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 Posted: Mon Aug 17, 2009 10:09 pm
Mhm. I've taken about the equivalent of four years of classes, starting back in my first year of high school. I'm going to be majoring in the language. 3nodding
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Posted: Mon Aug 17, 2009 11:56 pm
mazuac Ah, that's cool! ^^ I can't wait till I master Kana! Then I'll move on to Kanji! :]
Hm... Hypothetically, if I were to be emailing a Japanese person, and I wrote in only kana (hiragana mainly), and put spaces in between words, would they understand?
Like... こんいちわわたしのなまえはアレックスです。 Vs. こんいちわ わたしの なまえは アアレックス です。 Would that be understood?
Also (sorry for all the questions) I have a quick question about verbs.
For instance, the verb Taberu. Does that mean "to eat"? Then present/future - Tabemasu, does this mean to eat/will eat? Mainly I'm confused between the verb name, taberu, and the present-tense/future-tense tabemasu on what each means? First of all, konnichiwa is spelled こんにちは, with the 'ha' pronounced 'wa.' It's one of the exceptions. c: I think that a Japanese person would have a bit of an easier time with the second one but in either case I strongly recommend learning at least a few simple kanji- such as 'watashi,' 'namae,' days of the week, and so on.
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Posted: Tue Aug 18, 2009 9:29 am
Tougenkyou mazuac Ah, that's cool! ^^ I can't wait till I master Kana! Then I'll move on to Kanji! :]
Hm... Hypothetically, if I were to be emailing a Japanese person, and I wrote in only kana (hiragana mainly), and put spaces in between words, would they understand?
Like... こんいちわわたしのなまえはアレックスです。 Vs. こんいちわ わたしの なまえは アアレックス です。 Would that be understood?
Also (sorry for all the questions) I have a quick question about verbs.
For instance, the verb Taberu. Does that mean "to eat"? Then present/future - Tabemasu, does this mean to eat/will eat? Mainly I'm confused between the verb name, taberu, and the present-tense/future-tense tabemasu on what each means? First of all, konnichiwa is spelled こんにちは, with the 'ha' pronounced 'wa.' It's one of the exceptions. c: I think that a Japanese person would have a bit of an easier time with the second one but in either case I strongly recommend learning at least a few simple kanji- such as 'watashi,' 'namae,' days of the week, and so on. Wow, really? I thought "ha as wa" was only used as the topic marker? o-0;
And yeah, I have a mindset where I need to master something before moving on... So I am doing Hiragana, Katakana and then Kanji. O: I have a book with Kanji in it, which is nice. :] Are there any specific books for learning Kanji you would recommend, though?
@Vakruz: That's awesome! ^^ What jobs can you get as a major in Japanese? :]
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Posted: Tue Aug 18, 2009 11:03 am
I think the は in こんいちは is a topic marker... sort of... in some obscure grammatical sense... I think? I never really fully got it myself. sweatdrop
Well, I personally am looking to go into translation, so I know that's an option. 3nodding
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Posted: Tue Aug 18, 2009 2:55 pm
Vakruz I think the は in こんいちは is a topic marker... sort of... in some obscure grammatical sense... I think? I never really fully got it myself. sweatdrop Well, I personally am looking to go into translation, so I know that's an option. 3nodding Huh... Well, that makes sense then! XD
Ah, that'd be fun! Come work in Novi, Michigan! The school websites are in English AND Japanese because there are so many Japanese people there! >.<; Japan is good to, though! razz
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Posted: Tue Aug 18, 2009 8:04 pm
Vakruz Taberu and tabemasu mean the exact same thing. Both are present/future tense; they're pretty much the same word. The only differences are: 1. "taberu" is informal, while "tabemasu" is formal; 2. there are some grammar constructions where only "taberu" can be used; and 3. "taberu" is the form that you'll find in a dictionary. (This is why it's called the "dictionary form".) 1) my teacher always confuses me with dictionary form verbs. she says that it means (for example). to go= iku and ikimasu=go. I didn't know that the dictionary form was the informal form. 2) When you conjugate a dictionary form verb into polite form verb. is it possible to just drop off the "masu"? ex. iku->ikimasu->iki
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Posted: Tue Aug 18, 2009 10:41 pm
roku-kun1 Vakruz Taberu and tabemasu mean the exact same thing. Both are present/future tense; they're pretty much the same word. The only differences are: 1. "taberu" is informal, while "tabemasu" is formal; 2. there are some grammar constructions where only "taberu" can be used; and 3. "taberu" is the form that you'll find in a dictionary. (This is why it's called the "dictionary form".) 1) my teacher always confuses me with dictionary form verbs. she says that it means (for example). to go= iku and ikimasu=go. I didn't know that the dictionary form was the informal form. 2) When you conjugate a dictionary form verb into polite form verb. is it possible to just drop off the "masu"? ex. iku->ikimasu->iki 1) It's true in a sense, but she worded it a bit oddly. You can use "iku" if you want to say "to go" (I should have made that bullet point #4), which you can't do with ikimasu, but in most cases they will mean the same thing. (Though the dictionary form will only be informal if you're using it the way you would use "ikimasu".) 2) I'm not sure exactly what you mean. Are you asking if the stem form (iki) is a valid substitute for the dictionary form (iku) or the -masu form (ikimasu)? If that's what you're asking, then no, you can't use them the same way. Is that what you meant?
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Posted: Wed Aug 19, 2009 12:12 am
Vakruz roku-kun1 Vakruz Taberu and tabemasu mean the exact same thing. Both are present/future tense; they're pretty much the same word. The only differences are: 1. "taberu" is informal, while "tabemasu" is formal; 2. there are some grammar constructions where only "taberu" can be used; and 3. "taberu" is the form that you'll find in a dictionary. (This is why it's called the "dictionary form".) 1) my teacher always confuses me with dictionary form verbs. she says that it means (for example). to go= iku and ikimasu=go. I didn't know that the dictionary form was the informal form. 2) When you conjugate a dictionary form verb into polite form verb. is it possible to just drop off the "masu"? ex. iku->ikimasu->iki 1) It's true in a sense, but she worded it a bit oddly. You can use "iku" if you want to say "to go" (I should have made that bullet point #4), which you can't do with ikimasu, but in most cases they will mean the same thing. (Though the dictionary form will only be informal if you're using it the way you would use "ikimasu".) 2) I'm not sure exactly what you mean. Are you asking if the stem form (iki) is a valid substitute for the dictionary form (iku) or the -masu form (ikimasu)? If that's what you're asking, then no, you can't use them the same way. Is that what you meant? The second one IS possible. However it's only for very "katai" reports (businesslike? I'm not sure how to really translate that... like, when writing a very official report), and even then it's really only for linking two verbs, instead of using the -te form. It's all intermediate/high-intermediate stuff though, and not used in normal situations. Like, you wouldn't use it just on its own, and never when speaking or writing normal reports. It's good for thesis reports and stuff though.
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Posted: Wed Aug 19, 2009 12:53 am
Tougenkyou Vakruz roku-kun1 Vakruz Taberu and tabemasu mean the exact same thing. Both are present/future tense; they're pretty much the same word. The only differences are: 1. "taberu" is informal, while "tabemasu" is formal; 2. there are some grammar constructions where only "taberu" can be used; and 3. "taberu" is the form that you'll find in a dictionary. (This is why it's called the "dictionary form".) 1) my teacher always confuses me with dictionary form verbs. she says that it means (for example). to go= iku and ikimasu=go. I didn't know that the dictionary form was the informal form. 2) When you conjugate a dictionary form verb into polite form verb. is it possible to just drop off the "masu"? ex. iku->ikimasu->iki 1) It's true in a sense, but she worded it a bit oddly. You can use "iku" if you want to say "to go" (I should have made that bullet point #4), which you can't do with ikimasu, but in most cases they will mean the same thing. (Though the dictionary form will only be informal if you're using it the way you would use "ikimasu".) 2) I'm not sure exactly what you mean. Are you asking if the stem form (iki) is a valid substitute for the dictionary form (iku) or the -masu form (ikimasu)? If that's what you're asking, then no, you can't use them the same way. Is that what you meant? The second one IS possible. However it's only for very "katai" reports (businesslike? I'm not sure how to really translate that... like, when writing a very official report), and even then it's really only for linking two verbs, instead of using the -te form. It's all intermediate/high-intermediate stuff though, and not used in normal situations. Like, you wouldn't use it just on its own, and never when speaking or writing normal reports. It's good for thesis reports and stuff though. The short version. 学校に行きます。試験を受ける。 "Going to school. Taking a test." Using the -ます form for the verbs in both sentences makes them complete thoughts, thus they won't link. 学校に行って、試験を受ける "Going to school, then taking a test." The て form of linking is used in everyday activities, both written and spoken. 学校に行き、試験を受ける "Going to school and then taking a test." Using the stem form to link is normally reserved for more formal situations, like writing for a business, or for school papers and much like when teachers have us use proper punctuation for our own papers.
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Posted: Wed Aug 19, 2009 1:02 am
Koiyuki Using the stem form to link is normally reserved for more formal situations, like writing for a business for school papers and much like when teachers have us use proper punctuation for our own papers. Note: school papers doesn't mean, say, high school essays. You'd get weird looks for that; it's far too businesslike-formal, despite using the dictionary form. :]
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Posted: Wed Aug 19, 2009 6:54 am
Well I learned something today, then. surprised
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Posted: Thu Aug 20, 2009 8:51 am
Haha, I have another question about verbs... >.<'
Well, most of my knowledge on verbs comes from Spanish and English... So, for instance...
In Spanish the verb "to eat" is "comer." Which can mean to eat, and eating. Does/can "taberu" mean to eat and eating?
Also, for instance, "yo como" means "I eat" and it can mean "I am eating" would... "watashi wa taberu" mean "I eat" and "I am eating?"
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Posted: Thu Aug 20, 2009 9:31 am
In a loose sense, yes.
Strictly speaking, though, there is a way to convey ongoing action. Use the -te form of the verb and put "imasu"/"iru" after it if you want to place emphasis on the fact that the action is ongoing. (arimasu/aru if whatever is doing the action is inanimate.) That's the technically correct way to do it.
In practice though, I think you could go either way.
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Posted: Thu Aug 20, 2009 8:04 pm
Koiyuki Tougenkyou Vakruz roku-kun1 Vakruz Taberu and tabemasu mean the exact same thing. Both are present/future tense; they're pretty much the same word. The only differences are: 1. "taberu" is informal, while "tabemasu" is formal; 2. there are some grammar constructions where only "taberu" can be used; and 3. "taberu" is the form that you'll find in a dictionary. (This is why it's called the "dictionary form".) 1) my teacher always confuses me with dictionary form verbs. she says that it means (for example). to go= iku and ikimasu=go. I didn't know that the dictionary form was the informal form. 2) When you conjugate a dictionary form verb into polite form verb. is it possible to just drop off the "masu"? ex. iku->ikimasu->iki 1) It's true in a sense, but she worded it a bit oddly. You can use "iku" if you want to say "to go" (I should have made that bullet point #4), which you can't do with ikimasu, but in most cases they will mean the same thing. (Though the dictionary form will only be informal if you're using it the way you would use "ikimasu".) 2) I'm not sure exactly what you mean. Are you asking if the stem form (iki) is a valid substitute for the dictionary form (iku) or the -masu form (ikimasu)? If that's what you're asking, then no, you can't use them the same way. Is that what you meant? The second one IS possible. However it's only for very "katai" reports (businesslike? I'm not sure how to really translate that... like, when writing a very official report), and even then it's really only for linking two verbs, instead of using the -te form. It's all intermediate/high-intermediate stuff though, and not used in normal situations. Like, you wouldn't use it just on its own, and never when speaking or writing normal reports. It's good for thesis reports and stuff though. The short version. 学校に行きます。試験を受ける。 "Going to school. Taking a test." Using the -ます form for the verbs in both sentences makes them complete thoughts, thus they won't link. 学校に行って、試験を受ける "Going to school, then taking a test." The て form of linking is used in everyday activities, both written and spoken. 学校に行き、試験を受ける "Going to school and then taking a test." Using the stem form to link is normally reserved for more formal situations, like writing for a business, or for school papers and much like when teachers have us use proper punctuation for our own papers. Oh I see! thank you
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Posted: Fri Aug 21, 2009 12:34 pm
Vakruz I think the は in こんいちは is a topic marker... sort of... in some obscure grammatical sense... I think? I never really fully got it myself. sweatdrop Well, I personally am looking to go into translation, so I know that's an option. 3nodding Wow. Confusing. I'm glad I caught this thread. I was another who thought the word would end with わ instead of はは. I guess I can understand how it's supposed to work though.
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