of the action
You can not use 1) when you tell someone what to do
Ex. 家に着いたらすぐに電話をください。 = Call me as soon as you get home.
→X You can’t say 家につくとすぐに電話をください。
You use 1) when you talk about the past or daily routine.
~か~ないかのうちに is used when two actions are happening almost the same time.
家につくかつかないかのうちに can be right before you get home.
So you can’t say
家につくかつかないかのうちに電話をください。either.
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.
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. 😉
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.
相手をする means “to associate with someone/ to deal with someone/ to keep someone’s company/to play with someone”
So it depends on the context but it means
If you don’t accept it, I won’t hang out with you anymore, OK?
so the general meaning of 相手をする would be hang out and depending on the context you use the words you put as a translation, right?
the context of the phrase would be a boy challenges a girl to a competition, she accepted and arrogantly said that she would easily defeat him. after losing to him, he asks her to admit defeat and apologizes and if she doesn’t, he won’t partner up with her anymore.
してもいい is much more common
してよい is more literal and you usually see this form in written form.
Also してよいな is a bit dramatic expression and is used for a speech of an old male character in the story/anime/movie.
Hello sensei
What is the meaning of 都合のいい男
What is the difference between 都合のいいことをしか考えない
Thank you for your help sensei
Hello 太郎!
都合のいい男 has two meaning.
(someoneにとって）都合のいい男 = a convenient guy for someone (a person who says yes to everything) a guy who you can get advantage of.
And it also means “a guy who acts selfishly and doesn’t think about other people.”
Hello maggie sensei
いつもお世話になっております
I have a question about this sentence
彼女に見透かされているようで、なんとなくシャクだった
What is the meaning of “シャク” here?
Thank you
Hello! Wow! I feel flattered to hear your name. 😉
シャク is from an expression 癪に障る = しゃくにさわる (something gets on one’s nerves)
So なんとなくシャクだった here means “It was kind of annoying”
ありがとうございます、マギー先生
どういたしまして💖
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💖🙏
~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 have a question about ”ijou”. For example in this phrase: 一人でやると言った以上、他の人には頼めない。If i use ”kara” or ”node” will the meaning be the same?
Thanks again!
Hello Rafael,
以上、から、ので they all indicates the reason (because/so) but if you compare the following two sentences,
1) やると言った以上他の人には頼めない
2) やると言ったから/ので他の人には頼めない
1) expresses much stronger will/commitment than 2)
Now, からには is pretty similar to 以上は.
3) やると言ったからには他の人には頼めない
They both express one’s strong will/commitment.
Hello maggie sensei
thank you as always
can i ask you what is the meaning of
強いて言うなら
is it the same like (I don’t know exactly)
Hello アルパカ
強いて〜する = force oneself to do something
so
強いて言うなら means “If I must say / If I am forced to say”
thank you very much sensei
You’re welcome! :)
Hi sensei, i want to know what is the difference between そう and 感じ in the sense of looks like and seems like and i which situation we will use
優しい感じ
優しそう both translate as looks kind
I wouldn’t say there is much difference between 優しい感じの人 and 優しそうな人. You can both translate them “ a person who looks sweet”.
感じ: It is based on one’s feelings/impressions that one gets from that person./ sweetish person
そう:how the person looks / how one sees that person.
😄 Hi, Maggie sensei.
Thank you so much for this really useful lesson!!💗
I read a verse of a song that says:
「新ネタ仕入れたなんてね したり顔でtalkin’ talkin’… 」
The final 「なんで」 means anything in particular o is it just used to emphasize the sentence?
Also, in the phrase「あの子のアレコレ気になって センシティブな顔なんだって」… How is 「なんだって」used in this context?
Thanks in advance 💖.
1) This なんて is quoting what comes before, 「新ネタ仕入れた」. ~なんて（言って） Saying things like ~
2) In this case なんだって is quoting the reason.
I heard/He/She/Someone told me the reason why ~ is ~
So you heard the reason why someone has a sensitive face. And tell someone that reason why.
Ooh, I see. 「なんて」 is quoting what comes before.
Thank you very much for the explanation💗.
Regarding to “あの子のアレコレ気になって センシティブな顔なんだって”, what would be the correct way to translate it?
Now I think of it なんだって has another usage. When you make your point or explain something or giving a reason in a strong way about oneself. “I am telling you ~”
It depends on the context and it is kind of hard to tell which one by reading just one line.
I don’t do the translation here but if it is quoting,
“I heard ~ has a sensitive face because ~ can’t help thinking about her/him.”
If that person is explaining the reason himself/herself then
“I have a sensitive face because I can’t help thinking about her/him, OK?”
About ながら, can you use it in a sentence that mixes a verb of human/animate being action (歩く) and an intransitive verb of non-human action (付く)? Like this one:
道を歩きながら電気が付いた。
While walking in the street the lights came on (by themselves).
Maggie Sensei,
Another excellent article!
I was hoping you might be able to help clarify something though.
There seems to be disagreement about using 〜ない with ようになる.
My teacher and the book we are using (みんなの日本語) agree with you that なくなる should be used instead.
However there are quite a few examples online of なにようになる.
My wife (native Japanese) and several online teachers agree ないようになる can be used.
The opinions range from “ないようになる is not used very much” to “they mean the same thing”.
One person said “なくなる emphasizes the consequences of the change but ないようになる emphasizes the process of change”.
My wife thinks ないようになる might be used in a museum exhibit explanation.
Good question. I would say なくなる is much more common and it sounds more natural in many cases but you are right. I think I will add that information because some people do say that.
The difference between なくなる and ないようになる depends on the context but I agree with what you read. (consequences of the change and process of change)
Let’s compare the following two sentence.
With past tense
A ) （それ以来）彼は無駄なことをしなくなった。 (focusing on the consequences/results)
B ) （それ以来）彼は無駄なことをしないようになった。 (focusing on the process of how one became. )
Another difference is Vないようになった tends to describe slow change.
Vなくなった is used when the change could happened right after some incidence.
I appreciate your additional information and examples. I suppose it’s due to the subtlety and uncommonness of the usage of ないようになる that my teacher and book say to just use なくなる.
Note: I noticed a typo in my 1st message and also one in your reply.
Mine: “However there are quite a few examples online of な[に]ようになる.”
Should be “…… examples online of な[い]ようになる.”
Yours: “The difference between なくなる and ないように{する} depends on the context…..”
Should be “The difference between なくなる and ないように{なる} depends on the context….”
I only mention them because I’m concerned they might confuse a future reader. I don’t know how these things work but if possible can you edit the posts?
Thank you again for your reply and all your detailed explanations,
-N
Thank you for spotting the typo. 🙏
I guess a lot of teachers/textbooks avoid teaching ないようになる because it may sound unnatural or less common but you are right. Some readers might get confused when they hear/see it somewhere. I should have mentioned. So thank you for your good question!
Thank you so much for providing us with such good lessons that are easy to understand! I stumbled across a sentence recently including 「方」. It goes like this:
1) 在り方 means “way of being”, “the way something is supposed to be”
心の在り方 the way you set your mind
2) と is to quote in this case 償い
償いというものは→(shorter way) 償いとは
3) で
See the pattern how you make a negative form of a noun
noun + です
→noun + ではない
こんにちはアンドレアス
〜もないのに is a very common patter なんの理由もないのに / 証拠もないのに
You can also say がないのに ,”there is no ~ “, but when you add the nuance of “not to even” or “any”, you use も
用がない not to have particular reasons
用もない not have any particular reasons
どこの誰が is an expression which means “someone/anybody” ( or “whoever” “no matter who”)
ささやいたって is a conditional ささやいても
あれば corresponds to 秘密のサイン
I don’t do the translation here but the idea is,
No matter what anyone whispers, there is nothing that scares us if we have our secret sign.
Hey Sensei, I was wondering if you could help me with this, because I can’t find much of any information about this but, how do you express looking or seeming without the nuance of hearsay or conjecture. For example, “old-sounding music” would usually be translated as something along the lines of “古そうな音楽”, but doesn’t that have the nuance of guessing or conjecture based on personal opinion? What I want to express in “old sounding music” would be music that sounds old because you know the styles that old music used, so what you’re stating is essentially a fact. Would そう still be what you use, our would it be something like “古く聞こえる音楽”? Or something else entirely (maybe involving ふう)? What about 見える, can you use く and に forms to express appearance? Sorry if this is hard to read, thanks a bunch :)
Yes, you can say 古く聞こえる音楽 (the music that sounds old) but you can also just say 古い音楽 as your opinion. There is an expression, 古くさい音楽 which sounds negative.
You don’t use 見える for music.
Thank you so much for providing us with such good lessons that are easy to understand! I stumbled across a sentence recently including 「なんて」. It goes like this:
まだです！私が一度も勝てないなんてコト。。。話してる途中で歌やめる。
I have two questions. The first one is about what is the function of なんて and コト in this sentence and the second is if you should always put で after 途中. I’ve seen two sentences that are like that and I’m not sure if it’s a rule or not.
Hello iwawee
This ん is a part of a verb.
がんばります is a verb which means “to do one’s best, to try hard”.
FYI if you want to add ん like I explained in this lesson, it will be
がんばります→dictionary form がんばる
→がんばるんです
Can you please tell me about 建前 and 本音
If I only read dictionary I don’t understand
Why it is important? Maybe give some example or case
(具体的な説明が求められているので英語で説明しづらい場合日本語で説明してお願いします)
改めて感謝いたします
Hello ずんだモン
本音と建前
本音 = one’s true feelings/opinion
See if you express your real feelings or what you really thinks, you might hurt other people’s feelings or you may stand out being different from others.
So you hide your 本音 and tell what please the listeners or what it sounds right for the others or society. That is 建前
thanks for superb answer. well understood.
よかった ☺️
Hello マギー先生
Is this たまる, not まる? what does this sentence say?
こんな時代に殺されてたまるか
It is a verb, 堪る = たまる = がまんする = to put up with
You usually use it in a negative form or with か to express one’s feelings of resistance.
I have a lesson on たまらない and I explained the usage of たまるか there so please go check if you want to learn more.
Link is here.
As always, thank you for your lessons. I’m suppose to have an N2 level but I still have doubts when it comes to けど😅.
Can you use it with ますform?
For example: 食べられますけど、あまり好きじゃありません。
Or 行きませんでしたけど、行きたかったです。
Thanks again!
Since けど is a casual form, if you want to use the polite form with the following verbs
食べられますけれども or 食べれますが+ あまり好きじゃありません。
行きませんでしたけれども or 行きませんでしたが+ 行きたかったです。
might be more natural but yes, people do use masu-form with けど in conversation.
maggie sensei, i love you but this is impossible for me to read lol. i always have o copy and paste it and then reformat it because my brain refuses to process the information lo;. but anyways, thank you for your lessons.
Sorry to hear it is impossible for you to read this lesson. 😢
If you try to learn the whole lesson at once, it might be hard.
I hope you can come back here just to get a piece of information. 😉
If you are describing meat, you say 歯ごたえがある (positive) or just かたい (negative) / かたくて噛（か）み切れない (negative)
If you are describing noodles, 腰（こし）がある (positive)
Hard snacks, fruits, baguette , 噛（か）みごたえがある
I understand well what sensei has said but only one I don’t understand.
When noodle why it is “Hip”? 腰？
Literally means “There is a hip”
This is actually right but what is the relation of food with “Hip (腰）”
Maybe when you eat noodle because it is so smooth then it makes your hip vibrating or something?
腰/コシがある (you also say 腰/コシが強い) is an idiomatic expression to describe firm texture of noodles. (It is positive)
I am not sure the etymology but your body is supported by your lower back.So if the noodle is nice and firm with chewy texture, it is like there is something like 腰 to support the firmness.
Okay Well Understood. Thank you very much sensei
You’re very welcome!
Hello せんせい
Is かみかみ also mean chewy?
Eg
きょう は はじめて の スルメ かみかみ が ありました。
Today is my first time eating dried squid.
For the following words is it ok/natural to pronounce them without the i sound?
おいしくない >> 「oishkunai」
うつくしくない >> 「utsukushkunai」
いそがしくない >> 「isogashkunai」
たのしくない >> 「tanoshkunai」
むずかしくない >> 「muzukashkunail」
ありがとう.
Hello soleyman
Not sure where you found the word but かみかみする is a sort of cute word from よくかむ for small children which means to chew well. There is a dried squid snack called スルメカミカミ.
I ate the dried squid, Surume kamikami, for the first time today = きょうはじめて「スルメカミカミ」をたべました。
As for the pronunciation question, I need to hear how you pronounce with “sh” but you do pronounce “i” sound.
Hello! I am studying for N3 and one question says: 一度にバナナを20本も食べられる( ). The answer is わけがない but another choice is ことがない. Why is ことがない wrong? Don’t they both mean “There’s no way I can eat 20 bananas”?
Hello ヘイリー
Yes, the correct answer is わけがない
わけがない is used with something extreme for that person. “There is no way to do something”
ことがない also negates what one would do/can do. but it’s based on the idea that doing something is not so extreme (you can see that from the opposite sentence.)
家族で外食をすることがない。⇄家族で外食をすることがある。
一人で焼肉を食べることがない。⇄一人で焼肉を食べることがある
Eating 20 bananas at once is something extreme and there is no way to do that so you use わけがない
Check the translation difference in the following three sentences.
A 一度にバナナを20本も食べられることがある means I sometimes can eat 20 bananas at once.
B 一度にバナナを20本も食べられることがない (this sentence itself is not so natural but..) it means I sometimes can’t eat 20 bananas at once.
A and B: You think eating 20 bananas is
C 一度にバナナを20本も食べられるわけがない means “There is no way that I can eat 20 bananas at once”
Oh, I was under the impression that ことがない meant never because of the examples like: “彼は疲れることがない”. So I was thinking it would mean: “I can never eat 20 bananas at once,” (一度にバナナを２０本も食べられることがない). So does ことがない actually imply that there are a few times that he is tired (first sentence)?
In that case, you don’t use the potential form 食べられる
If you want to use こと, you use the dictionary form + ことはない
→ 一度にバナナを２０本食べることはない He is not going to eat 20 bananas at once or There is no way for him to eat 20 bananas at once.
Hi せんせい
I got the following from a youtube video.
It was a wedding ceremony.
Priest 「おふたり は みず から すんで けっこん を のぞんで いますか」
Couple「 はい、のぞんで いますか」
What is the meaning for the first part? みず から すんで ?????
Maybe I heard wrong for the first ???
The second part should be [ Both of you wish to get married? ]
Thanks
Hi soleyman
Did you dictate the dialogue?
And the priest says
みずからすすんで （自ら進んで） not すんで
自ら進んで means “willing to do something/volunteered to do something”
So in this case, it means “Are you two willing to marry?
And I think the couple say はい、のぞんでいます。 or はい、のぞんでいますが.. (Yes, we do.)
わかります.
ありがとう.
どういたしまして :)
Hi sensei, may I ask the difference between
誰でもない
and
誰もない
Hello Germaniac
First let me confirm one thing
誰もない→Not 誰もいない？
Ah yes, my bad, it’s 誰もいない.
OK
誰もいない = There is nobody/ Nobody is here/there.
誰でもない means “no one/nobody/nobody else ” and the usage depends on the context but for example
私が好きなのは他の誰でもない、あなたです。
The person I like is you. Nobody else.
I see! ありがとうございます
どういたしまして❤️
Hi Maggie先生！
I often heard this ては used in songs and always struggled to translate it, so finding this old lesson was a lifesaver!
I have something I want clarified:
I know that ては contracts to ちゃ and では contracts to じゃ.
However, we only use these contractions with usage 3 (describing an unfavorable result)
触れてはダメ –> 触れちゃだめ ✓
子供では無理 –> 子供じゃ無理 ✓
and usage 1 (repetitive actions),
食べては寝の生活 –> 食べちゃ寝の生活 ✓
彼はテレビをつけては消す –> 彼はテレビをつけちゃ消す ✓
right?
Am I right in assuming that these contractions can’t be used with usage 2 (whenever ~) or usage 4 (giving suggestions)
日本に来ては○○する –> 日本に来ちゃ○○する ✗
彼に任せてはどうですか –> 彼に任せちゃどうですか ✗
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”.
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.
Please check below sentence and correct it if it is wrong
仕事と生活を均等にするため毎日欠かさず一日の時間割を決めていた。
よろしくお願いします
Hello
均等にする is slightly unnatural. How about 仕事と生活のバランスを取るため 〜 The rest is fine
バランス is english word
so there is no japanese word for this???
if so I will use バランス from now on.
Right.
均衡にする means “to equalize” and you use it to divide something equally. If you are talking about the time for your life and work more precisely calculating the time, then you use it. But in conversation, バランス is more common.
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.
Hello Maggie Sensei,
Thank you for this lovely site and for all that you do! I was learning a grammar point and I have a question:
What is the difference between に比べて and と比べて?
Thanks in advance!
Hello Fluffy Books
I would say they are a lot of time interchangeable.
AはBに比べて〜
AはBと比べて〜
They both compare A and B but the nuance difference is
AはBに比べて〜
You are talking about A using B as a reference.
A is >B or A is ＜B
(Bは~ ) AはBと比べて〜
Emphasizing the contrast comparing A and B.
A⇄B
Thank you so much! You are a life saver!!
My pleasure, Fluffy Books! :)
Hi, Maggie sensei.
What does ついでみたいな or ついたでみたいにmean?
Thanks
~ みたい means “like” / “as” ~
ついでみたいな (adjective) + noun = something like ついで
ついでみたいに (adverb ) + verb = to do something as ついで
And the interpretation of ついで changes depends on the context so please check the lesson.
So there’s this song I quite like called 『心という名の不可解』 by Ado (the singer of the super-popular song うっせぇわ). I don’t know your taste in music, but I do recommend you give it a listen!
Anyway, I’ve been listening to it since it came out back in January, but yesterday I finally decided to sit down, write out the lyrics and try translating the ones that I couldn’t immediately translate while listening. Of course, I almost immediately got stuck on this lyric:
『故にどんな顔して笑おうと、カルテに書かれないことは信じるに値しないんだ』
For a bit of background in case you don’t know, the song kind of talks about the heart as a medical mystery that can’t be understood. So I translated those words as
”So no matter what kind of face you make to smile, anything that’s not written on your patient chart isn’t worth believing.”
I guess my first mini-question is, why does she say 書かれない instead of 書かれてない?
My second mini-question is, is どんな～おうと just another way of saying どんな～ても? That’s what I assumed.
But the big thing that had gotten me stuck was the last part: 「信じるに値しない」.
Since 値する means (at least I think it means) “to give worth to something,” shouldn’t that ‘something’ be a noun? That is, shouldn’t 信じる be nominalized and we should have 「信じる【こと・の】に値しない」instead? Was this another case of song lyrics omitting words and particles for poeticness??
After searching Jisho, Weblio and Reverso for sentence examples, I realized that using the dictionary form with に値する is just how it is for some reason.
尊敬に値する – a noun is being used
読むに値する – a verb is being used, and it doesn’t need to be nominalized
But other than this, I’ve never come across に being used directly after the dictionary form of a verb. It’s always either
Verbことに（は）
or
Verb-Stem に (行く, etc)
I guess my question is: is ～に値する a special case? Or are there other cases in which に can come directly after the dictionary form of a verb?
If there are such cases, is it a grammatical concept that I can look up (like ‘Nominalization’ or ‘どんな～ても’)? Or are there just special verbs that happen to allow weird things with their particles?
It’s a doozy of a question 😅 but thanks for your help if you can!
Sora
Hi Sora
Yes, I knot that song. 😉
1) 書かれていない is more general but 書かれない is more poetic.
Here’s the grammatical difference.
書かれない things that are not going to be written
書かれてない things that are not actually written
2) ~おうと is a volitional form. どんなに〜おうと No matter how much you are trying to ~
3) 信じるに値しない
When it is used with a noun,
noun + に値しない
but when you use it with a verb,
verb dictionary form + に値しない
この本は読むに値しない
この映画は見るに値しない
Thanks so much, Maggie先生！
Do you know if there’s any particular reason why the dictionary form of the verb is used before に in this case? Usually, you have to say Verb + ことに
e.g 人類は宇宙に乗り出すことに成功した。
or Verb + ように
e.g 毎日運動するようになった。
or Verb stem form + に
e.g 先週公開された映画を見に行くつもりです。
My point is, usually に is never used directly after the dictionary form of a verb.
Does 【Verb (dictionary form) + に】 mean something specific?
Or is 値する the only case in which we can use Verb(dictionary form) + に?
Thanks!
そら
You are right. You usually have to use verb + こと/ の to nominalize a verb.
I don’t think there are many but I believe there are a few more expressions that you use a verb dictionary form as a noun form with に
I believe they are from old Japanese patterns.
For example, verb dictionary form (or sometimes you add の）に相応しい
Ex. 信頼される（+の）に相応しい
And this is not 〜に but in
好きにするがいい (literal) = 好きにしなさい (Do whatever you like)
I see, thank you so much as always Maggie先生! I love the way you explain things, and I’ve made a list of some of your old posts to go back and study this summer. I hope you also have a great summer!♡
Sora
You’re very welcome, Sora.
You have a wonderful weekend!! :)
Is this up? I’m just wondering what does the “twitter header” translation in Japanese slang? XD
Which is shown to translate to:
That’s a tight schedule.
Do you mind explaining what is 的 used for in this sentence? I’m having trouble understanding the use of 的 in this example. Seems like スケジュール的 is not used as an adjective here. スケジュール的 also feels weird to be an adjective.
I want to ask what is the meaning of いずれにする
英語で説明しづらい場合、日本語で教えても構いません。
正確性が求めたいので具体的な説明をしたら大変有り難いです。
改めて、よろしくお願い申し上げます
Hello,
OK いずれ is a literal way to say どちらにする
for example if you ask someone to choose either A or B, you say
AとBのいずれにするか決めてください。
Please pick either A or B.
(日本語で教えても構いません→日本語でも結構です。 is more natural)
thank you for pointing my mistake, also thank you for the explanation.
ありがとうございます
どういたしまして❤️
Hi Maggie sensei,
I have questions regarding these lines, they are from a song:
1- 吐き出すルールは君が決めた
2- 吐き出すルールあなたが決めた
my translation was like this:
1- Rules of spitting out are what you have decided
2- Spit out the rules you have decided.
My questions are:
1- for the part (Hakidasu ruuru) in both of them, is the verb (Hakidasu) a transitive verb? I mean, could I say it is like (Imperative form) for giving commands which it means in this case (you spit out)
OR
is it considered a name (because it came at first), which it means (spitting out)?
2- Are they actually the same thing and have the same translation, and I just mistranslated?
Hi Katsu,
The literal meaning is “As for the spitting out rule is what you have decided” but
You decided the spitting rule. might be more natural.
And 1) and 2) are the same thing but 2) doesn’t have は so it sounds like a poetic expression or slogan.
I see, So it is considered a name in both 1 and 2.
Does it have a deep meaning or anything in Japanese?
Because I find it kinda hard to link its meaning with other lines.
Sorry, what do you mean by “a name”?
Anyway it is hard to interpret the meaning from just two lines but
吐き出す also means “Getting something out of one’s system/letting it out” and it could be one’s feelings (sadness, anger, etc.) or something
You made the rules of getting out of my (or your) feelings.
This is my guess but the reason why the writer changes the way of saying 君が決めた/あなたが決めた is probably because it sounds more interesting than just repeating the same phrase twice.
I mean using (spitting out) and not the verb (spit out).
Someone who translated this song said it’s a dialogue between a boy and a girl and the lines with (kimi) is for the boy when he talks to the girl, while the lines with (anata) is for the girl.
Anyway, thank you so much for clarifying, it was very helpful!
Ah yes, two people’s dialogue makes more sense.
Two people are kind of blaming each other who made the rule.
Anyway, I’m glad to hear it is more clear now.
Hello Maggie-sensei
I’ve turned into the dark side of male speech ごめんね Σ(°△°|||)
You said in your lesson we could turn ない to ねえ in male speech. But I’ve seen some using ん like すまん or 使わん (instead of すまない and 使わない). Is it the same ねえ or is it used for particular cases?
Also I’ve seen the suffix っタレ(or ったれ) which was translated as Sauce, which makes no sense to me. (for context: 動画っタレ用の宣材撮っないと) I suppose it is not a good word…
〜ねえ sounds more rough than ~ん.
It depends on the intonation and as you said, すまん is mainly for male speech but ない →〜ん is also a dialect in many regions in Japan (Chubu area, Kansai area, etc.) and both men and women use.
知らない→知らん
できない→できん
~ったれ is derogatory. You add this suffix to point out someone’s weakness or negative aspect. You have to be careful because it will insult people.
hello Maggie,
I’m a little confused on something.
in the first example 「今まで僕みたいなかわいい先生いた？」
why is : “noun + mitai な + adjective” used here? reading the post and following the rules of construction I thought it was supposed to be:
“noun + mitai に + adjective?” Am I seeing this wrong?
Hi!
I was wondering, in these song lyrics, what is the purpose of ような?
ねぇ どっかに置いてきたような
事が一つ二つ浮いているけど
I know that song lyrics can be very poetic and bend normal linguistic rules, but I’m really struggling to understand what it means. From my understanding this means “Wherever you left it/those things behind, it/they are resurfacing one by one” but my japanese isn’t very good so I could definitely be misunderstanding the whole sentence lol.
Thanks!
This ような modifies 事（こと）
どっかに置いてきたようなこと (things that I left behind somewhere) = subject
一つ二つ A few (A couple of ) ＋ どっかに置いてきたようなこと (things that I left behind somewhere) will be the subject
And the main verb 浮いている （the literal meaning is “floating/resurfacing” but this is a very literal/poetic expressions.
You said in your lesson
連用形 = renyoukei (verbs with nominal ending) and add そう=sou
but it seems it is the same as ____ (polite form stem verb i.e. by removing ます)そう or are there some exceptions I don’t know?
In your examples:
•する → し + そう = しそう, so from します
•降る → ふり +そう=降りそう so from 降ります
•泣く→ 泣き + そう= 泣きそう so from 泣きます
•死ぬ → 死に =しに + そう= 死にそう so from 死にます
•起きる → 起き+そう= 起きそう so from 起きます
•来る → 来 +そう= 来そう so from 来ます
Is the rule ます-stem form + そう correct, or the nominal ending verbs are different sometimes from the ます-stem form? If yes, what verbs could that be?
I usually use the term masu-stem when I explain ”How to form” but I guess I used the term 連用形 in this lesson for some reason.
Yes, they are the same. :)
Ex. する
1) make masu-form →します
2) delete ます →masu-stem し
3) attach そう →しそう
But as I mentioned in this lesson, そう can be used with other verb forms such as potential forms. (Also ~てしまう/ (casual ) ちゃう ：落ちてしまいそう （落ちちゃいそう）. )
Thank you very much for these informative answers! I have a question regarding these uses with a teacher. How would I adapt these for remote one on one lessons with a teacher? I just don’t want to be rude, but also want to be attentive. Perhaps there’s a lesson here that I missed on this, but also the proper words to say beside はい when communicating that I understand what my teacher is saying. He used to speak entirely in Japanese with me, but now has gradually been sneaking more and more English in there and I think it’s because I’m not good with these sorts of situations 😅
You can use all these phrases with your on-line teacher but let me know if there are any specific phrases that you want to use in the class. I will help you.
Also I covered some class room Japanese in 学校 lesson. Link is here.
Sorry for bothering… again! (￣ ￣|||)
I really don’t know the grammar about this one and I couldn’t find an explanation in your lesson:【あの事故と結ばれでもしたんだろう】I suppose the でも here should be “even though” so I tried to translate it as: “I guess it was even though it was linked to that accident” but it makes no sense.
I found on a website the same construction for another sentence 英語の勉強でもするか which they have translate as “I might as well study English.” and the explanation is “でも here works to make your words less direct. It’s like “I think I will study something, let’s see…ok, English.” Also it’s not a question to someone. You say it to yourself.”
Is there some kind of construction based on 〜でもする/〜でもした where it is not conditional form?
Your questions are always welcome. 😊
I guess I didn’t cover the usage in this lesson.
I don’t know the context of your example sentence (事故と結ばれる. Not 事故で？) but you use でも when you guess or imagine why something happened/why someone did/will do something or possible outcome.
So you bring up some possible cause/ outcome/results that you can think of with でも
When you use it with a verb,
verb masu-stem / noun* + でも＋したんだろう/したのかもしれない/したのだろうか..
You are not 100% sure but it could be ~ or something.
Another example, you have friends. They are usually very close but you can sense there is something wrong between them.
So you are not sure why exactly they are not talking to each other but you assume they got fight or something. In this case you use でも
喧嘩(けんか）でもしたんだろう。
Maybe they got fight or something.
Thank you Maggie-sensei!
Aaah, it’s not the て-form verb +も but really the word でも (“but”) attached to the masu-stem verb?
So for example 遊びでも (masu-stem+でも) and 遊んでも (て-form verb+も) mean different things?
So in my case, I would have said 遊びでもしたんだろう (maybe they played or something) and not 遊んでもしたんだろう?
I think I got confused with ても/でも for conditional form and でも for “but”.
For my sentence, I don’t know exactly the origin, I retranscripted from ear so I’m not sure it’s correct. Maybe it’s 事故で actually if it makes more sense. The context is really “Maybe it was linked to that accident” when someone saw some event occurring before him.
おはよう、Gaspatcher
Ah, OK. If the context is
“Maybe it was linked to that accident” then 事故と is correct.
(If two people get connected to each other through the accident, 事故で ☺️）
And yes, for this usage you say 遊びでも not 遊んでも (遊んでも is different form. Ex. 遊んでもいいですか？ = to ask for the permission, etc.)
~でもしたんだろう
I added this in my previous comment but you can use a noun with でも so when you use a verb する, it will be easier to think
noun (遊び・喧嘩） + でも＋ したんだろう
And with a verb
verb masu stem (including auxiliary verb)
So I wouldn’t go too far here but
食べ＋でもしたんだろう
食べ＋られ(passive)/させられ(passive causative) ＋でもしたんだろう
Hello Maggie Sensei
,
Gaspatcher here again! I have a question about【どうすれば良いか】which I found to be translated as “What should I do?” But a native also translate this as “How should I do it?” The meaning is different because the first one, you don’t know what to do and the second one, you know what but you don’t know how.
I think the second makes more sense “how should I do it?” because I would have translated the first meaning as 何をすれば良いか？ Am I missing something here?
I think it is more a question about どう rather than 良い but I didn’t find any lesson about the use of どう (that’s why I asked here)
ありがとうございました、先生
How have you been? Good question!
The meaning of どう can be “how” or “what” depending on the context.
But the most natural translation for どうしたらいい？ is “What should I do?/What do you think I should do?”
You also say
何をしたらいい？ but the nuance difference is どう is used when you want to know “how” to deal with the situation and 何 is used when you want to know exactly what to do (actions).
And どう can be used as “how”
どう行ったらいいですか？ = How can I get there?
どうやったらいいですか？ = How should I do it?
(If you say どうしたらいいですか？, it may sound confusing because it also means “What should I do?” so it will be more clear to say どうやったらいいですか？)
Let’s me add one more example with どう
When you are lost and don’t know what to do, you say
どうしよう
どうしたらいいんだろう…
(What should I do../I don’t know what to do..)
As always, thanks for the amazing lesson! I’m so used to using ら抜き言葉 in my speech that I often find myself forgetting to put it back when I’m writing in formal Japanese!
You hinted at something in this article that I had a lot of trouble with when I first learned potential forms: when to use the potential transitive vs normal intransitive verbs.
For example, in English, I would usually say something like “I can’t find my keys.” but I rarely hear 「鍵を(が)見つけられない。」 in daily life. Instead I often hear 「鍵が見つからない。」. This is often the case with sentences like with other transitivity pairs like 開く・開ける or 入る・入れる.
Do you know of any situations where the potential transitive form is preferred?
Thanks so much!
As you said, we hear 見つからない/開かない more in conversation.
They simply describe the state or situation and you use this form when you are focusing on the object.
You use potential transitive form when you focus on the person and their capability.
The key is gone/missing = 鍵が見つからない (focusing on the key or the situation where you lost your key.)
I can’t find my key./ I am not capable to find my key. = 鍵を見つけられない。 (focusing on one’s capability)
ドアが開かない = The door won’t open. / The door is locked. (focusing on the door or the state)
ドアを（が）開けられない = I can not open the door. (focusing on the person who can not open the door. )
No Comments
thank you for the work! nice blog!
ありがとう、Karl! ☺️
Hi Maggie-sensei,
Thank you for all your wonderful lessons as always.
I am struggling with a few phrases and jut wanted to check if they sound correct and natural in Japanese?
The more Japanese I study, the more confused I get.
日本語勉強すればするほど、わからなくなる。
Is your baby sleeping well?
赤ちゃんよく寝ますか？
Our little baby really does not like wearing his shoes.
あかちゃんわほんとに靴がはいるきらいいです。
I guess all children develop differently.
子どものはそれぞれは立つ違うと思います。
Hello Mini House
１）日本語勉強すればするほど、わからなくなる。
Missing a particle after 日本語
Two possibilities
日本語を (object marker) or if it is a topic 日本語は
２）赤ちゃんよく寝ますか？
For conversation, you can say that. For writing add a particle
→赤ちゃんは、よく寝ますか？
3) 〜靴をはくのがきらいです。
4) 子供の成長のしかたはみな違うと思います。
文法を学びたいのなら、マギー先生のサイトがいい！マギー先生じゃなきゃダメです。
外のサイトでも必要ない。
こんな感じ？
こんにちは Luna
文法を学びたいのなら、マギー先生のサイトがいい！マギー先生じゃなきゃダメです。→完璧！ 👏 （あと、「文法を学ぶなら〜」とも言えますよ。）
外のサイトでも必要ない。→他のサイトなんて必要ない。
うれしい文章ありがとう😆
Maggie-sensei,
いつもありがとうございます。
Is this sentence correct? I want to say: My name is House. I am very sorry I am late. I am here to pick up my daughter.
こんにちは。ハウスともうします。遅くなりました、申し訳ありません。娘大迎欲しいです。
And also, how do I say: “I would like to pick up my daughter earlier today at 1 PM.”
Thank you very much.
Hi Mini
元気でしたか？
OK, let me help you.
こんにちは。ハウスともうします。遅くなりました、申し訳ありません。娘大迎欲しいです。
→こんにちは、ハウスともうします。遅くなって申し訳ありません。娘を迎（むか）えにきました。
I would like to pick up my daughter earlier today at 1 PM.”
→今日は、早めに１時に娘を迎えに行きたいのですが。
Thank you so much for taking the time to reply to my questions, Maggie-sensei.
That helped a lot – I very much appreciate it – thank you!
You’re very welcome ❤️
Hello maggie sensei,
Can you please tell me how the “masen ka” form used to make invitations should be translate? I get a little bit confused. For exemple in the following sentence: bangohan o tabemasen ka? I have seen some explanations telling it can be translated as “won’t you eat?” And some instead translating it as ” would you like to eat?”. What is the correct translation?
Also what is the différence between “masen ka” and “mashou ka”? Thanks in advance
Hi Yenicall
I already answered your question. Please check your previous comment.
何度もコメントを乗せたけど自分のコメントが見えないんです。
見えますか？？これ？？？
おかしいですね。コメントが出ないみたいなのでここに元の文章と私の返事をポストし直しますね。
マギー先生、こんばんは、こんばんは＼(^o^)／
いつも役に立つレッスンを作ってくださりありがとうございます。
１つ質問させてください!
彼女は料理ができないどころか卵さえ割れない。
Far from being able to cook, she can’t even crack an egg.
どうして『料理ができるどころか』ではないの？
英語訳は being able to cook なのに？
なんか。。おかしい質問ですよねｗｗｗ
****
こんにちは ユキ （同じ質問が３つあったので２つは消しました。）
最初に質問したときは、承認されるまで自分の質問が見えないと思います。
「彼女は料理ができないどころか」の英語訳は “Far from” being able to cook なので Not just being able to cook という意味です。
原因がわかりました。
最初のコメントは、コメントのずっと下の方にあるDECEMBER 26, 2018 AT 7:29 AM の私のコメントに対しての返事として書いたみたいです。
サイトの右下のRecent comment からユキのコメントをクリックしてみてください。
Hello maggie sensei,
I am confused about the use and translation of “masen ka” when making an invitation. For exemple in the following sentence : bangohan o tabemasen ka? I’ve seen some translating it as won’t you eat? And some translating it as will you (like to) eat? What is the correct translation?
Also can you tell me the difference between mashou, mashou ka and masen ka when used to make invitations? Thank you in advance
Hello Yenicall
OK, many people (especially when they have started to learn Japanese) seem to have a problem understanding the nuance difference between mashou, mashou ka masen ka, so I will make a lesson sometime.
1) masen ka?
Ex. Tabemasen ka? = It could be 1) You are not going to eat? or 2) Would you like to eat? (invitation) (invitation) depending on the context and the intonation.
For example someone wouldn’t eat something, you ask これ、食べませんか？ = Kore tabemasen ka? = You are not going to eat this?
But if you offer some food to someone, you also say これ、食べませんか？ = Kore tabemasen ka? = Would you like to eat this?
2) mashou
It means Let’s ~
So imagine the food is already served in front of you and you tell someone at the table,
So, Ex. さあ、食べましょう！ ＝Saa, tabemashou! = Let’s eat.
3) mashou ka?
Again it changes the meaning depending on the context
(1) Do you want me to do something for you?
Ex. 手伝いましょうか？ = Tetsudaimashou ka? = Do you need my help? / May I help you?
(2) Shall we do ~ ?
Ex. そろそろいきましょうか？ = Sorosoro ikimashou ka? = Shall we go now? (But you may see the translation Let’s go)
コメント乗せたいけど。。見えますか。。これ？？？
自分のコメントを自分が見えないから。。どうかしら？？
Hello Maggie Sensei,
I want to ask you about one word here,
What is the meaning of 中途半端男
If I say “A half hearted man” would it be correct.
Hello ホットサンド
Yes you can translate that.
中途半端男 It refers to a man who lacks dedication to a task, or who does things in a half-hearted or incomplete way.
Thank you for featuring my pets and thank you for the nice lesson! It made me smile. I hope you have a wonderful day!
Thank YOU for introducing me these lovely guest teachers, Luna!
Big hug to Ash Sensei and Calypso Sensei! ❤️
Good afternoon Maggie. I had some doubts about a phrase I found. The sentence is as follows: 発言の自由は政府支配の新しい触手によって年々むしばまれつつある。
1 – What is the function of つつある?
2 – Is 発言 only for written things? or just for spoken things?
3 – What does むしばむ mean?
4 – This word is not in the sentence, but I would like to know the meaning of: がっつく. I had a little trouble understanding.
Hi Sora
1. Verb+ つつある = (literal expression) be in the process of doing something (expressing the on-going change)
2. 発言 is for spoken thing
3. むしばむ = to erode (passive form) むしばまれる to be eroded （To be affected by something negative)
4. がっつく = eating like a pig. It can be used to express someone greedy
Thanks for the reply Maggie. But I was left with a doubt. What is the difference between Verb + ている and Verb + つつある.
Hi Sora
つつある focusing on the process of doing something (on-going change) towards completion. It is used in a formal speech or writing.
Ex. 戦争が終わりつつある。The war is coming to an end
If you just express what one is doing or the current state, you use ている
Ex. テレビがついている = The TV is on. (current state/condition) →You can’t say テレビがつきつつある
Ex. 手紙を書いている = I am writing a letter. (The action is happening right now and it focusing on the current action) →You can’t say 書きつつある
Thank you so much!
Would you know how to pronounce katakana when there is a vowel used instead of the nobasu?
For example: ケアウホウ
It is a name of a town/beach in hawaii
In this case ホウ is used instead of ホー
In these cases, would one pronounce the vowel? Like ホ・ウ (ho-u)
Or still say it like ホー (hoo)
Hello Kelly
It depends on the word and it could be very different from the original sound.
As you said, the original “ho” could be closer to ホー but ケアウホウ （Bay = 湾(わん）) is commonly used for the bay.
The thing is you don’t always pronounce the Japanese vowels あいうえお/アイウエオ when they are combined with consonants
Ex. ほうりつ (法律） houritsu = law ➡️Actual pronunciation is hōritsu (ō = stretching “o” sounds)
I see! If I understand, even with ホウ the same rule applies and one would say this like hō (stretched)
So even in katakana, generally whether a nobasu or vowel is used (ホー/ホウ) this just means the consonants are both being stretched. And it would be read as (hō).
And whether it shows up with ー or ウ in the name is more just a written formality.
Thanks just surprised me when I saw the vowel instead of the nobasu.
As I usually see in katakana the nobasu used to imply stretching the vowel (ニューヨーク/フィジー）
Likewise in hiragana the vowel is used instead as you say. (ほうりつ/りょこう）
So when I saw ホウ instead of ホー I wasn’t sure if that had meant to pronounce the vowel! (笑）
Thank you very much for your explanation! If not mistaken I think I got it now and was just overthinking it.
So even in katakana, generally whether a nobasu or vowel is used (ホー/ホウ) this just means the consonants are both being stretched. And it would be read as (hō).
→That’s right.
So you know how to write katakana for the well-known things, places, countries, people’s names such as ニューヨーク、フィジー, ヨークシャ(ー）, ドーナツ,etc. However if you hear uncommon names, it is very natural to get confused whether you stretch the vowel or use the vowels. :)
Hi sensei
1) Is the following sentence correct/natural?
What is the difference betw と する and に する
「貨物船」とは、貨物 を 輸送 する 船舶です。
Kamotsusen is a vessel that carries cargo
ライオン は にく を えさ と する。
Lions feed on meat
鯨くじら は プランクトン を えさ と する。
Whales feed on plankton
パンダ は ささ を えさ に する。
Pandas feed on bamboo grass
2) As for Hen is it pronounce as medori or mendori or ..,?
( google translate = mesudori )
雄鶏 おんどり Rooster
雌鶏 めんどり Hen
Thanks
Hi soleyman
1) You can say both えさとする and えさにする
にする is more conversational and とする is more formal.
2) 雌鶏 can be read めどり or めんどり. (Originally めどり but I would say it is more common to say めんどり in conversation.)
Good morning Maggie. I would like her help to understand the following sentence: 泥棒は盗むのが商売 、たとえそれが人の心だとしてもね。
I understand the たとえ~ても structure, but why use とする?
Hi Berserk
たとえ〜ても and たとえ〜としても mean the same. としても emphasizes hypothetical situation more.
Thanks for the lesson!
In these sentences:
日曜日は何もしないで過ごしました
昨日の夜は、一睡もしないでゲームをしていた。
Why is it しないで and not しなくて ? It’s not telling someone not to do something, it’s talking about yourself so I’m confused.
Hi Luna
日曜日は何もしないで過ごしました
昨日の夜は、一睡もしないでゲームをしていた。
ないで in these two sentences belong to the usage
2) to do something without doing something
to spend the time without doing anything
to play the game without sleeping
Verb B ないでVerb A = to do A (main action) without doing B
If you give a reason or list up a couple of actions, you can use なくて
お金がなくて困った = I got troubled because I didn’t have money.
Good night Maggie. I would like to know what to put after 精神 in this sentence (が?は?を?): チベットの苦痛に耐えるのは不可能ですがチベットの人々のあがないの精神 見守るべきものです。
I didn’t understand what you meant
Sorry. I might have cut the first part.
You can just use は after 精神
(Sorry the first part of my previous message was missing so it could be confusing.)
Let me answer again.
精神＜は＞見守るべきものです。
Hi Maggie sensei.
I was wondering why in the following sentnce it was used 何 instead of 何も to express everything is delicious (anything is delicious):
あの店なら何を食べても美味しい。
I’m a bit confused.
Thanks in advance.
Hi Evon
何も is used in a negative sentence.
何も美味しくない Nothing is delicious.
何 in that sentence is actually an object so you use an object marker を
何を食べますか？ What would you like to eat?
魚を食べます I will have fish.
And
何を〜ても is a sentence pattern and it means “whatever you do ~ = everything one does ~ is ~ ”
何をしても面白い Whatever someone does is funny = Everything someone does is funny
何を読んでもつまらない Whatever I read is boring. = Everything I read is boring.
If you want to say this sentence without a verb, you can use 何でも
何でも美味しい
Thanks for the lesson. I’ve learned a lot.
Hello hoh
I’m very happy to hear that. :)
Hello maggie. I found this sentence: 中止命令に従わない場合は、5万円以下の罰金が科せられます。
The translation read: In case of non-compliance with the suspension order, a fine of up to 50,000 yen will be imposed.
I would like to know why 科せられます is in potential form and not just passive and negative.
Hello Leonardo
科せられます is a passive form.
The basic form is 科す or 科する
The passive form is either 科される or 科せられる
Hi there,
There is an anime is currently airing, its name is “推しの子 (Oshi no Ko)” and I translated it as “kid of my favorite idol” cuz the anime is about an idol named “Hoshino Ai”. But someone says it’s not true as it may be translated to one of those:
– the kid you support
– the kid who is a fan
– or the child of a fan
which is correct?
thank you.
Hi Katsu
Ah OK, it could be confusing because the literal meaning of the title can be “the kid you support” ( = the idol herself = “My favorite idol” ) but if the story is about the child whose mother is your favorite idol then your translation is right.
kid of my fav/ a child of my fav.
If you are focusing the idol herself you can still say 推しの子 so “My favorite idol” works.
I read the story but it is complicated, huh? The main character reincarnated as a child of his favorite idol.
The following two have different meanings
the kid who is a fan = ファンの子 ( A child who is your fan)
the child of a fan = ファンの子 (A child of your fan)
Ah, yeah, the story is kinda complicated but worth watching. I think it’s gloomy somewhat.
Anyway, thanks for your replay, it really helps :).
No problem. 😊
Hi everyone! Sorry that the site has been down and some of your recent comments were gone. I think I answered all your questions but if you haven’t read them yet, please ask me the questions again. I’ll be happy to answer your questions. Have a great weekend! いい週末を！🐶
Welcome back!
I had a question about the word 感じ, and I saw your answer. I learned something very interesting from your answer. First, this is what you said:
日本語で返事をということなので日本語で答えますね。
そうですね、感じは、気持ちだけではなく、会話で「〜という感じ /(説明）+ こんな感じ」を加えることで直接的な言い方を和らげる時にも使います。
この二つの文章をつなげてみると一領域につき5回各6分露出で写真を撮影して30分(A) という感じで時間の許す限り観測を繰り返します。
最初の部分（A)で手順を説明してそのように観測を繰り返すように説明しています。
..という感じでどうでしょう？
The reason why I asked you to reply in Japanese is that I want to stop learning Japanese by using English. I am trying to connect Japanese language direct to the world and direct to my own thoughts/impressions etc., without English getting in the way.
This is where the 「直接的な言い方を和らげる」 is important. In fact, a scientist was explaining a procedure to some students. I forgot to take that into account. In trying to make sense of what he said, I was putting myself in the position of the listener, and that was my mistake. When I put myself in the position of the scientist, talking to students, then I got closer to what I would be thinking/feeling (感じ?!) in that situation. When I did that, then the purpose of 「こんな感じで」starts to make more sense at a more intuitive level .. without the English translation.
I think that answers your last question?
私の日本語の説明で理解してもらえればうれしいです。
Good afternoon Maggie. I found the following sentence and had difficulty getting a part of it and would like your help if possible.
The sentence is as follows: それは氷のような砂糖菓子。
触れれば冷たさに指先が凍り、
舐めれば甘さに舌が痺れゆく。
まさに至宝と慕うにふさわしい―――
I can’t understand the part: 痺れゆく. Can you explain to me?
Hi Matheus
痺れゆく is a written language and it means 痺れていく going numb
thank you
どういたしまして 😊
Hi Matheus
痺れゆく is a written language and it means 痺れていく going numb
(ていく→ゆく） expresses the change, getting, going, becoming ~
Are both んですか？ and んあんですか？
Accusatory?
Hi Mark
Yes, んですか？ could have an accusing tone or emphasize your surprised feelings.
Ex. 違いますか？
→違うんですか？
(んあんですか→???I think it’s a typo )
Hello Maggie Sensei! What is the origin/etymology of the -ら in -たら?
I think たら came from a classic auxiliary verb たり
ら is a part of the conjugation.
Thank you. I thought 距離 only applied to the distance between two things.
No problem, Luna!
Yes, you can use 距離 in that context. 長距離（長い距離を）走る = to run a long distance
FYI 隔たり is often use to express a gap/difference
二人の意見には大きな隔たりがある
There is a wide gap in the opinions between the those two.
Thanks for the lesson!
Does this sound ok:
警察に犯人の名前を出された。The police made me reveal the name of the culprit.
毎週、プールで長い隔たりを泳がされる。Every week, I am made to swim a long distance at the pool (by a teacher)
HI LUN
1) 出された→言わされた is more natural (made my say)
2) 先生に、毎週プールで長距離（を）泳がされる
Hi! Maggie sensei, I’m wondering about this sentence…..
会いたかった なあ Does this mean “I’ve been wanting to meet you for long time”? and still looking forward to see you, right? Also what is the meaning of なあ? Someone told me that it’s like to show strong feeling of really wanted to meet. Is it? or actually it’s just suffix of the sentence, no emotional.
Hi Luck
会いたかったなあ I wish I could have seen you/him/her/them.
So you wanted to see someone but you missed the chance/you couldn’t.
By attaching な/なあ you can add the feelings (in this case regret)
Please check my lesson on な/なあ. Link is this https://bit.ly/3TOe1BD
Good night Maggie. I came across a sentence and would like to know if it is grammatically correct. The sentence is as follows: 私はこの怪物の弱点をついに見つけました。その神経もいつも以上に高ぶっております。
Hello Pedro
The first sentence is correct but the second sentence is not natural.
Hello Maggie-sensei!
I have a simple question. If my dog is 7 years old, I can say 犬は七歳です, right? But what if my dog is only 7 months old? Do I say 犬は七月歳です?
こんにちは、Luna
7 months old is just 7ヶ月
You can also add 生後=せいご before 7ヶ月
（生後=せいご）7ヶ月
This makes sense! Thanks!
Anytime! :)
サイトの修理のため、1週間前のメッセージが消えてしまいました。全てのメッセージに返事を出しましてがもし読んでいなかったらまたいつでもメッセージを入れてくださいね。
Is the (noun)し(verb) construction common? I’ve come across the phrase 愛し創り上げる, which contextually I’m assuming means “lovingly create”/”create with love”, but I’m a bit confused about the grammar here.
Hello FXJ
It is hard to tell you by just the phrase without knowing the context but
愛し（あいし） in that sentence means “愛して” love (something/someone) and create ~
I think you know connecting verbs with te-form but you can also connect the verb with masu-stem
愛します→(masu-stem) delete ます 愛し
So it happened to be “し” but if it is a different verb, for example
食べて寝る = eat and sleep
食べ寝る (the masu-stem of 食べます is 食べ)
FYI I have a lesson on this usage
https://maggiesensei.com/2020/07/06/connecting-with-masu-stem/
Hi Maggie, What is the difference between 角かど and 角かく ?
Got the following example sentences from websites; all of them is かど right??
とおり の 角 に たって いた。
I stood at the corner of the street
角 に おおきな 目印 が あります。
There is a big sign at the corner
角 で ひだり に 曲まがる。
Turn left at the corner
すいぎゅう は おおきな 角 を もって いる。
Buffaloes have big horns
すぐ 角、あかい の みせ です。
It’s the red shop just at the corner
Thank you せんせい
ps google translate it as tsuno
Hi soleyman!
角 = かど = corner
角 = つの = horn
So from your example sentence only
すいぎゅう は おおきな 角 を もって いる。
Buffaloes have big horns
is ”つの = horn”
すぐ 角、あかい の みせ です。 →I think it missing の （すぐ角のあかいみせです。）
ハロー、マギー先生！
Do you know if there is a difference between using に and で with the verb 保存する？
I would’ve guessed で、 but when I looked up native example sentences on Weblio, I saw examples using both に and で!
例 ファイルをディスクに保存する。
冷暗所で保存して下さい。
I can understand why に would be used. に often implies a destination or directionality. Basically, 「ディスクに保存する」implies that the disk is the destination of the file, or that the file is being moved to the disk in order to save it.
But で also makes sense, as it marks the location of an action such as in a 冷暗ところ。
Does this mean that both of these particles are interchangeable, and I can use either one?
Can 「冷暗所で保存して下さい」 also be 「冷暗所に保存して下さい」？
If so, is there a difference in nuance? For example, do these two sentences
画像をスマホに保存
画像をスマホで保存
mean the exact same thing?
ありがとうございます！
Sora
Hi Sora
Good. You figure out the function of に.
冷暗所（れいあんしょ）に保存して下さい
冷暗所で保存してください。
You can use them both. The difference is
に implies the object you put in 冷暗所 is somewhere else but you move it/them into the cold and dark place (ex. refrigerator)
And you use で when you indicate the place where you keep/conserve something.
画像をスマホに保存 (the file was somewhere else or even in the same cellphone, from where the pictures are to the file in the cellphone)
画像をスマホで保存 (You save the pictures “with” (tool) your cellphone.)
なるほど！とても分かりやすい説明です！
いつもありがとう、マギー先生！
どういたしまして💖
Hello sensei,
i must admit i forget the basic counting in japanese, can you please check whether it is right or not?
鉛筆が9本あります
鉛筆が9個あります
鉛筆が９つあります
鉛筆が1000あります
箸が9膳あります
箸が9個あります
箸が９つあります
箸が1000あります
車が9台あります
車が9個あります
車が９つあります
車が1000あります
Hi Alex
鉛筆 →本
箸 →膳 （ 箸２本で１膳）
車 →台
hello sensei
so in here you cannot use another form? you cannot use 個? i hear that 個 can be used to anything.
You can not use 個 with everything.
You use it with small items and if it is something small but is obviously long, you use 本
So 鉛筆一個, 箸一個、車一個 are not natural.
thank you very much sensei
No problem! :)
Hello Sensei,
Thank you as always
Can you please check this sentence?
I see how He is an inspiration to you. Your mindset towards life are really similar with him.
あなたは彼に霊感されることを私が理解しました。あなたと彼の人生に対する考え方がよく酷似していいます。
Hello ビーフレンダン
霊感 is something more spiritual (Ex. being psychic)
How about 彼がどれだけあなたに刺激を与えているのか (or 刺激を与える存在なのか) わかります。
We just say インスピレーション as well.
→（あなたが）どれだけ彼からインスピレーションを受けているかわかります。
The second sentence is fine but I would change よく酷似 (よく & 酷似 are redundant) to よく似ています。
Hello sensei,
i agree with you and want to add some point.
if i change 霊感 with 触発 will it be correct ?
あなたは彼に触発されることを私が理解しました
Yes, it sounds more literal but you can say 触発
But I would say あなたが彼に触発された （or if it is still going on →されている）ことがわかります。
Thank you very much sensei, love
🐶💖💖💖
Sorry Maggie. I forgot to put the phrase. The phrase is this: ガキはガキらしくよ、ニカーッと笑っていこうや。
Good night Maggie teacher
I would like to clear up some doubts regarding the following sentence:
Why is らしく in adverbial form? and why is よ in the middle of the sentence and not at the end? What is the function of the や at the end of the sentence?
This is a rough male speech
1) It is similar to さ・さあ (子供は子供らしくさあ） →rough ガキはガキらしくよ・よう
2) The last や is another rough way to say よ (→This よ is to encourage someone to do something. It is not rough like the one in 1).
笑っていこうよ →(rough) 笑っていこうよ
マギー先生、こんにちは！
3年前、私初めてで東京にいきました。すごく楽しかったです！
もう一回行こうの予定がありましたが、そのすぐ後はcovid-19の件が始めました。
今の状況はどうですか？観光客などは戻りましたですか？もう安全ですか？
早く行きたいな～
こんにちは ルナ
日本の今ですか？ コロナはまだありますが、他の国と同じぐらい安全だと思います。
海外からの観光客の方々も増えてきています。円が安いからお買い物や食事もお得かもしれませんよ。
Good morning Maggie, I found a phrase and would like to understand something.
The sentence is as follows: あれもこれも、色々と興味深いものが目の前に現れる。
I would like to know the role of と (after 色々) in this sentence?
Hello Jack
色々と This と has a function as an adverb and it modifies a verb, 色々と現れる
Hello Maggie-sensei.
Could you tell me what じゃんじゃんやっちゃう means?
I see じゃんじゃん means continuously, but I’m not sure what this expression means.
Hi Miki
じゃんじゃん is onomatopoeia to express doing something heavily, vigorously, keep doing something a lot.
じゃんじゃんやっちゃう = Keep doing something more and more
じゃんじゃん飲んで = Keep drinking a lot!
Hello Sensei,
My previous post got deleted by the maintenance
I need your help to check the sentence
My locker is far away from my English classes. That is the reason why I carry all my books with me. Is it going to rain hard or just a drizzle?
私のロッカーは英語の教室まで遠く離れています。すべての本を持ち歩いているのはその理由があるからです。今日は大雨が降るのかそれとも小雨が降るのでしょうか？
Hi Alex
Sorry. I answered your question but the message was gone.
すべての本を持ち歩いているのはその理由があるからです。
→だからすべての本を持ち歩いています
今日は大雨が降るのかそれとも小雨が降るのでしょうか？
→OK (Or 大雨（土砂降り）になるのか 〜）
you are the best, please help me again to check the sentences in the future.
thanks a lot
🐶💖💖💖
Good night Maggie. I came across a sentence and would like to know if it is right.
The phrase is this: 私たちはこれまで明日のことを皆はなしてきたから、さて、現実に戻って、今日のことを話そう
I had doubts if the kanji 皆 should be removed or if it is fulfilling some function
Hello i will answer on maggie sensei behalf.
it has function as adverb, it can mean
1. everyone 2. All
just translate it one by one
私たちはこれまで明日のことを皆はなしてきたから、
Because we all have talked the matter about tomorrow until now,
さて、現実に戻って、今日のことを話そう
for now, let’s go back to reality and talk about today
in sentence one you can see i translate 皆 as “all” and 私たち as “we”
@ビーフレンダン
Thank you for helping Brock.
Hi Sensei !
Thank you so much for everything you do for us, I’m studying and hope I’ll pass the JLPT this year and your website is so useful, I feel so grateful for everything you put here!
Best regards from France !
Hi Magou
Thank YOU for your kind message.
JLPTがんばってくださいね。私もレッスンがんばって作ります。😊
So… shorter form ため is more formal than ために, right? But can I use both forms in ALL examples above? How big is the difference between formal and less formal version? Will I sound weird if I use only ため in informal situation or conversely?
Hello Krystian
As I wrote in this lesson you san use either ため or ために in the examples of the usage 2) Expressing a reason/cause
If you are writing to your friends, ため is just fine but in conversation, it might sound slightly unnatural.
渋滞のため、着くのが遅くなりそうです。(formal conversation/ writing (formal and informal) )
渋滞のために、遅くなるよ。(informal)
Ok, thanks a lot, Maggie. :)
Anytime! :)
Hello, maggie sensei
thank you as always.
日本語を英語に翻訳してみますが下記の文章に何か変なところがあったかさっとみっていただけないでしょうか。
イラストはあまり良すぎない限り料金を出しません。
If the illustration is not really good I will not pay the fee.
Hi ビーフレンダン
わかりました。自然な言い方に変えてみましょう。
→イラストがよくなければ料金を払いません。
〜限りは、 as long asという意味になります。
（何か不自然なところがないかさっと*みていただかけないでしょうか？）
FYI さっと quickly / ざっと = roughly
thank you very much sensei
You’re very welcome!
Hello, Maggie.
Japanese has been an interest of mine for some time and while some may suspect it is my interest in Japanese media, like anime and manga, which sparked my interest. Such interests came later to me in life while my interest in the language was pre-existing.
It wasn’t until an old friend of mine suggested an educational video game series called “Learn Japanese to Survive” that I really started picking up the basics of the language and encouraged me to practice outside of the game. Now I feel like I have all of the Hiragana characters memories though my Katakana and Kanji could use some work. Though I am able to recognize some Kanji characters as well.
Besides Japanese, I’ve also enrolled in a beginner’s Spanish course as well so I feel confident that I could potentially read and write in that language at an early early level too. However, when it comes to speaking and hearing, as well as writing or reading for the case of Japanese, I feel slow.
It took me awhile before I feel like I could say I achieved mastery in the English language, my native tongue, and even then I still am prone to forgetfulness of certain grammar rules. Like those matter anymore in English speaking countries. lol The reason I believe for my difficulties in learning English and other languages like Spanish and Japanese is because I was a special needs student. I am a slow learner. So I guess I am writing this message to you to ask… do you know anyone willing to work with me in one-on-one sessions until I could attend a fluent level? I don’t have much money so my budget is limited, but I would forever be appreciative of you if you could point me in the direction of someone who could help teach me.
ありがとう
Hi Aliyah
It is a great idea to work on your speaking and taking a class on line. That way you can improve your Japanese. There are many Japanese on-line schools. Google “On line Japanese lesson”. The price is not that expensive, I believe. I hope it fits your budget.
And if you still can’t find a good teacher, write to me
through an email on the following page.
http://142.93.68.150/about-us/
Hi Maggie-sensei! I thought this lesson was a bit difficult! Is it right to say that you would use てある only if you are currently seeing/experiencing the subject? For example, if I say: 壁にポスターが飾ってある,then I am probably looking at the poster on the wall right now. If the poster was in a different house, I would probably say 飾っている , right?
Another question, I sometimes hear ておる／ております Is it something completely different?
Hello ルナ
Maybe the English translation might have confused you for the example sentence.
Even if you are not looking at the poster right now, you can still describe the wall, 飾ってある
Here’s the difference
Ex. 壁にポスターが飾ってある (Describing the current state of the wall. Someone put the poster on the wall in the past and you are looking at the result.)
Ex. 壁にポスターを飾っている (The subject is a person (or a store) Someone is putting the poster on the wall (either right now or routine work, they usually put the poster on the wall.)
ておる is a humble expression of Vている
Ex. 鍵を預かっています。 ( We keep your key.)
→鍵をお預かりしております。
Thank you for explaining. It is a difficult concept for me. Is this correct：
猫カフェで、たくさん猫を見ていた > Focuses on me who saw cats at the cafe.
猫カフェで、たくさん猫を見てあった > Focuses on the cats that I was able to see by going to the cafe.
Hi ルナ again
猫カフェで、たくさん猫を見ていた > Focuses on me who saw cats at the cafe.
→Right. The speaker was looking at many cats.
猫カフェで、たくさん猫を見てあった > Focuses on the cats that I was able to see by going to the cafe.
→This sentence is not correct.
For example if someone who works there placed lots of toys for cats for the customers and the cats ahead of time and you describe the state, you can say
猫カフェには、猫のためにたくさんのおもちゃが置いてあった。
Ok. Would you say that てある is mostly used to describe inanimate objects?
Would this be correct: 猫を撫でてので、服に毛が付けってある
I’m sorry for so many questions D:
In that case you say
猫を撫でたので、服に毛がついた
As I wrote in the lesson, you intentionally do something and leave it
For example if you are looking at the clothes and there is a name tag on it (someone put the name tag on it and leave it for some reason) you say
服に名札がつけてある
こんにちは、マギー先生
サイトは復旧して戻ってきてくれて良かったです。
少しご質問があります。
1. 「雨が降りそうな天気」と「雨が降りだしそうな天気」、両方の言い方があるのですがどう違いますか
２．「街灯にぶつかりそうになった女性」と「街灯にぶつかりそうになる女性」はどう違いますか
英語で説明しづらい場合は日本語で説明してくれると幸いです。
よろしくお願いします
こんにちはビーフレンダン
サイトがダウンしてしまったせいでいくつかの前のコメントが消えていたらごめんなさい。
１.
(1) 雨が降りそうな天気
(2) 雨が降りだしそうな天気
So if you looking up the sky and it is cloudy, you say (1) but you won’t probably say (2)
If you see the sky is getting really dark and it looks like it’s gonna rain any minute, you say (2) because 降り出す has a meaning of “It is about to rain”
2.
(3) 「街灯にぶつかりそうになった女性」
(4) 「街灯にぶつかりそうになる女性」
If you are describing what has just happened more vividly, I would say (3) is more natural.
承知いたしました。感謝いたします。
お役に立てたらうれしいです。☺️
マギー先生のレッスンはいつも私に元気を出されます。
私も、マギー先生のこと尊敬しています。:)
ルナ
（Note for you: 元気をくれます・元気にしてくれます）
わあ〜うれしい😭
これからもよろしくね。
ルナ、大好き💖
Thank you.
When you want to cheer up someone, you say 元気を出して、so if I wanted to say you make the “genki” come out of me, it’s still wrong to say 元気を出されます ?
出される is a passive form so you can’t use it in this case.
Though 元気にしてくれる/元気をくれる are much more natural, if you want to use the causative form
出される should be 出させる
（私の）元気を出させます/出させてくれます
I see! Thank you!
Hi everyone!
サイトがしばらくダウンしていてご心配をおかけしました。
Now I am back!!
お帰りなさい！ :)
ただいま〜、ルナ💓
ってくるの使い方ついにわっかてきた！
ありがとうございます！
よかった〜😊
Hello sensei, Thank you as always
can i ask you about something i don’t really understand in this sentence?
人手不足や気候変動など日本企業の経営のリスク開示 (３面きょうのことば）が海外勢に比べ遅れている。
What i don’t understand
1. ３面きょうのことば
2. 海外勢の勢の意味？
ちなみにこちらの文は日本の新聞から抜粋されました。
よろしくお願いします
Hi, ビーフレンダン
1. The newspaper has several pages. The front page is called 一面 and ３面 technically means “the third page” but it refers to the social news page.
So you probably got the article from 日経新聞 but it refers to the section called きょうのことば where they explained a trend word of the day on the third page.
2. 勢 means “companies, entities, group” so 海外勢 means “foreign companies” in this context.
先生すごい
優しいだけではなく賢いです。
ありがとうございます
いえいえ、日本の新聞で勉強をしているビーフレンダンが賢いのですよ〜😉
Hello! About this sentence:
彼が私のこと好きかどうかわからなくなってきた
I asked a similar question the other day, but I’m still confused about the use of きた in sentences such as these. Why is it わからなくなってきた and not わからなくなった or わからなくなっていた?
Hi ルナ
Yes you can say わからなくなった/わからなくなっていた
but the nuance changes. The English translation could be the same so let me explain the difference.
１）わからなくなってきた Focusing on the moment when she is speaking.
Describing the change from the certain moment in the past to the present moment. She thought he had liked her but she is getting confused and losing the confidence.
The change is happening now.
2) わからなくなった I don’t know his feelings anymore.
English translation is “present tense” but she’s already done defying her feelings.
3) わからくなっていた is describing the state (not the change) in the past.
So again, you can use all of them but it depends on how you want to express it. (focusing on the change from the past up to now, the change in the past, the state on the present moment, etc.)
FYI
I have a lesson on
ていく てくる So please check the lesson when you have time.
Link: Click here
Thank you for explaining!
I will go read this lesson too.
You’re very welcome! :)
勉強をさせていただいてありがとうございます！
はなはな
お役に立てればうれしいです。😊
Hi! I have a question regarding this sentence:
子供の頃から娘には好きなことをさせてきた
What is the function of きた here? What is the difference from:
子供の頃から娘には好きなことをさせた ？
Hi ルナ
させた I let my daughter do whatever she wanted. (Talking about the specific time in the past.
させてきた is I have been letting my daughter. (Expressing the duration of time from some time in the past up to the moment when they are talking.)
Hello sensei, thank a always
I wonder how you say “Japanese Native Resident”
日本に駐在する外国人ではなく純粋に最初から日本に生まれ育ている人のことです。
”日本の駐在者”があっていますか？
よろしくお願いします
こんにちは Beef Rendang
駐在というと通常、会社から他の国に仕事をするために派遣された人のことを指します。
在日＋国籍＋人
という言い方がありますが、日本に住んでいますが、日本で生まれた人とは限らないので
「日本で生まれ育った」と説明をつけた方がいいかもしれませんね。
在日+ Nationality + 人 （Ex.在日
いつもありがとうございます。本当にたすかりました。感謝いたします。
どういたしまして💖
Hi Maggie-sensei,
I have a question sort of related to shopping, but hard to categorise.
I left a clothes shop the other day and as I was exiting, the alarm went off.
I waited politely for someone to come and check, but I didn’t know how to say:
“Your store alarms went off.’
Or
“I am not sure why… but your store alarms went off?”
Thank you so much!
Hi Mini
When you want to tell them the alarm goes off even though you paid
すみません、アラームが鳴ったんですが…
= Sumimasen. Alarm ga nattan desu ga…
= Excuse me. The alarm went off..
You can add
このまま出てもいいですか？
= Kono mama dete mo ii desu ka?
= Can I just leave?
せんせい、こんにちは！
好きなポケモン教えてください！:D
こんにちはルナ！
やっぱりピカチュウが好きです💕 イーブイもかわいいです。
ルナの好きなポケモンは？
そうですか！：）
私には、ウパーが好き！いつも幸せな顔をしている！
ウパーもかわいい〜〜💕
確かにいつも幸せな顔をしていますね。😊
ルナも幸せな1日を過ごしてください。
Good night Maggie. I have doubts about two sentences and I would like you to answer these doubts.
The first sentence is: アラビア語を独習したいのですが良い参考書を教えてください。I would like to know the が function in this sentence.
The second sentence is: 台湾はグルメも良し、観光も良し、ショッピングも良しと、魅力たっぷりの観光地だ。I would like to know the function of と in this sentence.
Hi Mutuio
1) が has many different functions but this が is just to connect the sentence. “so”/”and”
You often leave the sentence with が without finishing it.
Vたいのですが + (what should I do/Do you have any advice?/ Can you help me?, etc.)
2) と in that sentence is to give examples and quote them.
I think you know the pattern AというB B which is A
You sometimes omit という/といった
〜ショッピングもよしと（いった(ように）)、魅力たっぷりの〜
Hi, Maggie-sensei! I love your posts very-very much, thank you for your work!
My question is about this example: 彼女はまだ２０歳にはなっていないはずだ
I didn’t know we can use wa twice in one sentence – it’s like we have two topics of the sentence. Could you elaborate on that please? Are there any tips/rules for using wa multiple times in a sentence?
doumo :3
Hello Valery
You are right. You tend to avoid using the same particle because repeating the same particle may look/sound confusing.
彼女はまだ２０歳にはなっていないはずだ
You can say
彼女はまだ２０歳になっていないはずだ as well but the nuance changes a little.
彼女は this は is a topic marker
20歳には→ this は is to show the contrast. (showing the contrast of 20 years old and other ages. For example, maybe she is close to 20, like 19 years old but not she hasn’t turned 20 yet.)
So even if there are two は, it won’t be confusing.
I will show you another example.
この会社は、給料はいいが、仕事が多い。
= This company offers good salary but gave us a lot of work.
Hello sensei,
Thanks as always
can i ask you what is the meaning (まんざら)
女の子の服もまんざらじゃなさそうだし。
tried dictionary but nothing make sense.
Hi Beef Rendang
まんざらでもない is a vague Japanese expression and it means “not so bad/ not totally bad and actually something is good” ./someone seems kind of satisfied or happy with something.
女の子の服もまんざらじゃなさそうだし
I don’t know the situation but
It seems like the girl’s outfits are not so bad.or The person who is wearing girl’s outfits seems to like wearing them.
Ah, thank you much sensei
The reason i got confused is because in some site i found an explanation that say まんざら＝必ずしも。
The scene is the tomboy girl is trying the dress, She is usually using boy clothes and when she tried to try skirt, She said to herself (女の子の服もまんざらじゃなさそうだし)
ありがとうございます。
まんざら is not exactly the same as 必ずしも.
You often use まんざらじゃない/ まんざらでもない in the situation like you expect someone would be unhappy with something but actually they actually kind of like it.
So in your example sentence, you assume the girl would hate that skirt because she was complaining or she usually hates wearing a skirt.
But once she puts it on, she looks rather happy with it. Though she is not saying anything, you can see she is thinking “Hey, this is not that bad. I actually like it.”
right, really appreciate for the help
My pleasure! :)
Maggie-sensei,
Happy New Year! 今年もよろしくお願いします。
I find your blog extremely helpful and one of the most useful out there. Thank you for all your work and effort.
I wondered if you could create a lesson on
こじんめんだん at Japanese kindergartens. It’s something that I am really struggling with.
Any phrases/vocabulary similar to the below would be super appreciated!
*My child has been toilet-trained.
*She goes to the potty by herself at home, but cannot go by herself outside the house.
*She speaks English at home and can only say a few single Japanese words.
*How is she doing at school.
*Ways to talk about one’s child: She is stubborn/independent/sociable/scared of strangers/quiet/very active at home.
*She holds food in her mouth./ I am worried about choking hazards.
and so on.
Thank you so much.
Hi Mini
I’m happy to hear you find this site useful.
OK, let me help you.
*My child has been toilet-trained.
うちの子*は、トイレのしつけができています。/オムツがとれました。
= Uchi no ko wa toire no shitsuke ga dekite imasu./ omutsu ga toremashita.
*She goes to the potty by herself at home, but cannot go by herself outside the house.
家では一人でトイレに行けますが、家の外では一人で行けません。
Ie dewa hitori de toire ni ikemaseuga, ie no soto dewa hitori de ikemasen.
*She speaks English at home and can only say a few single Japanese words.
家では英語を話していますので1) 日本語は一言、二言しか話しません。/ 2) 日本語はほとんど話せません。(2) She barely speaks Japanese.)
= Iedewa eigo wo shnashite imasu node 1) nihongo wa hitokoto futakoto shika hanasemasen / 2) Nihongo ưa Hotondo hanasemasen .
*How is she doing at school?
娘は、幼稚園ではどんな感じですか？/ちゃんとやっていますか？
= Musume wa youchien de wa donna kanji desu ka? / Chanto yatte imasu ka?
*Ways to talk about one’s child: 1) She is stubborn/2) independent/3) sociable/4 ) scared of strangers/ 5) quiet/ 6) very active at home.
1) （娘は）頑固（がんこ）です。/ 2) 自立心があります。/ 3) 人懐っこいです。/ 人見知りしません/ 4) 人見知りをします 5) 大人しいです/ 6) 家ではとても活発です。
=1) (Musume wa) ganko desu./ 2) Jiritsushin ga arimasu. /3) Hitonatsukkoi desu. / Hitomishiri shimasen ./ 4) Hitomishiri wo shimasu 5) Otonashii desu 6) Ie de wa totemo kappatsu desu
*She holds food in her mouth./ I am worried about choking hazards.
and so on.
口の中に食べ物を入れます。/喉につかえないか心配です。（窒息（ちそうく）しないか心配です）
= Kuchi no naka ni tabemono wo iremasu / Nodo ni tsukaenai ka shinpai desu. (Or Chissoku shinai ka shinpai desu)
Hello,
What should I answer to this message?
“フォロバ頂きありがとうございます”
Thanks!
Hi Topaz
So this person followed you first and you follow him/her back, right?
Did you say thank you for following before? If not, you can say
こちらこそフォローありがとうございます。And you can continue これからもよろしくお願いします。
Maggie-sensei,
Thank you so much for taking the time to reply.
This is very helpful.
Huge fan of your blog – thank you!
You’re very welcome,Mini.
こじんめんだん、がんばって！
Hello! I have a question about one grammar aspect, because my 先生 told me one thing and my workbook keeps mistaking those two (well, maybe the workbook is wrong)
「思っていたより」と 「期待していたより」の違いはなんですか。
先生 told me that 「思っていたより」is used when the outcome is better than expected, for example このケーキは思っていたよりおいしかった。 (You expected it to taste bad)
And 「期待していたより」is used when the outcome is worse than you expected, for example 試験の点数は期待していたより悪かった。
Is this right? Because when I searched in the internet, the opinions vary a lot and I don’t know anymore :((
Hi Alioth
Very good questions.
Technically
思う = to think
期待する = to expect
And they both can be translated “to think” but 期待する means “to hope” and it is used for something one is looking forward to.
So your teacher is right. The outcome should be good when you use 期待したより ~
You can say このケーキは思っていたよりおいしかった/おいしくなかった。 but it sound unnatural to say このケーキは期待していたよりおいしかった。
If it is a negative sentence, you can say
このケーキは期待していたよりおいしくなかった
I will give you other verbs that are often used in this pattern.
予想する = to fore
想像する= imagine
考える = to think (logically)
Among these verbs, only 期待する is used is used when the outcome is good.
新年明けましておめでとうマギー先生！
No matter how many years pass, I always find myself visiting and revisiting your blog posts😂 Your quality is unrivaled.
I have a vocab question: how do you say the word “interchangeable” in Japanese?
e.g
”Jealous” and “envious” mean the exact same thing. They are interchangeable.
”Wanna” is interchangeable with “want to,” with the former being more casual.
I typically wouldn’t want to bother you with words I can just look up in the dictionary, but I just can’t seem to find it.
On jisho, 「同意語」and 「同義語」show up, but being interchangeable is a bit different from being synonyms. For example, “while” and “during” are synonyms, but they aren’t interchangeable.
e.g
While I was sleeping, an earthquake happened.
During I was sleeping, an earthquake happened. ❌
The word that always comes up on DeepL is 「互換性」
e.g
”Wanna “は “want to “と互換性があります。
However, when I look up example sentences, it’s used with computers and devices and is translated as “compatible.”
Thank you as always!
Hi Sora
I’m happy to hear you have been visiting this site for many years. :)
OK, the most common way to say “A and B are interchangeable” in Japanese is
AはBに言い換えることができます
（You also say 置き換えることができる)
Oh, I see! It’s been driving me crazy, so thank you so much!!
Anytime! :)
Hello Maggie Sensei, Happy New Year and Wish you be Blessed with Good Health and Fortune
This the first question on this year.
1. What is the meaning of 僻む(ひがむ）
2. What is the meaning of 振り回す in the sentence (彼女はいつも友達に振り回されていてイライラする)
3. Are they have a same meaning : 取り繕う・決め込む・偽装
Thank you very much
Happy New Year! 明けましておめでとうございます！ いい年になりますように🙏
1. to have an inferiority complex feeling jealous of someone.
2. 振り回す to involve someone into something for one’s own convenience in a selfish manner.
For example, her friend says, “Let’s go out tomorrow and do something.” And though you were busy you arranged your schedule to go out with her. Then she said she changed her mind and she doesn’t want to go out anymore. So you rearrange your schedule. Then she said you should meet her somewhere instead. In this kind of situation you are 振り回されている.
3. No, they are different.
取り繕う to mend something/keep up with lies
決め込む persist in doing something/make up one’s mind
偽装 disguise
3.
sensei thank to explain in detailed manner. 改めてあけましておめでとうございます。
どういたしまして❤️
みなさん、明けましておめでとうございます！
今年もよろしくお願いします！
Happy New Year, everyone! 🐶
Happy new year sensei
Happy New Year, Emerald❤️
マギー先生,
どうぞよいおとしをおむかえください
ありがとう❤️
Michaelもどうぞよいお年をお迎えください。
Hello Maggie sensei! I was reading a book and came across this sentence: “ぼうっと、その場に立ちすくんだ” and I can’t figure out what the use of んだ is for here! I hope you can help me understand.
Hi 暇！
OK, the main verb is 立ちすくむ and the past tense is 立ちすくんだ.
(The verb which ends with む →(the past tense) んだ. Ex. 産む（うむ）→産んだ）
Good morning Maggie. I found a sentence and I’m not sure if my translation is correct.
The sentence is as follows: ビスマルクは戦士提督から征服勝利を目指すそうです
And my translation was: Bismarck appears is aiming for conquest victory from the admiral warrior. My translation is right?
Hi Homer
Good. Just ~ そうです means “It seems like” or “I heard ~”
Hello Maggie Sensei! Casual reader of your blog from Malaysia here. Just dropping to say thank you for all the years I have been using your blog, back since 2015-2016 when I first started learning Japanese. Having passed N1 a few years back, using Japanese for work, and currently living with a Japanese spouse, none of them would be possible without your wonderful blog. I sometimes teach elementary Japanese on the side, and I would reference your explanations ask they are easy to understand and quite detailed.
Once again, thank you from the bottom of my heart :)
Hello Aki
Awww that is so sweet of you. Thank YOU for your kind words.❤️
It is just amazing that you have been using this site for 6~7 years.
これからも皆さんのためにがんばってレッスンを作り続けますね。
Love,
Maggie
Good morning Maggie. I found the following sentence and had difficulty getting a part of it and would like your help if possible.
The sentence is as follows: それは氷のような砂糖菓子。
触れれば冷たさに指先が凍り、
舐めれば甘さに舌が痺れゆく。
まさに至宝と慕うにふさわしい―――
I can’t understand the part: まさに至宝と慕うにふさわしい
Could you help me, I describe the functions of the particles and explain the meaning of the words?
Hi Mutuio
It is a bit dramatic expression to describe some sweet.
I will give you the clues first.
まさに means “precisely”
ふさわしい “worthy”
~と = as
慕うに is a formal (for written form) way to say 慕うのに to adore/respect/look up to/to love
The particle に after 慕う is used with ふさわしい
〜にふさわしい appropriate for ~ / worthy of ~
Hello maggie sensei,
Thank you as always
What is the meaning of 頭をもたげる
thank you again
Hi Alex
頭をもたげる means １） to raise one’s head 2) some hidden idea crosses one’s mind/comes to the fore
Thank you very much sensei
You’re welcome! :)
Hi, Maggie!
First of all, thank you very much for the lesson. It was incredibly helpful. ^^
About にしては, apart from what it was explained in the lesson, my textbook says it can also appear in the form それにしては. However, I’m having a hard time trying to find helpful examples taken from real and daily-life Japanese that show me how is それにしては used. The very few ones I could find were kind of stiff sentences that, although they show the idea of the meaning of それにしては at some extent, they were a bit artificial. So, if you could please give me some examples of how それにしては is used in daily life, I’d appreciate a lot.
Anyway, thanks a lot again for the lesson!
Hi Natalie
First, thank you for your kind message.
You state something first. (Or someone states something)
You use それにしては ( = even so, in spite of, although) when you hear/see something is different from your expectation.
今日は、平日だけど、それにしては人が多いね。
The speaker thinks there are fewer people on weekdays
→Though it’s a weekday, there are unexpectedly many people today.
毎日、がんばって節電しているが、それにしては電気代が高い。
The speaker had expected lower electric bill because they have been saving electricity.
I have been trying to save electricity but still electric bill is high.
A: 「👨のうちはお金持ちなんだって」
= I heard 👨’s family is rich.
B: 「それにしては毎日、コンビニで安いパンばかり買っているよ。」
= But he buys cheap bread at a convenience store every day.
B thinks if 👨 is rich, he wouldn’t buy cheap bread every day at a convenience store. (Different from B’s expectation)
A: 「一度も海外に行ったことがありません。」
= I have never been abroad
B: 「それにしては英語がうまいね。」
= But your English is great.
B thinks if A has never been abroad, A’s English skill is so-so.
Hi again, Maggie!
Thank you very much for answering me and for your examples and explanations! They have been super helpful in order to understand better the usage of それにしては. ^^
I appreciate a lot your help. 😊
よかった〜 :)
Good morning Maggie. Could you tell me why the verb in the following sentence is in the volitional form: ペットの糞は飼主が持ち帰りましょう
That sentence is on a sign and I don’t understand why the verb is in the volitional form and not just the polite form.
Hi Mutuio
Please read my volitional form lesson. Link is here
As I mentioned in the usage 4), you use volitional form to tell someone to do something.
It sounds friendlier than 持って帰ってください
からって・からといってとと言ってもはどう違いますか
時間があれば教えていただけませんか
からって is a casual way to say からといって so they mean the same.
からといって
理由を強調 (Emphasizing the reason)
Just because, it doesn’t mean ~
英語の試験で満点をとったからといって英語が話せるわけではない。
といっても
そこから推測できることと実際が違うときに使います
Though ~, it doesn’t mean ~ (the reality is different)
英語の試験でいい点をとったといっても満点をとったわけではない。
I’m confused to this sentence translation.
” 結婚するなら絶対にお金持ちというわけではない。
It is not necessarily true that I would only marry a rich man. ” I get it as “It is not needed to be rich when getting married” . How about this 僕は絶対にお金持ちと結婚するとういわけではない。
Hi haru,
Yes, you can also say 僕は絶対にお金持ちと結婚するというわけではない。
Maggie sensei
This is Jens Hoeg in Denmark now mastering :-) Hiragana and a little Kanji
I am struggling with this little sentence (from an account on ancient Japanese history year 600-900):
八世紀 の なか ごろ, ….. (hasseiki no naka goro)
I finally came to interpret “hasseiki”八世紀as something like “eight world history” so maybe it means in “the 8-hundreds”. Eight = 八 (hachi), history/narrative 世 (se), history account = 紀(ki)
Can you help? (The text is about land ownership in ancient Japan)
Jens Hoeg
Hi Jens
八世紀 means “the 8th century” (世紀=せいき=seiki=century)
and なかごろ means “the middle of” so 八世紀 の なかごろ means “the middle of the 8th century”
Maggie – Thanks a lot. That explains it. I have another little puzzle
雨が 降る でしょ う から , 傘を も っ て いかれた方が よ ろ しいですよ 。
Ame ga furu deshō kara, kasa o motte ikareta hō ga yoroshii desu yo.
Is “いかれた” (IKARETA) the passive TA form og IKU? If so is it a polite (using passive) way of saying (plain) “ita ho ga ii desu”? Also, I guess “yuroshii” is more polite than just “ii”. Thanks again MAGGIE!
Hi Jens,
In this case いかれた is a polite form not a passive form.
Check my 敬語（けいご） honorific expression lesson. Link
And right. よろしい is a polite way to say いい
For education purposes, can I have your citation about the realted topic?
This lesson is 100 pct my original lesson.
Good morning maggie. I have a question about the following sentence: 街明かり照らした賑やかな笑い声.
it was translated as: lively laughter illuminated by the city lights.
I would like to know why the verb 照らした was translated into the passive form in the sentence and why the sentence didn’t end up like this: excited laughter that lit up the city lights.
おはよう、Berly
I agree with you.
照らした is not a passive form so it means “the lively laughter illuminated the city lights”.
If you translate the English sentence, it will be 街明かりに照らされた賑やかな笑い声
Thanks for the reply maggie.
I have one more sentence that I would like to know if the translation is correct. the phrase is: この未来を少しずつでも突き動かすよ and its translation was: Awakening, even if little by little, this new future.
Unless I’m mistaken, the translation of 突き動かす should be stimulate, right?
Yes, 突き動かす means to stimulate (someone) to do something, to stir up, to make something move, etc. So I guess the translator is focusing on the result after “stimulating the future” and make the future awake.
Hello Maggie sensei
not gonna ask a question.
I want to thank you for your hard work. I think many japanese learner are helped by the site.
Also thank you for a great year, hope you have a good life and good health.
welcome the new year.
Your kind message made my day!
And thank you for always visiting this site to study with great energy!
I will do my best to keep making more and more lessons.
Stay 元気！！
Love,
Maggie
And also. Just right now saw this phrase
はいでは今日も授業をやっていきます
I was watching the video about grammar:)
In videos like that there are a lot ていく
説明していきます・～見ていきます
書いていきます
Hi, Maggie, thank you!!
I have one question.
I sometimes see it in different videos. For example, a girl comes to the cafe, and orders food. She shows what she orders, for example, a cake. Then says about this cake “食べていきます”. What kind of idea of ていく is that?
Also, i often hear something like 説明していきます、見ていきます in the situations like the above one.
what does it mean?
Hello July
食べていきます = I will eat (and leave the restaurant)
It implies the speaker goes somewhere after they eat.
So you can’t use this expression when you eat at home.
説明していきます/見ていきます
In this case, it doesn’t imply any movement.
You use ていきます when you express the process of explaining/seeing something.
If you just say 説明します/見ます, it could be just one time action.
By using Vていきます, you can express what you are going to do (for a certain period of time).
good night maggie. I found the following sentence and I had doubts about the function of も: 悲しいことも隠して笑う.
in the translated sentence there was no “too” or “even”, so I was wondering what the function of も is in this sentence.
Hi Theseus
That も means “even” sad things.
Good afternoon Maggie. I came across the following sentence: ゴミは出さない持ち込まない. I would like to know if it is correct, because I don’t know if two verbs in the negative form in a row are correct.
Hi Kadoc,
It must be a catchphrase so they combined two sentences.
ゴミは出さない。 (そして(ゴミを)）持ち込まない
It looks like one sentence but it is actually two sentences and omitted そして
Hello sensei, thank you and have a nice day
i want to ask, what is the meaning of
蝮があの世で泣いている
thank you very much
Hi Alex
あの世 is afterlife, another world
The viper is crying in another world.(or in the grave)
Hello sensei,
Is this some form of ことわざ？
I see it when people (usually on twitter) feeling disappointed about something.
Right. あの世で泣いている or 草葉の陰（くさばのかげ）で泣いている are the expression when someone does something bad and that makes their deceased family or friends (someone close) who are already dead sad or disappointed.
I see, thank you very much sensei
どういたしまして :)
Hello maggie sensei,
always thank you for your help
can ついでに and がてら used interchangeably?
please show me the sentences
Hello
Ah, I think many dictionaries said がてら = ついでに = taking the opportunity
but they are slightly different.
AのついでにB (The main action is A. While you are at A, do B)
AがてらB (the same as above or to do B because one gets to do A at the same time)
For example,
散歩のついでにパン屋に行ってきた。The main action is 散歩
散歩がてらパン屋に行ってきた。You can use this when the main action is パン屋に行く and the speaker thinks going to the bakery will be a nice walk for him/her.
運動がてら自転車に乗って会社に行った。
I went to the office by bike because I can get some exercise at the same time.
going to the office by bike = good exercises.
運動のついでに自転車に乗って会社に行った is not natural.It sounds like the main action is doing exercises
You can’t use がてら when you do two actions at the same place.
スーパーに来たついでにバターを買った。
X がてら
thank you very much sensei
You’re welcome! 遅刻しないでね😉
Good night Maggie. Can you tell me why the verb 遅刻して is in the Te form in the following sentence: 遅刻して申し訳ありません。
Hello Pepe,
遅刻して申し訳ありません。 = I am sorry I am late.
This te-form indicates the reason why you apologize →”for being late”
Thanks Maggie for the reply. I have one more doubt. I found the following sentence: 友達が昨日とは違うことを言っていてムカつく
I would like to know the role of と (after 昨日) in this sentence.
Hi Pepe,
One of the usages of と is to expresses the relationship between two things/parties.
A is the same as B. = A は Bと同じ
A is different from B. = AはBと違う
So in this case A: 昨日まで友達が言っていたこと and B 今日言っていること
Hello Maggie sensei,
Thank you very much and have a good day
can i ask you the difference of these below words?
夜半・真夜中・夜中・夜分
You can also explain me both in English or Japanese if you need to put a detail.
Again thank you very much sensei
1) 夜中 = middle of night (It is a general term to refer to middle of night)
2) 真夜中 = around midnight (You use it when you emphasize 夜中)
3) 夜半 (technically around 23:00 ~ 1:00) Compared to 1) and 2) it is used more in written form or formal news.
4) 夜分 The most common way to use this word is 夜分遅く (late at night) and when you apologize for bothering someone late at night.
夜分遅く申し訳ありません。Sorry to bother you this late.
Hello maggie sensei,
thank you very much for your answer.
i get it now
Good! :)
先生こんにちは。
理論上と技術上は、理論的と技術的の同じ意味ですか？
こんにちは、ルナ
的と上の使い方は違いますが、（健康上の理由 (x健康的な理由）, 健康的な生活 ( X 健康上の生活））
以下のような場合は、同じ意味です。形だけ注意が必要です。
理論上は、可能だ。 = 理論的には可能だ。 = It is possible in theory/Theoretically possible
技術上、難しい = 技術的に難しい Technically difficult
技術上の問題 = 技術的な問題 = Technical problem
Maggie せんせい
マレーシア には
rice plant = padi
rice (raw grain) = beras
rice (edible/cooked) = nasi
日本 は という ですか
ぜんぶ 「ごはん 」 ですか
ありがとう
こんにちは soleyman
rice = 米 = こめ
rice plant = 稲 = いね
rice (raw grain) = 米粒 = こめつぶ
rice (edible/cooked) = ご飯 = ごはん (It also means “meal” in general)
good afternoon maggie. I found this phrase and I had some questions that I wish you could answer. the sentence is:
主を守り、主を助け、主の為に尽くす―――
盾持ちや首捕り武者なぞ遠く及ばぬ、 これこそ我らが忠道なり。
1) what does it mean: 遠く及ばぬ? I didn’t understand the function of 遠く in this sentence
2) what does it mean: 忠道なり?
3) why is 捕り as a noun and not a verb?
Hello
This is classical Japanese
1) 遠く means “far”
及ばぬ in modern Japanese is 及ばない
So 遠く及ばぬ means nowhere near / far from ~ (it doesn’t have to be the physical distance.)
The people like 盾持ちや首捕り武者 can not not reach us.
2) 忠実なり in modern Japanese is 忠実である = our faith
3) 〜捕り is a noun. headhunter(s)
Good afternoon teacher Maggie. I found two sentences and I have some doubts. The first sentence is: ランダムに生命を作っていたらあるとき人間のオスそっくりで筋力旺盛な魔獣が生まれた。
I would like to know the function of で in this sentence
The second sentence is: そうして、我々の歴史は幕を閉じた。宇宙からの侵略が始まって ９０日。地球は完全に漂白された惑星なった。
I would like to know the function of の in this sentence (after 宇宙から)
Hello Kulio34
1) The function of で in the first sentence is “and” そっくり is a na-adjective (そっくりな）.
When you connect na-adjective or a noun, you use で
2) You see the structure here?
宇宙（noun) + から (particle) + の + 侵略 ( noun )
the invasion from the universe
I have a lesson on this の Check this lesson. The link is here.
so to join two NA-adjectives is it necessary to use で?
Yes, that’s right.
Good morning Maggie, I ended up coming across the following sentence: 一度の奇跡で魔術王と呼ばれた王さまソロモン. I would like to know two things: 1) if there is any difference if i replace 一度 with 一 and 2) why they used 一度 instead of 一
Thanks,
Paulo
Hello Paulo
You can not replace 一度 with 一
一度 means “one time/once”. 度 is a counter for how many miracles happened. In this case, it happened once.
If you count miracle itself, you can say 一つの奇跡
so can i replace 一度 with 一つ? thanks for the answer
Yes, but the nuance changes.
一つの奇跡 = one miracle
一度の奇跡 = one-time miracle (←the miracle that happened once)
Hello Maggie Sensei,
Finally, I can again visit Japan. Since my first visit there has been a question that I have been wondering about. How would a Japanese person ask for their room key?
I knew only about 73 Japanese words (and numbers) on my first trip. I asked reception how to ask for my key and was told that just saying the room number was OK. So, 363 = san roku san. And, yes, it worked. I always got my room key. In one case, in Kansai, the receptionist replied to “363” with “363で”.
I want to do better this time. I notice that you use 号室. So, it would be better to say:
363号室おねがいします, or
363号室のかぎおねがいします.
Using overly polite language (in any language) sometimes creates complications for me, but would
“363号室のかぎ呉れてもらえますおねがいします” be OK? That’s not something I would want to say 3 times a day for a week.
Thanks, Michael
Hello Michael,
It is great hear that you can finally come back to Japan. :)
363号室おねがいします
363号室のかぎおねがいします.
They both work.
“363号室のかぎ呉れてもらえますおねがいします”
→You don’t say もらえます＋おねがいします togehter.
365号室のかぎもらえますか？
→（more polite) 365号室のかぎいただけますか？
Every day will be your great opportunity to practice your Japanese so try different way every time. 😉
Thanks again for your comments. Yes, I am curious about how I will manage this time with my Japanese language “skills”. My biggest problem now is not being able to practice speaking, except to myself.
For example, with “号室” I of course pronounce it “Gō shitsu”. Native speakers say something that sounds like “Gō sts” to me. It is all part of the fun of learning a language.
I have one more question (if you don’t mind), which I will post somewhere else.
I’m sure they will understand your pronunciation. (I wish I could link the audio here)
Hello Maggie sensei,
Update on the reality of speaking a language!
I went to 4 different hotels. Three of them gave me a key card. I never had to ask for a room key. At the 4th hotel the reception staff recognized me after 2 days and usually gave me my room key even before I asked for it.
Sometimes, speaking Japanese can be very easy.
Hi Michael
😆 Too bad that you couldn’t get to use Japanese at the hotels.
I hope you got to speak Japanese while you were in Japan. Are you still in Japan?
Hello Maggie,
I am no longer in Japan, unfortunately.
There were a lot of opportunities to speak Japanese, and to make a lot of mistakes.
Most of my day to day practical dealings were in Japanese — hotels, restaurants and so on. Probably as a result of my listening practice (watching TV) my passive comprehension was quite good, within the limits of my vocabulary. I could understand some things even when I wasn’t paying 100% attention. Also, all your examples in your lessons taught me to not depend on knowing just a few fixed sentences.
This made daily life feel more normal, because I could understand more of what was going on around me. And this meant more freedom in what I could do (not limited to tourist-friendly English) and also resulted in some more human interactions.
On the other hand, the complication was that my passive comprehension was a lot quicker than my ability to speak (it took more time to remember words), so my speaking speed was always lagging behind what I could understand. It was frustrating, but just a matter of needing more practice talking in the real world.
My concerns about not being understood were completely unfounded. It was obvious that my ‘accent’ (in other words, my sloppy pronunciation) sometimes confused a Japanese listener. It was actually better for me to speak slowly and clearly.
Michael
Thank you for sharing your precious experiences in Japan.
I am glad to hear you got to interact with Japanese people and use Japanese.
I do believe all your experiences will motivate you to learn Japanese more. 😉
日本語のレッスン、いつもどおりにとても役に立ちます！先生、どうもありがとうございます (^^)
お役に立ててうれしいです。☺️
hello maggie senei! i love your posts a lot!
could you please tell me what kind of meaning 〜たら has in this sentence? i feel like it means ‘so’ or something but that can’t be right 🥲
「私がそれを正しいと*思ったら*ね」
「ええ、それでいい」
Hello Alexa,
This たら means “if”. (conditional)
I assume they were talking about something and this person is saying he/she would do that if he/she thinks that is right.
こんにちは、先生
“暗示にかける”という意味はちゃんと理解できませんので先生にお尋ねしたい。
例えば、”暗示にかけられた人”という文を英語に翻訳すると”The person who is being hypnotized”と思われますがもっとじっくり検索するとhypnotizeという単語は日本語では”暗示にかける”ではなく”催眠術をかける”となっております。
それは合っているかどうかはわかりません
マギー先生はそれについてどう思いますか。
もし間違いと思った場合、”暗示にかける”に相当する英単語はなんでしょうか
私だったら多分”hypnotize”が相応しいと思いましたがついでに違う可能性も中々高いと感じました。
ところで、自分の勉強不足で励んで正しい日本語を書いてみましたがあまり自信がなくてもし間違いがある場合何卒お伝え下さい。
こんにちは、奇跡が起こるといいですね。😁
そうですね、being hypnotizedは、催眠術にかけられたという意味で、暗示よりも強い意味になります。
「暗示にかける」は、to convince someone or make someone believe that ~ が近いかもしれませんね。
（日本語、よく書けていると思いますよ。全部は直しませんが、少しだけ気になったところを直しますね。
私だったら多分”hypnotize”が相応しいと思いましたがついでに違う可能性も中々高いと感じました。
→私は、多分”hypnotize”が相応しいと思いますが、違う可能性もかなり高いと感じています。
自分の勉強不足で励んで日本語を書いてみましたがあまり自信がなくて
→勉強不足なのでがんばって日本語で書いてみましたがあまり自信がないので）
添削してくれてありがとうございます。質問よりも添削した文のほうがもっと有意義的で感謝いたします。
今後ももし先生が良かったら一部でも結構ですので文章添削のほうもよろしくお願いたします。
どういたしまして💓
Hello Maggie sensei,
A question concerning 下手 vs. 貧弱.
下手 is the word beginners learn, such as in: 日本語が下手です.
It seems to carry the nuance of ability/skill, being good or not at something.
Would the word 貧弱 also be appropriate in some circumstances, where ability is not the issue? For example:
A: 私の日常会話能力は貧弱です.
B: 何故ですか.
A: 語彙が小さすぎるから.
As a roughly literal translation from English, this sounds more “normal” to me because skill/ability is not the problem, but rather a small vocabulary size.
I realize that making literal translations from how I think in English does not always work. Native speakers of a different language just think/talk differently.
Thanks for your assistance.
Michael
Hello Michael
A: 私の日常会話能力は貧弱です.I guess you can say that but you might see/hear more with 低い with 能力.
When you are talking about 語彙, you can say 貧弱な語彙 /語彙が貧弱
A: 語彙が小さすぎるから.
→語彙が少ないから
You can also say 語彙力が乏しい (= とぼしい)
Thank you very much.
My problem was as much with English as it was with Japanese, since there are many ways in which I could talk in English about poor vocabulary.
For example, it is common for beginners in English to confuse “few” with “small” (it depends partly on the noun being used).
So, I was having the same problem, but in the opposite direction.
When you (as usual) give examples with alternate words and alternate grammar, it helps me develop my intuition for the creative aspect of language.
I like the word 乏しい. It comes close to what I was trying to say.
You’re very welcome.
I’m always here for you. :)
Hi Maggie sensei
Please can you explain to me the difference between: saisho, mazu, hajime and hajimete and also the contexte in which each is used as some of them May mean the same thing . I get a little bit confuse, because i read many of these words can mean “the beginning”, “first”, “firstly”, “first of all”.
Thank you for your help
Hello, Yenicall
When you talk about something in order,
firstly/ first of all →you can say either “mazu”/”hajimeni”/”saisho ni”
When you does/did something for the first time
hajimete
in the beginning of something you use hajime/saisho
Ex. hajime or saisho kara wakatte ita. = I knew from the beginning.
Thank you for your Quick response.
どういたしまして🐶💕
Hi maggie
What is the meaning of the following? This is a song by the way.
大人 の 振り して 諦めちゃ
奇跡 の 謎 など 解けない よ
もっと ワイルド に もっと 逞しく 生きて ご覧
To give up being an adult is like an unsolvable miracle puzzle OR
Stop being an adult is hard.
Did I get it right?
ありがとう
Hi soleyman
If you give up acting (or pretending) like an adult
you are going to be able to solve the mystery of miracle.
Hello Sensei,
いつもお世話になっております
少しお尋ねしたいことがあります
「悪びれる」と「後ろめたい」は基本的に同じ意味を持っているのでしょうか？
返答をよろしくお願いたします
こんにちは、
「悪びれる」と「後ろめたい」の意味は英語ではどちらも feel guiltyなのですが….
「後ろめたい」は、なにか悪いことをやってしまったという後悔の気持ちを表すのに対し、
「悪びれる」は否定分で使うことが多いです。
悪びれることなく 〜
悪びれる様子もない 〜
何か自分が悪いことをやったという気持ちをまったく表さない態度を表します。
While 後ろめたい means “feeling guilty about something” and expresses one’s feelings of regret
「悪びれる」 expresses one’s attitude and you usually use 「悪びれる」 in a negative sentence.
悪びれることなく
悪びれる様子もない
The literal meaning, without showing one’s guilty feelings.
Even though you did something bad, you behave/act as if you don’t feel bad in an unapologetic manner
承知いたしました。
つまり意味がほとんど似ている割に使い方は違うことが多いということでいいでしょうか
最後にもうひとつの質問ですが「慢性的」と「批判的」は同じの意味ですか？
よろしくお願いします
慢性的 = chronic
批判的 = critical, judgmentalで意味が違います。
ありがとうございます。先生のお陰で勉強も着実に捗ります。
いいえ〜これからもがんばって勉強続けてくださいね。
Maggie-sensei a new question to you
Using “nasaru” (なさる) in the short combination form なさい (nasai):
e.g.: この kono 本hon をwo 読みyomi なさいnasai = read this book.
Is this an ORDER and therefore not Polite? My grammar books says so.
BUT you also say : お帰りなさい (o-kaeri nasai = “do coming back” / welcome home)
A hotel in Hokkaida has the name ” XXX kaeri-nasai” = XXX do come back, and this must be polite!
So how “careful” do you have to be in using なさい (nasai) in polite and respectful conversation?
If you wish to say “please read this book” in a really COURTEOUS way I guess you would say:
“Kono hon o yonde kudasai” (please read this book)
OR very, very polite: “doka, (anata wa) kono hon o yonde kudasaimasen deshou ka” (would you not please read this book?) (“would you not please give to me reading this book)
OR even: “doka, (watashi wa) kono hon o yonde itadakemasen desho ka?” (please, could I not receive “from you” reading this book)
Jens Hoeg
Hi Jens
おかえりなさい means 1) Go home now. 2) Welcome back
おやすみなさい 1) Go to sleep/Sleep now. 2) Good night.
These two expressions have two meanings. One is for giving an order and one is to greet someone.
Other than these two greetings(If I think of other example, I will add it to this comment later) , you should be careful who you use なさい (=nasai) with.
You can only use this form when you want to tell someone to do/not to do something in a strong way.
どうか ( = douka) adds the nuance of “I beg you” and express one’s strong desire
So the formality level is
very formal
このほんをよんでいただけませんでしょうか
Kono hon wo yonde itadakemasen deshouka
or このほんをよんでくださいませんでしょうか
Kono hon wo yonde kudasaimasen deshouka?
↓
このほんをよんでください。
Kono hon wo yonde kudasai.
Please use this book.
↓
(casual) このほんをよんで
= Kono hon wo yonde
↓
(command)
このほんをよみなさい
= Kono hon wo yominasai
↓
(much stronger command
このほんをよめ
= Kono hon wo yome
Please check my meireikei lesson. The link is here.
Thanks MAGGIE
Wjat you say reflects exactly what is stated in my Essential Japanese Grammar Book. I asked because my friend Yusa-sensei at Nara Josei Daigaku said that he felt no offense in using ###-nasai. But I guess he was thinking of special uses and occasions! What yoy say agrees with my feeling that NASAI is something a teacher might say to pupils and reflect a request which is almost a command.
The degree from very polite request to the very strong command like “YOME” is clear to me now. I also now that the “strong command” can be used in like in “GANBATTTE” where it does NOT reflect a command but rather an encouragement.
Right. When you cheer someone up, or encourage them, you do say Ganbatte or Ganbare.
And as for nasai, when parents tell their children to do something, they use ~なさい.
I wouldn’t say it’s offensive at all. It is just a matter of your relationships.(older people →younger people, adults →children, etc.)
But you don’t use nasai or ~te to a stranger.
Maggie-sensei From Jens Hoeg your very recent patron :-) Question: how would you say “all over the world in Japanese” Like all over the world: Would you use “yo (no)” or “sekai (no)” for “world” and would “all over be “itaru tokoro (de ni) or “doko demo” or something like “doko ni mo”
I guess “itaru tokoro (de ni) or “doko demo” is more like “everywhere”? Sensei, it is O.K. to include kana in your reply, I am ascending the learning curve and you cannot penetrate into Nihon-go without using kana.
Hello Jens,
all over the world
→There are a few ways to say this.
The most common one is
= せかいじゅう ( = sekaijuu)
But as you said, you can also say せかいのいたるところ +に/で( = sekai no itaru tokoro ni/de) or せかいのあらゆるところ+に/で ( = Sekai no arayuru tokoro + ni/de)
anyway in the world will be
せかいのどこでも = sekai no doko demo
I hope it helps. :)
And ありがとう for considering to join my Patreon！
Hello Sensei. Can you tell me the meaning of しっかり and しっかりできている in this sentence: 彼と戦う覚悟は、 しっかりできている。?
Hello Paulo
しっかり means “solid, firmly” and it modifies 覚悟ができている = made up one’s mind
→made a solid decision
Hello. May I ask if we can use the たい form of a verb with ために when we want to express the cause. For example, would the following sentence be correct in Japanese:ゆかさんは大学に入りたいために、毎日勉強しています。
You don’t use たいために. You say 入るため. If you want to use たい, you can say 入りたいので/ 入りたいから
One exception: There is an expression to emphasize the desire
入りたいがために. You see this form more in written forms.
Hi sensei,
むかしむかしある所に is once upon a time .
but i dont understand why ある所にis used why not only所に
Hello ritesh
You can’t say むかしむかし所に
あるところ means “in a certain place” and you don’t want to specify where it is so you add ある.
Maggie-sensei, sumimasen ga, anata ni shitsumon ga arimasu:
Concerning Potential forms of Verbs you can use “V-koto ga dekiru) or the true Potential form (V+eru/rareru). For the latter, where is the accent? Example “oyogu” (swim) How is the pronounciation of Vmasu (oyogimasu) compared to Vpot (oyogenasu)? Or “kakimasi” vs. “kakemasu (can write)” same for RU verbs. Where is the accent in e.g. “miraremasu” (can see). Jens Hoeg in Denmark – Copenhagen no Daigaku but often at Nara Josei Daigaku :-)
Hello Jens,
I wish I could link the audio file for you here.
Basically the accent falls on ま with whether it’s regular masu-form or potential masu-form.
およげます
かけます
みられます
Maggie-sensei. Anata no benri-na henji o, arigato gozaimashita. Yoku wakarimasu! Watashi wa ima Nihon e Nara Josei Daigaku de hataraki-ni ju-kai gurai ita-koto ga arimasu Mo yoku chotto Nihon-go o hanashite imasu ga, zannen desu, kana to kanji ga mada wakarimasen. Shikashi saikin ni Kana no “flashcards” o katte benkyo-shite imasu. Kana o wakaru-no wa mukashi-kunai da to omoimasu. Sorai ni anata ni kana de shitsumon o o-tazune itasu to nozimimasu. Iensu
Dou itashimashite. Hiragana & Katakana no benkyou ganbatte kudasai.:)
Hai Maggie senxse. Nihon-go o yoku benkyo-koto suru tame ni, watakushi wa mamonaku anata no hosho-nin ni narimasu. Chotte matte kudasai! Harau-koto suru tame ni Mastercard o mitsukenakute wa narimasen yo!
Arigatou gozaimasu.🙏☺️
こんにちはマギー先生！教えてくれてありがとう。
質問があります。
The ないで/ずに grammar structure, how can you add an additional verb or action.
Example: 食べないで出てしまった = I left without eating.
What if I want to say “I left without eating and sleeping” how would I say and?
こんにちは Lee
For that particular example it is unnatural to say
X 食べないで寝ないで出てしまった。/X 食べずに寝ずに出てしまった。
Connecting with vこと＋も
何も食べることも寝ることもなく
Connecting with masu-stem 食べ＋寝 +も
食べも寝もしないで出て行ってしまった。
Sometimes you mix the forms
何も食べず寝もしないで
何も食べることもなく寝ないで出て行ってしまった
た
I apologize for posting again. my notebook has a problem and i don’t know if the question is being sent.
Hello Maggie. I have some doubts about the following sentence I found in a manga: 何? 驚くことはない。 夢みたいにものさ。目覚めれば忘れる.君に行ってほしいところがある。それなりに賑やかなところだよ。真面目な君のことだ。償い足りないなんて感じているだろう？うんうんわかるとも。
1) what is the meaning of それなりに? would be something close to “kind of”, “quite” or “somewhat”
2) what is the function of さ after もの?
3) what is the function of とも after わかる?
HI Rafael/Thiago/Marus/Berelo
First I received all your questions. Sorry. Sometimes it takes time to approve the comments so please be patient. Since all the questions were the same, I deleted the previous ones.
１） それなりに in its own way. Maybe the place is not very lively but it is lively in its own way.
I have a lesson on なりに The link is here.
2) さ is a casual suffix to express one’s opinion.
3) This とも is to show one’s strong agreement or emphasize what comes before.
わかる→わかるとも
知っています→知っていますとも
I know →I do know
Hi Maggie sensei,
I have ２ question about this lesson
in this lesson, sensei wrote that
X 山田さんが加藤さんにお菓子をくれた。→wrong!
we are all agree that くれる is use for “family group or very close friends”
but today, my Japanese co-worker asked me that
このかばん、誰が買ってくれた？
I just don’t understand that why he used “くれた” instead of “あげた”、he’s not in my “family group”, and he also don’t really know that the one bought me a bag is one of my family or not?
I got confused about this example too:
“= Can you give the sweets to my son?
You can also say
そのお菓子を息子にもらえますか？”
isn’t it should be translate to “can I received the sweets from my son”?
because in ~もらう grammar, the one go with に・から is the one we received things from?
Hello ルアン
山田さんが加藤さんにお菓子をくれた
In this case, if the two parties, 山田さん and 加藤さん are not related to the speaker, it sounds unnatural.
You say 誰が買ってくれた？ (Who bought the bag for you?) or 誰に買ってもらったの？ (Who did you get the bag from?) to someone who is close to you based on the idea or assumption that someone else bought the bag for you. (In this case, the giver could be your family , customers, friends, etc.)
This phrase only works with someone close to you, equal to you or superior (who has been working more than you have or for the same period of time.)
Thank you so much maggie sensei
Can you explain this for me too?
“= Can you give the sweets to my son?
You can also say
そのお菓子を息子にもらえますか？”
isn’t it should be translate to “can I received the sweets from my son”?
because in ~もらう grammar, the one go with に・から is the one we received things from?
It’s written in this lesson too
If the sentence is
そのお菓子は (or を） 息子にもらった
Then, it could be I received this snack for my son (from someone) or I received the snack from my son.
However, そのお菓子を息子にもらえますか？ is a request.
If you are asking your son to give you the snack, you wouldn’t say 息子に
You are obviously asking the listener so it won’t be translated can I received the sweets from my son”?
thank you so much Maggie sensei
Anytime, ルアン :)
Good night Maggie. Can you tell me the function of 間に in this sentence: 主神ゼウスと人間の娘との間に生まれた半神半人の英雄。I couldn’t understand that word even after reading your explanation you made.
Could you also tell me the function of the も particle in this sentence: これは相当な手練れ。我が愛馬にも匹敵する怪物女王。
Hello Leonarudo
This 間 means “between”
Here is the basic structure of this sentence.
~はAとBの間に生まれた
= ~ was born between A and B
~ is demigod hero who was born between zeus and human.
***
これは相当な手練れ。我が愛馬にも匹敵する怪物女王。
我が愛馬に匹敵する to be equal to my horse/to be a match for my horse
By adding も you can add the nuance of “even”
我が愛馬にも匹敵する to be even equal to my horse//to be even a match for my horse
Hello sensei,
Thank very much and appreciate your hard work
I want to ask how do you differ 証明書と認定証
Lets say
家の所有書 = 家の証明書？
TOEIC = TOEIC 認定証？
車所有書 = 車証明書？
他にいい例えがあれば載せていただけませんか？
ありがとうございます
Hello 世界に花を咲かす🌸
They are both translated “certificate” and it could be confusing but
認定書 is a document to approve one’s ability/ qualification/ license.
証明書 is a document to certify something/ to prove authentication
I will give you some typical examples.
インストラクター認定書 Instructor authorization
大臣認定書 = certification from the Minister
卒業証明書 graduation certificate
身分証明書 I.D.
成績証明書 Academic transcript
Hi Maggie Sensei! I love your use of example sentences for teaching, I find it super helpful :)
One question: is it possible to attach がち to a negative verb/adjective ending? Like, in order to say things like “I don’t tend to forget people’s names,” could we say “人の名前を忘れないがち”？
If not, what could we say instead?
Thank you :)
Hello Matt,
You don’t use the negative form with がち so you don’t say X 忘れないがち
忘れがち = tend to forget people’s name
The opposite will be “tend to remember people’s name” but it sounds unnatural even in English because you are supposed to remember people’s name.
So you just say
人の名前をよく覚えている。
If it is the context such as “You tend to remember things (which you don’t need to remember/in the way you are not supposed to), you can use 覚えがち
Ex. 人の名前を間違って覚えがちだ。
I see, makes perfect sense. Thank you for the examples!
どういたしまして 🐶💕
君との未来を思い描く。in lyrics
友達と相談する。why we don’t use との
Hi Faisal
I don’t understand your question,
友達と相談する
→You can nominalize the sentence saying 友達との相談
Ex. 友達との相談の結果、〜〜
Hi, 先生！I’ve come back to this post a couple times, but I just can’t figure out which meaning of 限る is being used in this:
「俺、絶対に結婚遅いタイプだわー。…え？そういう奴に限って？んなわけねーし！」
This line is from a game I log into from time to time to practice Japanese. When you click on the character on the home screen, they talk. In this particular example, I guess the “…” represents the character listening to our response, which is apparently 「そういうやつに限って」.
But I’m confused. If I were to reconstruct the conversation, it would be:
Character: 俺、絶対に結婚遅いタイプだわー。
I’m totally the type to get married late.
Me: そういう奴に限りますね。
Yeah, you’re limited to that type of person (?????)
Character: んなわけねーし。
No way/Of course not.
That’s not a conversation that makes very much sense to me. Basically the character says something, I agree, then he suddenly says the opposite? I’m definitely missing something here…
Hi Sora
I added a little note for you.
★Talking about opposite characteristics of what people would think, assume. (You may think A is ~ but actually it/he/she is quite opposite)
Ex. 威張っている人に限って気が弱い。
= Those who are arrogant tend to be cowards.
そういうやつに限って is the same usage of this one.
The speaker didn’t finish the sentence but
そういうやつに限って結婚が早いかもしれない*…んなわけないし
The one who says “I am getting married later in life” tends to get married (early)…. No, I’ll take it back. There is no way.
Ohhhhhh, that makes sooooo much sense!
Thank you so much, 先生！I definitely would’ve never figured that out on my own 😅
I’m happy to hear it makes sense now. :)
Hello sensei,
Thank you for your hard work as always
I want to ask something
Yesterday My twitter account receive invitation of strange account
(Apparently a boy on his age of 22)
it says like this
R-18垢、ほぼ見る専の童貞裏垢男子です。夜行性。
22歳になりました
Maybe it is a bad word (I’am not sure)
What is the meaning of “ほぼ見る専” here
thanks, sorry if it is rude to ask
Hi カタリナ
But ほぼ = almost
見る専 is an abbreviation of 見る専門. So if it is for Twitter, he just reads people’s tweets and he almost never tweets.
It sounds very suspicious so I think you should just ignore the invitation.
Hello sensei, thank you for your advice.
Already blocked him
Sorry for late reply
Thank very much 忝ない
You’re very welcome! :)
Hello again, Maggie sensei
I have a question about べき and ものではない
both have the same meaning and can i use it in casual conversation?
For example: そんなことをすべきではない －そんなことをするものではない
Thanks again!
Hello Rafael
They are both a bit formal but you can hear them in conversation.
But in casual conversation, you say
そんなことはやってはいけないよ。
→more casual そんなことやっちゃだめだよ。/やっちゃいけないよ
Can you elaborate on the negative versions?
大きな目 not so big?
少なめで not so much, less?
Could you give me some example sentences with the negative usage?
Hi Rita
Technically the negative form is
大きめではない/大きめじゃない
少なめではない/少なめじゃない
but it is rare to use these forms. You just use the opposite words, 小さめ, 多め
The only case that you use the negative forms will be when you deny what someone just said.
Ex. 「ご飯、少なめでいい？」 Would small serving of rice be OK with you?
「少なめじゃなくて普通にもって」 Serve me regular portion not small portion.
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.)
Hello maggie sensei
いつもお世話になっております
Can you please tell me the difference between
文・文書・文章
Thank you very much
こんにちは、ななしさん
文 and 文章 both could be the same, a sentence.
But 文 is one sentence but 文章 could be multiple sentences ( more than one sentence)
文書 means “documents”
Hi maggie sensei. I saw a sentence that had the word また別 and I saw that it translates as another or different in some sites. I would like to know what the difference between this word and 別, 区別 or 違い.
Hi Ronaldo
As you said the translation might change depending on the context but the general idea is
別 another
区別 distinguish
違い difference
thank you maggie sensei. can you tell me the difference between また別 and 別?
Do you remember what word comes after また別?
For example
それは別の話です。
That’s another story.
→それはまた別の話です。
In this case, they mean the same but this また emphasize “another” more than just using 別
別の日に会いましょう。
→また別の日に会いましょう。
Let’s meet another day.
In this case, it depends on the context and it could be emphasizing another or “to meet again.”
適性はあっても、技術はまた別の話だ。
Ah OK, so it was the same as my example sentence. :)
Hello Maggie-sensei!
Thank you so much for providing us with such good lessons that are easy to understand! I stumbled across a sentence recently including 「つく」. It goes like this:
このスイッチを押すと電気がつく。
And was translated as: The light comes on when you press this switch.
I have two questions. The first one is: I would like to know why 電気 was translated as light and the second one is what’s the meaning of オマケつき.
Hello Lazerel,
電気 has two meanings 1) electricity 2) (electric) light Ex. 電気をつける = to turn on the light
おまけつき = with free gift/feebie
For example, you buy a magazine or snack and some freebie comes with it. That is おまけ付き
Hello Maggie sensei! Thank you very much for your thorough explanation.
However, I have come across a sentence in which instead of ことがありません, they use ことがありませんでした. The sentence is 日本に来る前に海を見たことがありませんでした。日本に来て、初めて見ました。In my opinion, following this lesson I would have opted for ことがありません. The past tense is already used in 見た. However, according to the key, it’s wrong. Could you please explain it?
Thank you very much. I hope you have a nice day!
Hello Sky
You can decide which tense to use depending on the time which you focus on.
日本に来る前 = before I came to Japan. This is the past. When are talking about your past experience in the past you use the past tense 見たことがありませんでした。
If you are talking about your experience up to now.
I have never seen the ocean (→I haven’t seen the ocean up to now.)
The focus time is “now” so you say 海を見たことがありません。
このレッスンはありがとうございました！自分の多くの意味と使い方は勘がもうあったんですけど、以前よく考えなかったです。
ちょっと質問があるんですけど。自身と自らは自分と違う所と使い方はよくわかりません。短説明するとありがとう！
こんにちは Para
英語にするとどちらも oneselfになるからわかりにくいかもしれませんね。
自身 = oneself
Ex. 私/自分自身のための作品 = the artwork for myself/oneself
自ら = 自分から何かをする = to do something voluntarily, to do something personally
Ex. 自ら手伝う= to help someone voluntarily
Hello sensei
Thank you for your help always
Can you check this sentence whether it is natural or not?
悲しくて泣いているではなく寂しいからです
Hello ケンタおじいさん
悲しくて泣いているではなく寂しいからです
Your sentence is OK.
You might see the full sentence more, though.
悲しくて泣いているではなく寂しいから泣いているのです。
Or if you want to finish the sentence with からです, you can also say
泣いているのは悲しいのではなく寂しいからです。
Hello sensei thank you very much for your help
You’re very welcome! :)
Hello Maggie-sensei 😊
I have a little question. I reviewed this grammar point with the book “新完全マスター文法 日本語能力試験Ｎ３”. The book talks about another function of -ていく and -てくる but I don’t quite understand it because there is only two examples. The function is “A movement or shift occurring after an action” and the examples are “出かけるとき、天気予報を見てきました” and “荷物はここに預けていこう”. My question is fuzzy, but I don’t really understand the difference with the function of doing something and coming back, and doing an action without coming back. If you can enlighten me. お願いします🤗
Hi Aurore
You connect two actions with te-form.
You do A and then do B.
If the verb B is 行く or 来る,
you do something (A) and you go somewhere or you come somewhere.
(You can rephrase them with から）
1) 出かけるとき、天気予報を見てきました （←天気予報を見てからきました）
I checked the weather report (action A) when I left the house and came here*(acton B)
(*wherever the speaker is now.)
2) 荷物はここに預けていこう (←荷物をここに預けてからいこう）
I will leave your bag (action A) here and go somewhere (action B).
So these two examples happened to have verbs, 行く/来る but you can use other verbs.
I had lunch and went out →昼ごはんを食べて出かけた。(←昼ごはんを食べてから出かけた)
We talked about it and then decided. →よく話し合って決めた。(←よく話し合ってから決めた）
Hello Maggie-sensei,
Thank you very much for your quick response 😊. It’s clear to me now, I didn’t realize that in this case -て was only used to connect 2 actions. Thanks for the explanation and additional examples 😁.
Have a nice week end
You’re very welcome, Aurone.
Have a great week, too! :)
Thank you!!!!
どういたしまして❤️
Hi Maggie,
何なに も can mean everything / anything
誰だれ も can mean everyone / anyone
どこ も can mean everywhere / anywhere
Is 何なに も and ぜんぶ interchange able? The following sentences have same meaning?
ぜんぶ ほしい。 何なに も ほしい。 I want everything
ぜんぶ たべました。 何なに も たべました。 I ate everything
ぜんぶ みました。 何なに も みました。 I saw everything
ぜんぶ きこえました。 何なに も きこえました。 I heard everything
Is 誰だれ も and みんな interchange able? The following sentences have same meaning?
うた を みんな で うたいます。 誰だれ も うた を うたいます。 I will sing songs with everyone
いつも みんな に やさしい。 誰だれ も いつも やさしい。 always be kind to everyone
はやく みんな に あいたい です。 はやく 誰だれ も あいたい です。 I want to meet everyone quickly
Is this sentence correct?
うんどうかい で 人間 ピラミッド を くずれました
At the company sports meet, our human pyramid fell
How do you say 店 for the following? – ten or mise
A shop that sells handmade goods
手づくり の 店。
手づくり 店。
ありがとう, せんせい
Hello soleyman,
1) 何なに も →You mean 何も ( = なにも）？ If so, 何も is used in a negative sentence and it means “not to ~ anything” “nothing” and it doesn’t mean everything. (何もない = There is nothing. 何も食べるものがない I don’t have anything to eat.)
If you say 何でも then it means “anything” or “everything”
You can say 何でも欲しい= I want anything.
It is slightly different from 全部 = everything
2) 誰だれ も →I think you mean 誰も ( = だれも）. And it means nobody / not ~ anybody
Ex. 誰もいない = There is nobody. Ex. 誰も行かない = Nobody wants to go.
FYI 誰でも means “anybody”
Again, it is slightly different from みんな = everybody
3) 人間 ピラミッド を くずれました→人間ピラミッドがくずれました
4) 手づくりの店= みせ
手作り店 is not common.
Hello Maggie-sensei!
Thank you so much for providing us with such good lessons that are easy to understand! I stumbled across a sentence recently including 「のに」. It goes like this:
これは練習、マスターと僕の戦いの為のなのに本気にな落ち込む。
I have two questions. The first one is about what is the difference between ための and ために, the second is if the な (after 本気に) and the 、 have some function inside that sentence or you can remove them without having any problem.
Hello Lazerel,
1) There is a hidden noun after 為の
マスターと僕の戦いのための（練習 or もの）なのに
Since the word 練習 is already mentioned, you don’t have to say 練習 again and just say ための
(You can sometimes rephrase it with もの as well)
You often omit the noun and just use の
(Check my の lesson if you want to learn more. The link is here.)
So though you use の instead of the nouns 練習/もの, ための is considered as a noun so you use なのに
Noun + なのに
2) Is it one phrase? There is no space between 本気にな and 落ち込む？
If so, I think it is a typo. 本気に落ち込む （本気に is an adverb which modifies the following verb, 落ち込む)
Hello meggie sensei,
I couldn’t understand the difference between たらすぐに vs 次第
and ofcourse i came across another similar grammer
するとすぐに and~か~ないかのうちに
so please teach us the difference between this four
Hi Ritesh
As for the difference between すぐに and たらすぐに
I explained in this lesson so please read the note. (Basically they means the same, as soon as but 次第 is more formal and たらすぐに is more conversational. But there are cases that you can not rephrase たらすぐ with 次第. Read Note. 2)
するとすぐに vs たらすぐに
Are very similar as well and they can be interchangeable.
As soon as he got home, he went out.
彼は家に着くとすぐに出かけた
= 彼は家に着いたらすぐに出かけた
The difference:
１）verb dictionary form + とすぐに →focusing on the action itself
2) Vたらすぐに →focusing of the completion of the action
You can not use 1) when you tell someone what to do
Ex. 家に着いたらすぐに電話をください。 = Call me as soon as you get home.
→X You can’t say 家につくとすぐに電話をください。
You use 1) when you talk about the past or daily routine.
~か~ないかのうちに is used when two actions are happening almost the same time.
家につくかつかないかのうちに can be right before you get home.
So you can’t say
家につくかつかないかのうちに電話をください。either.
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.
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. 😉
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
I understand your point.
I will do my best to cover both conversational and formal yet more useful Japanese phrases. :)
Hello Maggie. i don’t understand the meaning of 相手してあげません in the following sentence: 認めないと今後も相手してあげませんよぉ‼. Can you explain to me?
Hello again Mutuio3
相手をする means “to associate with someone/ to deal with someone/ to keep someone’s company/to play with someone”
So it depends on the context but it means
If you don’t accept it, I won’t hang out with you anymore, OK?
so the general meaning of 相手をする would be hang out and depending on the context you use the words you put as a translation, right?
the context of the phrase would be a boy challenges a girl to a competition, she accepted and arrogantly said that she would easily defeat him. after losing to him, he asks her to admit defeat and apologizes and if she doesn’t, he won’t partner up with her anymore.
That’s right.
And in that context you gave me, your translation is right.
Hello Maggie. I happen to come across the following sentence:
そなたのこれまでの旅を冒険の書に記録してよいな？
My doubt is if there has difference between してよい and してもいい.
i’m sorry for my english. i still practicing it.
Hi Mutuio2,
してもいい is much more common
してよい is more literal and you usually see this form in written form.
Also してよいな is a bit dramatic expression and is used for a speech of an old male character in the story/anime/movie.
I don’t understand what you meant with “more literal”
Sorry. it may have confused you by the word, literal. I mean you tend to use よいな for written form more.
Hello,
Can you please confirm if below sent sentence is correct or incorrect.
シェヤポイントの登録期間が終わったなのでシェヤポイントを使えない次第です.
If it’s incorrect then please mention the reason.
Thanks,
Akash
Hello Akash
First of all, the most natural way to say that is
シェアポイントは、登録期間が終わっているので使えません。(more natural)
But if you want to use 次第 to explain the situation in a formal writing
シェアポイントは、登録期間が終わっているので使えない次第です。
こんにちは、マギー先生
Hello sensei
What is the meaning of 都合のいい男
What is the difference between 都合のいいことをしか考えない
Thank you for your help sensei
Hello 太郎!
都合のいい男 has two meaning.
(someoneにとって）都合のいい男 = a convenient guy for someone (a person who says yes to everything) a guy who you can get advantage of.
And it also means “a guy who acts selfishly and doesn’t think about other people.”
Hello maggie sensei
いつもお世話になっております
I have a question about this sentence
彼女に見透かされているようで、なんとなくシャクだった
What is the meaning of “シャク” here?
Thank you
Hello! Wow! I feel flattered to hear your name. 😉
シャク is from an expression 癪に障る = しゃくにさわる (something gets on one’s nerves)
So なんとなくシャクだった here means “It was kind of annoying”
ありがとうございます、マギー先生
どういたしまして💖
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💖🙏
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. :)
Hello Maggie-sensei
I have a question about ”ijou”. For example in this phrase: 一人でやると言った以上、他の人には頼めない。If i use ”kara” or ”node” will the meaning be the same?
Thanks again!
Hello Rafael,
以上、から、ので they all indicates the reason (because/so) but if you compare the following two sentences,
1) やると言った以上他の人には頼めない
2) やると言ったから/ので他の人には頼めない
1) expresses much stronger will/commitment than 2)
Now, からには is pretty similar to 以上は.
3) やると言ったからには他の人には頼めない
They both express one’s strong will/commitment.
Hello maggie sensei
thank you as always
can i ask you what is the meaning of
強いて言うなら
is it the same like (I don’t know exactly)
Hello アルパカ
強いて〜する = force oneself to do something
so
強いて言うなら means “If I must say / If I am forced to say”
thank you very much sensei
You’re welcome! :)
Hi sensei, i want to know what is the difference between そう and 感じ in the sense of looks like and seems like and i which situation we will use
優しい感じ
優しそう both translate as looks kind
Hi Hritesh
I wouldn’t say there is much difference between 優しい感じの人 and 優しそうな人. You can both translate them “ a person who looks sweet”.
感じ: It is based on one’s feelings/impressions that one gets from that person./ sweetish person
そう:how the person looks / how one sees that person.
FYI You can even combine them そう and 感じ
優しそうな感じの人
😄 Hi, Maggie sensei.
Thank you so much for this really useful lesson!!💗
I read a verse of a song that says:
「新ネタ仕入れたなんてね したり顔でtalkin’ talkin’… 」
The final 「なんで」 means anything in particular o is it just used to emphasize the sentence?
Also, in the phrase「あの子のアレコレ気になって センシティブな顔なんだって」… How is 「なんだって」used in this context?
Thanks in advance 💖.
Hi Leah
1) This なんて is quoting what comes before, 「新ネタ仕入れた」. ~なんて（言って） Saying things like ~
2) In this case なんだって is quoting the reason.
I heard/He/She/Someone told me the reason why ~ is ~
So you heard the reason why someone has a sensitive face. And tell someone that reason why.
Ooh, I see. 「なんて」 is quoting what comes before.
Thank you very much for the explanation💗.
Regarding to “あの子のアレコレ気になって センシティブな顔なんだって”, what would be the correct way to translate it?
Now I think of it なんだって has another usage. When you make your point or explain something or giving a reason in a strong way about oneself. “I am telling you ~”
It depends on the context and it is kind of hard to tell which one by reading just one line.
I don’t do the translation here but if it is quoting,
“I heard ~ has a sensitive face because ~ can’t help thinking about her/him.”
If that person is explaining the reason himself/herself then
“I have a sensitive face because I can’t help thinking about her/him, OK?”
Hello, Maggie-sensei.
ご相談をしたいと思います。
About ながら, can you use it in a sentence that mixes a verb of human/animate being action (歩く) and an intransitive verb of non-human action (付く)? Like this one:
道を歩きながら電気が付いた。
While walking in the street the lights came on (by themselves).
ご相談をよろしくお願いいたします。
こんにちは 六誌
道を歩きながら電気が付いた。
In that case you can’t use ながら.
It has to be the same person who does two actions at the same time.
Ex. 歩きながら電話で話した。
Maggie Sensei,
Another excellent article!
I was hoping you might be able to help clarify something though.
There seems to be disagreement about using 〜ない with ようになる.
My teacher and the book we are using (みんなの日本語) agree with you that なくなる should be used instead.
However there are quite a few examples online of なにようになる.
My wife (native Japanese) and several online teachers agree ないようになる can be used.
The opinions range from “ないようになる is not used very much” to “they mean the same thing”.
One person said “なくなる emphasizes the consequences of the change but ないようになる emphasizes the process of change”.
My wife thinks ないようになる might be used in a museum exhibit explanation.
I would love to hear your thoughts on this.
Sorry this was so long and thank you in advance!
Hello Niwashi Kun
Good question. I would say なくなる is much more common and it sounds more natural in many cases but you are right. I think I will add that information because some people do say that.
The difference between なくなる and ないようになる depends on the context but I agree with what you read. (consequences of the change and process of change)
Let’s compare the following two sentence.
With past tense
A ) （それ以来）彼は無駄なことをしなくなった。 (focusing on the consequences/results)
B ) （それ以来）彼は無駄なことをしないようになった。 (focusing on the process of how one became. )
Another difference is Vないようになった tends to describe slow change.
Vなくなった is used when the change could happened right after some incidence.
Wow! Thanks for the fast reply!
I appreciate your additional information and examples. I suppose it’s due to the subtlety and uncommonness of the usage of ないようになる that my teacher and book say to just use なくなる.
Note: I noticed a typo in my 1st message and also one in your reply.
Mine: “However there are quite a few examples online of な[に]ようになる.”
Should be “…… examples online of な[い]ようになる.”
Yours: “The difference between なくなる and ないように{する} depends on the context…..”
Should be “The difference between なくなる and ないように{なる} depends on the context….”
I only mention them because I’m concerned they might confuse a future reader. I don’t know how these things work but if possible can you edit the posts?
Thank you again for your reply and all your detailed explanations,
-N
Thank you for spotting the typo. 🙏
I guess a lot of teachers/textbooks avoid teaching ないようになる because it may sound unnatural or less common but you are right. Some readers might get confused when they hear/see it somewhere. I should have mentioned. So thank you for your good question!
Senseiii is there any other way to say 〇〇ば〇〇ほど? Like how kids and teenagers nowadays say it, or short ver. of it?
Hello, 茉愛
Not just for kids or teenagers but you can also say
◯◯ば◯◯だけ
Hello Maggie-sensei!
Thank you so much for providing us with such good lessons that are easy to understand! I stumbled across a sentence recently including 「方」. It goes like this:
罪を犯さない人なんて、この社会にはいない。『償い』とは結果ではなく、その過程で生まれる心の在り方です。
I have two questions. The first one is how would you translate 在り方 and the second is what is the function of と and で in this sentence.
Hello Mutuio,
1) 在り方 means “way of being”, “the way something is supposed to be”
心の在り方 the way you set your mind
2) と is to quote in this case 償い
償いというものは→(shorter way) 償いとは
3) で
See the pattern how you make a negative form of a noun
noun + です
→noun + ではない
Hello Maggie, this one gives me headaches for a long time. The meaning of the sentence is clear to me, but what effect has も here?
あれは用もないのに押しちゃだめなのよ
I am really looking forward to your answer. I appreciate your work very much and I have learned a lot from you.
Thank you in advance
こんにちはアンドレアス
〜もないのに is a very common patter なんの理由もないのに / 証拠もないのに
You can also say がないのに ,”there is no ~ “, but when you add the nuance of “not to even” or “any”, you use も
用がない not to have particular reasons
用もない not have any particular reasons
Hi Maggie. Thank’s a lot! I will remember this as a patern. You really helped me out. You are great!! :D
My pleasure! :)
こんにちは、マギー先生！This time I come with another question. How would you interpret たら in the following sentence?
何かを引き換えにしてもそばで笑えたらそれだけでよかったはずなのに。
こんにちは Julia!
そばで笑えたら = If (someone) can laugh
こんにちは、マギー先生！久しぶりですよ :)
Today I was listening to a song and I was wondering how the following verse translates:
どこの誰が何をささやいたって
僕たちだけの秘密のサインが
あれば怖いものなんてないんだ
他になにも欲しくはない
この手は離さぬように
What does that どこの mean? How would that ささやいたって translate? And that あれば corresponds to the previous sentence?
I’m so sorry to ask so many questions.
Hello Juliana
どこの誰が is an expression which means “someone/anybody” ( or “whoever” “no matter who”)
ささやいたって is a conditional ささやいても
あれば corresponds to 秘密のサイン
I don’t do the translation here but the idea is,
No matter what anyone whispers, there is nothing that scares us if we have our secret sign.
気持ち、金持ち、受け持、女持ち、持ち込み、持ち主。。。
いっぱいありますね！
こんにちは、ルナ
はい、「持ち」の入った言葉、いっぱいあります。:)
Hey Sensei, I was wondering if you could help me with this, because I can’t find much of any information about this but, how do you express looking or seeming without the nuance of hearsay or conjecture. For example, “old-sounding music” would usually be translated as something along the lines of “古そうな音楽”, but doesn’t that have the nuance of guessing or conjecture based on personal opinion? What I want to express in “old sounding music” would be music that sounds old because you know the styles that old music used, so what you’re stating is essentially a fact. Would そう still be what you use, our would it be something like “古く聞こえる音楽”? Or something else entirely (maybe involving ふう)? What about 見える, can you use く and に forms to express appearance? Sorry if this is hard to read, thanks a bunch :)
Hello Sean
Yes, you can say 古く聞こえる音楽 (the music that sounds old) but you can also just say 古い音楽 as your opinion. There is an expression, 古くさい音楽 which sounds negative.
You don’t use 見える for music.
Hello Maggie-sensei!
Thank you so much for providing us with such good lessons that are easy to understand! I stumbled across a sentence recently including 「なんて」. It goes like this:
まだです！私が一度も勝てないなんてコト。。。話してる途中で歌やめる。
I have two questions. The first one is about what is the function of なんて and コト in this sentence and the second is if you should always put で after 途中. I’ve seen two sentences that are like that and I’m not sure if it’s a rule or not.
Hello Mutuio
私が一度も勝てないなんてコト..
This is unfinished sentence but you can assume it expresses one’s disbelief.
私が一度も勝てないなんてこと、あるわけがない(There is no way that I can never win)/信じられない (I can’t believe that I can never win), etc.
So this なんて modifies こと and こと has a function the verb into a noun, in this case 勝てない (can never win →with こと: that I can never win)
It depends on the context but you can use で or に or no particle after 途中
マギー先生、
Thank you for your explanation, but for this sentence:
一生懸命がんばります
What is the emotion expressing here by adding ん after が?
Hello iwawee
This ん is a part of a verb.
がんばります is a verb which means “to do one’s best, to try hard”.
FYI if you want to add ん like I explained in this lesson, it will be
がんばります→dictionary form がんばる
→がんばるんです
I can’t find an example where you use 間 with 動詞 ない刑
I think there is. →僕がいない間は、部屋を好きに使っていいよ。
Hello Maggie Sensei
Thanks as always for your lesson
Can you please tell me about 建前 and 本音
If I only read dictionary I don’t understand
Why it is important? Maybe give some example or case
(具体的な説明が求められているので英語で説明しづらい場合日本語で説明してお願いします)
改めて感謝いたします
Hello ずんだモン
本音と建前
本音 = one’s true feelings/opinion
See if you express your real feelings or what you really thinks, you might hurt other people’s feelings or you may stand out being different from others.
So you hide your 本音 and tell what please the listeners or what it sounds right for the others or society. That is 建前
thanks for superb answer. well understood.
よかった ☺️
Hello マギー先生
Is this たまる, not まる? what does this sentence say?
こんな時代に殺されてたまるか
Hi Milk
It is a verb, 堪る = たまる = がまんする = to put up with
You usually use it in a negative form or with か to express one’s feelings of resistance.
I have a lesson on たまらない and I explained the usage of たまるか there so please go check if you want to learn more.
Link is here.
ありがとうございました! I will check it out
If you have more questions about たまる/たまらない, feel free to leave a question anytime. :)
As always, thank you for your lessons. I’m suppose to have an N2 level but I still have doubts when it comes to けど😅.
Can you use it with ますform?
For example: 食べられますけど、あまり好きじゃありません。
Or 行きませんでしたけど、行きたかったです。
Thanks again!
Hi Noraneko
Since けど is a casual form, if you want to use the polite form with the following verbs
食べられますけれども or 食べれますが+ あまり好きじゃありません。
行きませんでしたけれども or 行きませんでしたが+ 行きたかったです。
might be more natural but yes, people do use masu-form with けど in conversation.
Thank you for teaching us! I recently saw this combination
それだ, What does it mean?
Hi Mian
It depends on the context but
それだ！ means “That’s it./ That’s one. / That is what I am talking about.
maggie sensei, i love you but this is impossible for me to read lol. i always have o copy and paste it and then reformat it because my brain refuses to process the information lo;. but anyways, thank you for your lessons.
Hello zee
Sorry to hear it is impossible for you to read this lesson. 😢
If you try to learn the whole lesson at once, it might be hard.
I hope you can come back here just to get a piece of information. 😉
Ano sensei wa subarashii sensei da. Maggie sensei dokoro de wanai.
I disagree. You are a great Japanese teacher, Maggie Sensei!
Ajay
Aww…you are the sweetest! 🐶 💕💕
Hello Sensei,
Thank you for your lesson
I want to ask something, How do you say (Chewy) in japanese?
食べ物を食べている時ぷにぷにしている食感。例えば、ガームを噛じっているとき「Chewy]と言います。
Thank you very much.
Hello,
Chewyを表す言葉は食べ物によります。ガムだったら、「弾力（だんりょく）がある」ではどうでしょう。
If you are describing meat, you say 歯ごたえがある (positive) or just かたい (negative) / かたくて噛（か）み切れない (negative)
If you are describing noodles, 腰（こし）がある (positive)
Hard snacks, fruits, baguette , 噛（か）みごたえがある
I understand well what sensei has said but only one I don’t understand.
When noodle why it is “Hip”? 腰？
Literally means “There is a hip”
This is actually right but what is the relation of food with “Hip (腰）”
Maybe when you eat noodle because it is so smooth then it makes your hip vibrating or something?
腰/コシがある (you also say 腰/コシが強い) is an idiomatic expression to describe firm texture of noodles. (It is positive)
I am not sure the etymology but your body is supported by your lower back.So if the noodle is nice and firm with chewy texture, it is like there is something like 腰 to support the firmness.
Okay Well Understood. Thank you very much sensei
You’re very welcome!
Hello せんせい
Is かみかみ also mean chewy?
Eg
きょう は はじめて の スルメ かみかみ が ありました。
Today is my first time eating dried squid.
For the following words is it ok/natural to pronounce them without the i sound?
おいしくない >> 「oishkunai」
うつくしくない >> 「utsukushkunai」
いそがしくない >> 「isogashkunai」
たのしくない >> 「tanoshkunai」
むずかしくない >> 「muzukashkunail」
ありがとう.
Hello soleyman
Not sure where you found the word but かみかみする is a sort of cute word from よくかむ for small children which means to chew well. There is a dried squid snack called スルメカミカミ.
I ate the dried squid, Surume kamikami, for the first time today = きょうはじめて「スルメカミカミ」をたべました。
As for the pronunciation question, I need to hear how you pronounce with “sh” but you do pronounce “i” sound.
Hello! I am studying for N3 and one question says: 一度にバナナを20本も食べられる( ). The answer is わけがない but another choice is ことがない. Why is ことがない wrong? Don’t they both mean “There’s no way I can eat 20 bananas”?
ありがとうございます！
Hello ヘイリー
Yes, the correct answer is わけがない
わけがない is used with something extreme for that person. “There is no way to do something”
ことがない also negates what one would do/can do. but it’s based on the idea that doing something is not so extreme (you can see that from the opposite sentence.)
家族で外食をすることがない。⇄家族で外食をすることがある。
一人で焼肉を食べることがない。⇄一人で焼肉を食べることがある
Eating 20 bananas at once is something extreme and there is no way to do that so you use わけがない
Check the translation difference in the following three sentences.
A 一度にバナナを20本も食べられることがある means I sometimes can eat 20 bananas at once.
B 一度にバナナを20本も食べられることがない (this sentence itself is not so natural but..) it means I sometimes can’t eat 20 bananas at once.
A and B: You think eating 20 bananas is
C 一度にバナナを20本も食べられるわけがない means “There is no way that I can eat 20 bananas at once”
So the answer is わけがない
Oh, I was under the impression that ことがない meant never because of the examples like: “彼は疲れることがない”. So I was thinking it would mean: “I can never eat 20 bananas at once,” (一度にバナナを２０本も食べられることがない). So does ことがない actually imply that there are a few times that he is tired (first sentence)?
In that case, you don’t use the potential form 食べられる
If you want to use こと, you use the dictionary form + ことはない
→ 一度にバナナを２０本食べることはない He is not going to eat 20 bananas at once or There is no way for him to eat 20 bananas at once.
こんにちは、マギー先生
お元気ですか。先生常にお元気になっているよう、お祈り致します
少しご質問があります。
生活の中で”適当”という言葉私がよく聞きます。
例えばこの間友達に自分の家で誘われた時「適当に座っていいよ」って言われました。
なんとなく意味が分かったつもりが多分「適当」の意味ちゃんと理解していません。
英語に訳すと「Appropriate, Suitable, Proper」と意味なりますがニュアンスが掴まなくて
意味が少しずれているところもあると思います。
適当とはランダムの意味ではなかと聞いていますが先生的にどう思いますか
この文書いたのは毎日練習となることあるのですべての文は正解かどうか分からなくてもし文のなかで違和感を感じっている場合修正して教えて下さると幸いです。
よろしくお願いします
こんにちは そすんさー
「適当に座っていいよ」の「適当」は、決められたところではなく自分の好きなところに座っていいよ。という意味です。
他の例も一つ
料理を適当に作る：きちんと材料を計って作り方の手順を見て作るのではなく、好きな材料を自分が思う分量で時間とかも自分が判断して作ること
コメントの文章、とても丁寧な日本語を使っていてすごいなって思います。
全部は直しませんが、一部だけ少し直してみますね。
先生常にお元気になっているよう、お祈り致します
→もし私が体の調子が悪かったら、「お元気になる」という言い方もできますが、幸い私は元気なので（😉）、→「お元気だったら嬉しいです。」で十分だと思います。
ニュアンスが掴まなくて→〜が掴めなくて
この文書いたのは毎日練習となることあるのですべての文は正解かどうか分からなくてもし文のなかで違和感を感じっている
→毎日の練習のためにこの文章を書いてみましたが、全ての文が合っているかどうかわかりません。もし文章の中で不自然なところがあれば教えていただけないでしょうか？
日本語を丁寧に話したり書いたりするのはとても苦労したと思いますが先生のおかげで少しずつ自信が湧いてきました。下手な日本語ですみません。今後、ちゃんとした日本語で入力するよう頑張ります。
ありがとうございます。
:)
Hi! You are so great at explaining. I just have one question: Can I say “Even if I want to” with the same pattern of “temo”?
Hi Solaine,
Yes, you can use Vたくても form
Even if I want to go 行きたくても
Even if I want to eat 食べたくても
Hi せんせい
I got the following from a youtube video.
It was a wedding ceremony.
Priest 「おふたり は みず から すんで けっこん を のぞんで いますか」
Couple「 はい、のぞんで いますか」
What is the meaning for the first part? みず から すんで ?????
Maybe I heard wrong for the first ???
The second part should be [ Both of you wish to get married? ]
Thanks
Hi soleyman
Did you dictate the dialogue?
And the priest says
みずからすすんで （自ら進んで） not すんで
自ら進んで means “willing to do something/volunteered to do something”
So in this case, it means “Are you two willing to marry?
And I think the couple say はい、のぞんでいます。 or はい、のぞんでいますが.. (Yes, we do.)
わかります.
ありがとう.
どういたしまして :)
Hi sensei, may I ask the difference between
誰でもない
and
誰もない
Hello Germaniac
First let me confirm one thing
誰もない→Not 誰もいない？
Ah yes, my bad, it’s 誰もいない.
OK
誰もいない = There is nobody/ Nobody is here/there.
誰でもない means “no one/nobody/nobody else ” and the usage depends on the context but for example
私が好きなのは他の誰でもない、あなたです。
The person I like is you. Nobody else.
I see! ありがとうございます
どういたしまして❤️
Hi Maggie先生！
I often heard this ては used in songs and always struggled to translate it, so finding this old lesson was a lifesaver!
I have something I want clarified:
I know that ては contracts to ちゃ and では contracts to じゃ.
However, we only use these contractions with usage 3 (describing an unfavorable result)
触れてはダメ –> 触れちゃだめ ✓
子供では無理 –> 子供じゃ無理 ✓
and usage 1 (repetitive actions),
食べては寝の生活 –> 食べちゃ寝の生活 ✓
彼はテレビをつけては消す –> 彼はテレビをつけちゃ消す ✓
right?
Am I right in assuming that these contractions can’t be used with usage 2 (whenever ~) or usage 4 (giving suggestions)
日本に来ては○○する –> 日本に来ちゃ○○する ✗
彼に任せてはどうですか –> 彼に任せちゃどうですか ✗
Thank you!
♡Sora
Hi Sora,
Yes, you can change ては・では →ちゃ・じゃ in all your example sentences including the last two.
And of course, they are all very casual. 😉
Thank you!!
Anytime! :)
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”.
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.
Ha ha, I didn’t notice the typo. Good eye Maggie. Thank you for your response. Now it makes perfect sense! :)
Great!! :)
Hello Sensei,
Thank as always
Please check below sentence and correct it if it is wrong
仕事と生活を均等にするため毎日欠かさず一日の時間割を決めていた。
よろしくお願いします
Hello
均等にする is slightly unnatural. How about 仕事と生活のバランスを取るため 〜 The rest is fine
バランス is english word
so there is no japanese word for this???
if so I will use バランス from now on.
Right.
均衡にする means “to equalize” and you use it to divide something equally. If you are talking about the time for your life and work more precisely calculating the time, then you use it. But in conversation, バランス is more common.
ありがとうございます
マギー先生
一応N1は合格しましたが日本人のように喋れるのにまだまだ及びません。
これからもっと頑張らなければなりません。
N1合格すごいですね。これからもがんばってくださいね。☺️
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.
Hello Maggie Sensei,
Thank you for this lovely site and for all that you do! I was learning a grammar point and I have a question:
What is the difference between に比べて and と比べて?
Thanks in advance!
Hello Fluffy Books
I would say they are a lot of time interchangeable.
AはBに比べて〜
AはBと比べて〜
They both compare A and B but the nuance difference is
AはBに比べて〜
You are talking about A using B as a reference.
A is >B or A is ＜B
(Bは~ ) AはBと比べて〜
Emphasizing the contrast comparing A and B.
A⇄B
Thank you so much! You are a life saver!!
My pleasure, Fluffy Books! :)
Hi, Maggie sensei.
What does ついでみたいな or ついたでみたいにmean?
Thanks
Sorry, I meant ついでみたいに
Hi Bere
~ みたい means “like” / “as” ~
ついでみたいな (adjective) + noun = something like ついで
ついでみたいに (adverb ) + verb = to do something as ついで
And the interpretation of ついで changes depends on the context so please check the lesson.
こんにちは、Maggie先生！
So there’s this song I quite like called 『心という名の不可解』 by Ado (the singer of the super-popular song うっせぇわ). I don’t know your taste in music, but I do recommend you give it a listen!
Anyway, I’ve been listening to it since it came out back in January, but yesterday I finally decided to sit down, write out the lyrics and try translating the ones that I couldn’t immediately translate while listening. Of course, I almost immediately got stuck on this lyric:
『故にどんな顔して笑おうと、カルテに書かれないことは信じるに値しないんだ』
For a bit of background in case you don’t know, the song kind of talks about the heart as a medical mystery that can’t be understood. So I translated those words as
”So no matter what kind of face you make to smile, anything that’s not written on your patient chart isn’t worth believing.”
I guess my first mini-question is, why does she say 書かれない instead of 書かれてない?
My second mini-question is, is どんな～おうと just another way of saying どんな～ても? That’s what I assumed.
But the big thing that had gotten me stuck was the last part: 「信じるに値しない」.
Since 値する means (at least I think it means) “to give worth to something,” shouldn’t that ‘something’ be a noun? That is, shouldn’t 信じる be nominalized and we should have 「信じる【こと・の】に値しない」instead? Was this another case of song lyrics omitting words and particles for poeticness??
After searching Jisho, Weblio and Reverso for sentence examples, I realized that using the dictionary form with に値する is just how it is for some reason.
尊敬に値する – a noun is being used
読むに値する – a verb is being used, and it doesn’t need to be nominalized
But other than this, I’ve never come across に being used directly after the dictionary form of a verb. It’s always either
Verbことに（は）
or
Verb-Stem に (行く, etc)
I guess my question is: is ～に値する a special case? Or are there other cases in which に can come directly after the dictionary form of a verb?
If there are such cases, is it a grammatical concept that I can look up (like ‘Nominalization’ or ‘どんな～ても’)? Or are there just special verbs that happen to allow weird things with their particles?
It’s a doozy of a question 😅 but thanks for your help if you can!
Sora
Hi Sora
Yes, I knot that song. 😉
1) 書かれていない is more general but 書かれない is more poetic.
Here’s the grammatical difference.
書かれない things that are not going to be written
書かれてない things that are not actually written
2) ~おうと is a volitional form. どんなに〜おうと No matter how much you are trying to ~
3) 信じるに値しない
When it is used with a noun,
noun + に値しない
but when you use it with a verb,
verb dictionary form + に値しない
この本は読むに値しない
この映画は見るに値しない
Thanks so much, Maggie先生！
Do you know if there’s any particular reason why the dictionary form of the verb is used before に in this case? Usually, you have to say Verb + ことに
e.g 人類は宇宙に乗り出すことに成功した。
or Verb + ように
e.g 毎日運動するようになった。
or Verb stem form + に
e.g 先週公開された映画を見に行くつもりです。
My point is, usually に is never used directly after the dictionary form of a verb.
Does 【Verb (dictionary form) + に】 mean something specific?
Or is 値する the only case in which we can use Verb(dictionary form) + に?
Thanks!
そら
You are right. You usually have to use verb + こと/ の to nominalize a verb.
I don’t think there are many but I believe there are a few more expressions that you use a verb dictionary form as a noun form with に
I believe they are from old Japanese patterns.
For example, verb dictionary form (or sometimes you add の）に相応しい
Ex. 信頼される（+の）に相応しい
And this is not 〜に but in
好きにするがいい (literal) = 好きにしなさい (Do whatever you like)
I see, thank you so much as always Maggie先生! I love the way you explain things, and I’ve made a list of some of your old posts to go back and study this summer. I hope you also have a great summer!♡
Sora
You’re very welcome, Sora.
You have a wonderful weekend!! :)
Is this up? I’m just wondering what does the “twitter header” translation in Japanese slang? XD
Hello unmomumomu
I don’t think there is slang for twitter header. We just say Twitter (の )ヘッダー or バナー
Hi Maggie sensei!
Thank you for another wonderful post.
I saw this sentence which uses 的:
それはスケジュール的に厳しい。
Which is shown to translate to:
That’s a tight schedule.
Do you mind explaining what is 的 used for in this sentence? I’m having trouble understanding the use of 的 in this example. Seems like スケジュール的 is not used as an adjective here. スケジュール的 also feels weird to be an adjective.
Thank you!
Hi Chan,
スケジュール的に means “schedule-wise” and it modifies 厳しい (tight)
It is tight, schedule-wise.
Thanks for the kind explanation Maggie sensei!
Hello 先生
When speaking which one is correct? Can I use both?
1) ふゆ の 後あと に はる が くる。
2) ふゆ の 後のち に はる が くる。
ありがとう.
Hi soleyman
あと is more natural
先生、こんにちは。
問題があります。先生が教えていただけませんか。
～にもらう・～からもらう
私の例文です。
①私は田中さんに本をもらいました。
②私は田中さんから本をもらいました。
③私は会社の人にかばんをもらいました。
④私は会社に人からかばんをもらいました。
もし”に”を”から”に換えたら、例文の意味が変わりますか。
場合によって、”～にもらう”と”～からもらう”の使い方が違いますか。
先生 お願いいたします。どうもありがとうございます。
先生、すみません。
インターネットで調べてみましたが。
このように説明します。
個人（Ａさんなど）「に」「から」もらいます。借ります。
組織（公的機関、学校、銀行など）「から」もらいます。借ります。
調べたことは正しいですか。先生が教えていただけませんか。
個人同士なら「に」でも「から」でも両方使います。
Aさんから本をもらいました。
Aさんに本をもらいました。
組織からもらったり借りた場合は「から」を使います。
図書館に借りた x 不自然
図書館から借りた
「から」を使うときは「に」よりも出所(origin) を強調します。
こんにちは、Ha Thao
① = ②
③ = ④
意味は同じになります。
先生 こんにちは。
はい、わかりました。
返事してくれて、どうもありがとうございました。
どういたしまして❤️
Hello sensei, thank you as always
I want to ask what is the meaning of いずれにする
英語で説明しづらい場合、日本語で教えても構いません。
正確性が求めたいので具体的な説明をしたら大変有り難いです。
改めて、よろしくお願い申し上げます
Hello,
OK いずれ is a literal way to say どちらにする
for example if you ask someone to choose either A or B, you say
AとBのいずれにするか決めてください。
Please pick either A or B.
(日本語で教えても構いません→日本語でも結構です。 is more natural)
thank you for pointing my mistake, also thank you for the explanation.
ありがとうございます
どういたしまして❤️
Hi Maggie sensei,
I have questions regarding these lines, they are from a song:
1- 吐き出すルールは君が決めた
2- 吐き出すルールあなたが決めた
my translation was like this:
1- Rules of spitting out are what you have decided
2- Spit out the rules you have decided.
My questions are:
1- for the part (Hakidasu ruuru) in both of them, is the verb (Hakidasu) a transitive verb? I mean, could I say it is like (Imperative form) for giving commands which it means in this case (you spit out)
OR
is it considered a name (because it came at first), which it means (spitting out)?
2- Are they actually the same thing and have the same translation, and I just mistranslated?
Hi Katsu,
The literal meaning is “As for the spitting out rule is what you have decided” but
You decided the spitting rule. might be more natural.
And 1) and 2) are the same thing but 2) doesn’t have は so it sounds like a poetic expression or slogan.
I see, So it is considered a name in both 1 and 2.
Does it have a deep meaning or anything in Japanese?
Because I find it kinda hard to link its meaning with other lines.
Sorry, what do you mean by “a name”?
Anyway it is hard to interpret the meaning from just two lines but
吐き出す also means “Getting something out of one’s system/letting it out” and it could be one’s feelings (sadness, anger, etc.) or something
You made the rules of getting out of my (or your) feelings.
This is my guess but the reason why the writer changes the way of saying 君が決めた/あなたが決めた is probably because it sounds more interesting than just repeating the same phrase twice.
I mean using (spitting out) and not the verb (spit out).
Someone who translated this song said it’s a dialogue between a boy and a girl and the lines with (kimi) is for the boy when he talks to the girl, while the lines with (anata) is for the girl.
Anyway, thank you so much for clarifying, it was very helpful!
Ah yes, two people’s dialogue makes more sense.
Two people are kind of blaming each other who made the rule.
Anyway, I’m glad to hear it is more clear now.
Hello Maggie-sensei
I’ve turned into the dark side of male speech ごめんね Σ(°△°|||)
You said in your lesson we could turn ない to ねえ in male speech. But I’ve seen some using ん like すまん or 使わん (instead of すまない and 使わない). Is it the same ねえ or is it used for particular cases?
Also I’ve seen the suffix っタレ(or ったれ) which was translated as Sauce, which makes no sense to me. (for context: 動画っタレ用の宣材撮っないと) I suppose it is not a good word…
Thank you Sensei!
Hello Gaspatcher
〜ねえ sounds more rough than ~ん.
It depends on the intonation and as you said, すまん is mainly for male speech but ない →〜ん is also a dialect in many regions in Japan (Chubu area, Kansai area, etc.) and both men and women use.
知らない→知らん
できない→できん
~ったれ is derogatory. You add this suffix to point out someone’s weakness or negative aspect. You have to be careful because it will insult people.
Ok, I’ll avoid this then, but it’s always good to know!
Thank you for your reply Sensei!
Anytime! :)
hello Maggie,
I’m a little confused on something.
in the first example 「今まで僕みたいなかわいい先生いた？」
why is : “noun + mitai な + adjective” used here? reading the post and following the rules of construction I thought it was supposed to be:
“noun + mitai に + adjective?” Am I seeing this wrong?
Hello Chrollo
Good question. You can also say 僕みたいにかわいい先生いた？
In that case 僕みたいに modifies かわいい
My original sentence might be a little confusing because it has かわいい.
僕みたいな actually modifies a noun “(かわいい）先生” a (cute) teacher
So 僕みたいな先生いた？ is the basic structure.
And you can add adjective
僕みたいな素敵な先生いた？
But when you just modifies an adjective, you use に
Nian Nian先生みたいにかわいい/素敵だ
I understand now thanks! I’m really grateful for your speedy reply,
Thanks again ^-^
My pleasure. :)
Hi!
I was wondering, in these song lyrics, what is the purpose of ような?
ねぇ どっかに置いてきたような
事が一つ二つ浮いているけど
I know that song lyrics can be very poetic and bend normal linguistic rules, but I’m really struggling to understand what it means. From my understanding this means “Wherever you left it/those things behind, it/they are resurfacing one by one” but my japanese isn’t very good so I could definitely be misunderstanding the whole sentence lol.
Thanks!
Hi Sara
This ような modifies 事（こと）
どっかに置いてきたようなこと (things that I left behind somewhere) = subject
一つ二つ A few (A couple of ) ＋ どっかに置いてきたようなこと (things that I left behind somewhere) will be the subject
And the main verb 浮いている （the literal meaning is “floating/resurfacing” but this is a very literal/poetic expressions.
マギー先生、こんにちは～
先生のご説明は教科書の説明よりとても分かりやすいと思います。素晴らしい説明で、このレッスンをお教えいただき、ありがとうございました。
こんにちは〜🐶
こちらこそ、優しいコメントありがとうございます！❤️
Hello Maggie-Sensei,
You said in your lesson
連用形 = renyoukei (verbs with nominal ending) and add そう=sou
but it seems it is the same as ____ (polite form stem verb i.e. by removing ます)そう or are there some exceptions I don’t know?
In your examples:
•する → し + そう = しそう, so from します
•降る → ふり +そう=降りそう so from 降ります
•泣く→ 泣き + そう= 泣きそう so from 泣きます
•死ぬ → 死に =しに + そう= 死にそう so from 死にます
•起きる → 起き+そう= 起きそう so from 起きます
•来る → 来 +そう= 来そう so from 来ます
Is the rule ます-stem form + そう correct, or the nominal ending verbs are different sometimes from the ます-stem form? If yes, what verbs could that be?
Thank you a lot Sensei ♡
Hello Gaspatcher
I usually use the term masu-stem when I explain ”How to form” but I guess I used the term 連用形 in this lesson for some reason.
Yes, they are the same. :)
Ex. する
1) make masu-form →します
2) delete ます →masu-stem し
3) attach そう →しそう
But as I mentioned in this lesson, そう can be used with other verb forms such as potential forms. (Also ~てしまう/ (casual ) ちゃう ：落ちてしまいそう （落ちちゃいそう）. )
Ok, just wanted to be sure.ヽ(>∀<☆)ノ
ありがとうございました
どういたしまして〜☺️
Hi Maggie sensei!
Thank you for your very informative site!
Would like to know what does the ‘で’ in following examples mean? What is the function of ‘で’ in these examples?
– Ex. 持ち帰りで（お願いします。）
– Ex. Mサイズで（お願いします。）
Thank you!!
Hi Chan
When you order something or ask for something choosing from multiple choices/options, you use で
There are Small, Medium, Large →Mサイズで
You choose out of take away or eat in, →持ち帰りで
Another example. When you order ramen there are a few options.
Ex. 大盛りでお願いします。 large portion
Ex. みそでお願いします。 miso ramen
Thank you for the explanation!
You’re very welcome, Chan! :)
Thank you very much for these informative answers! I have a question regarding these uses with a teacher. How would I adapt these for remote one on one lessons with a teacher? I just don’t want to be rude, but also want to be attentive. Perhaps there’s a lesson here that I missed on this, but also the proper words to say beside はい when communicating that I understand what my teacher is saying. He used to speak entirely in Japanese with me, but now has gradually been sneaking more and more English in there and I think it’s because I’m not good with these sorts of situations 😅
Hello Jacki
You can use all these phrases with your on-line teacher but let me know if there are any specific phrases that you want to use in the class. I will help you.
Also I covered some class room Japanese in 学校 lesson. Link is here.
Hi Maggie sensei,
Sorry for bothering… again! (￣ ￣|||)
I really don’t know the grammar about this one and I couldn’t find an explanation in your lesson:【あの事故と結ばれでもしたんだろう】I suppose the でも here should be “even though” so I tried to translate it as: “I guess it was even though it was linked to that accident” but it makes no sense.
I found on a website the same construction for another sentence 英語の勉強でもするか which they have translate as “I might as well study English.” and the explanation is “でも here works to make your words less direct. It’s like “I think I will study something, let’s see…ok, English.” Also it’s not a question to someone. You say it to yourself.”
Is there some kind of construction based on 〜でもする/〜でもした where it is not conditional form?
How would you translate this 【あの事故と結ばれでもしたんだろう】?
Thank you a lot Maggie-sensei!
Hello again Gaspatcher
Your questions are always welcome. 😊
I guess I didn’t cover the usage in this lesson.
I don’t know the context of your example sentence (事故と結ばれる. Not 事故で？) but you use でも when you guess or imagine why something happened/why someone did/will do something or possible outcome.
So you bring up some possible cause/ outcome/results that you can think of with でも
When you use it with a verb,
verb masu-stem / noun* + でも＋したんだろう/したのかもしれない/したのだろうか..
You are not 100% sure but it could be ~ or something.
Another example, you have friends. They are usually very close but you can sense there is something wrong between them.
So you are not sure why exactly they are not talking to each other but you assume they got fight or something. In this case you use でも
喧嘩(けんか）でもしたんだろう。
Maybe they got fight or something.
Thank you Maggie-sensei!
Aaah, it’s not the て-form verb +も but really the word でも (“but”) attached to the masu-stem verb?
So for example 遊びでも (masu-stem+でも) and 遊んでも (て-form verb+も) mean different things?
So in my case, I would have said 遊びでもしたんだろう (maybe they played or something) and not 遊んでもしたんだろう?
I think I got confused with ても/でも for conditional form and でも for “but”.
For my sentence, I don’t know exactly the origin, I retranscripted from ear so I’m not sure it’s correct. Maybe it’s 事故で actually if it makes more sense. The context is really “Maybe it was linked to that accident” when someone saw some event occurring before him.
Thank you Maggie-sensei!
おはよう、Gaspatcher
Ah, OK. If the context is
“Maybe it was linked to that accident” then 事故と is correct.
(If two people get connected to each other through the accident, 事故で ☺️）
And yes, for this usage you say 遊びでも not 遊んでも (遊んでも is different form. Ex. 遊んでもいいですか？ = to ask for the permission, etc.)
~でもしたんだろう
I added this in my previous comment but you can use a noun with でも so when you use a verb する, it will be easier to think
noun (遊び・喧嘩） + でも＋ したんだろう
And with a verb
verb masu stem (including auxiliary verb)
So I wouldn’t go too far here but
食べ＋でもしたんだろう
食べ＋られ(passive)/させられ(passive causative) ＋でもしたんだろう
Ok thank you as always Maggie-sensei! ♡
どういたしまして、Gaspatcher! ❤️
先生、こんにちは。
質問があります。教えていただけませんか。
１０００円の読み方は せん円です。
５１０００の読み方は ごまんせんえんです。あるいは ごまんいっせんえんです。
どちら 正しいですか。
先生、お願いします。
こんにちは、Ha Thao!
どちらも正しいですが、会話では”ごまんいっせんえん”の方が、はっきりわかるのでよく使われると思います。
先生、こんにちは。
はい、分かりました。
先生が返事してくれて、どうもありがとうございました。
どういたしまして❤️
Hello Maggie Sensei
,
Gaspatcher here again! I have a question about【どうすれば良いか】which I found to be translated as “What should I do?” But a native also translate this as “How should I do it?” The meaning is different because the first one, you don’t know what to do and the second one, you know what but you don’t know how.
I think the second makes more sense “how should I do it?” because I would have translated the first meaning as 何をすれば良いか？ Am I missing something here?
I think it is more a question about どう rather than 良い but I didn’t find any lesson about the use of どう (that’s why I asked here)
ありがとうございました、先生
Hello Gaspatcher
How have you been? Good question!
The meaning of どう can be “how” or “what” depending on the context.
But the most natural translation for どうしたらいい？ is “What should I do?/What do you think I should do?”
You also say
何をしたらいい？ but the nuance difference is どう is used when you want to know “how” to deal with the situation and 何 is used when you want to know exactly what to do (actions).
And どう can be used as “how”
どう行ったらいいですか？ = How can I get there?
どうやったらいいですか？ = How should I do it?
(If you say どうしたらいいですか？, it may sound confusing because it also means “What should I do?” so it will be more clear to say どうやったらいいですか？)
Thank you Maggie. I’m fine thank you, hope you’re okay too!
Ok, that 100% answers my question. \(★ω★)/
So if I summarize:
どう〜 : generally “how”, but can be “what” depending on context
何を〜 : always “what”
Thank you as always!
Yes, that’s right. 😊
Let’s me add one more example with どう
When you are lost and don’t know what to do, you say
どうしよう
どうしたらいいんだろう…
(What should I do../I don’t know what to do..)
As always, thanks for the amazing lesson! I’m so used to using ら抜き言葉 in my speech that I often find myself forgetting to put it back when I’m writing in formal Japanese!
You hinted at something in this article that I had a lot of trouble with when I first learned potential forms: when to use the potential transitive vs normal intransitive verbs.
For example, in English, I would usually say something like “I can’t find my keys.” but I rarely hear 「鍵を(が)見つけられない。」 in daily life. Instead I often hear 「鍵が見つからない。」. This is often the case with sentences like with other transitivity pairs like 開く・開ける or 入る・入れる.
Do you know of any situations where the potential transitive form is preferred?
Thanks so much!
Hello JP,
As you said, we hear 見つからない/開かない more in conversation.
They simply describe the state or situation and you use this form when you are focusing on the object.
You use potential transitive form when you focus on the person and their capability.
The key is gone/missing = 鍵が見つからない (focusing on the key or the situation where you lost your key.)
I can’t find my key./ I am not capable to find my key. = 鍵を見つけられない。 (focusing on one’s capability)
ドアが開かない = The door won’t open. / The door is locked. (focusing on the door or the state)
ドアを（が）開けられない = I can not open the door. (focusing on the person who can not open the door. )
wtf…there’s more use for 「に」?!! ＠＿＠ I just wanted to know if けれども is more formal than けど. Is it? @_@
Hello Nyada
Yes, けど is a casual way to say けれども
Check this lesson if you want to learn more.
hi maggiesensei, can you tell me the difference between 〜ないといけない and 〜なくてはいけない？thanks
Hello cheruna
They mean the same but ないといけない is more conversational.
thank you!!!
Anytime :)
I wish to suggest a correction.
Original Version:
タクシーで駅まで行くのにいくら位かかりますか？
How much will it cost to the station?
Amendment:
タクシーで駅まで行くのにいくら位かかりますか？
How much will it cost to go to the station by taxi?