1,755 Answered Questions for the topic grammar

06/07/19

Why is the topic marker often used in negative statements (ではない, ～とは思わない)?
What function does は provide in statements such as 本ではない or 本だとは思わない? I notice the は after と is often left out, at least if a Google search for 思わない is any indication, but there still seems to be a... more
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Grammar Japanese Usage

06/07/19

What are the fundamental differences between the ～と一緒に and the ～とともに fragments?
I'm accustomed to saying `together with` using the `~ to issho ni` fragment, but I've been noticing that some people I talk to phrase this using `~ totomo ni` instead. i.e. 彼女と一緒に日本へ来た。 ... more
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Grammar When Clauses Tenses

06/07/19

Mixed tense sentence + When clause?
Is it legal to write something like this: > When I'm trying to post a form system alerts me with a warning message. I've seen people use this kind of writing.
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06/06/19

What's difference between the preterite and imperfect in Spanish?
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06/05/19

correctness of い adjective + です?
Generally, in all Japanese language classes, the rule you're taught is that です does not follow い adjectives. Instead, い adjectives can act like stative verbs, and as such terminate a sentence by... more
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Grammar Japanese Usage

06/05/19

Can 何で mean "how"?
Looking at <a href="http://www.guidetojapanese.org/learn/grammar/verbparticles">this</a>, it seems that when the word 何 is used with the で particle, it roughly translates into "by means... more
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06/05/19

When going somewhere, is there any difference between e (へ) and ni (に)?
Can you use へ and に interchangeably, as in 北海道へ行く and 北海道に行く? Are there any subtle differences in the use of these two?
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06/05/19

Is "Where do you sit?" correct for asking someone where their workspace is?
At work, if I had to ask someone where exactly they worked, as in where their workspace/cubicle is, what should I say? Is "where do you sit?" the usual thing to say? I'm from India and hear this... more
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06/05/19

Is "neither I" grammatically correct?
I'm just trying to figure out if "neither I" is grammatically correct as a standalone statment (in spoken English).
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06/05/19

What does “though less so ~” mean?
I’m reading a book about world history, and there is a phrase in a paragraph I have no idea: “They were mostly connected to productive hinterlands, **though less so** in the case of Perth than the... more
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06/03/19

And yet we're meant to be educating them for it. What does this mean?
I was watching a TED video and didn’t get a few of the sentences. I hope someone can explain them to me. > So I have a big interest in education, and I think we all do. We have a huge vested... more
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Grammar Japanese Meaning

06/03/19

What does 彼女は私ほど自分のことを好きじゃない mean?
Consider the following > 彼女は私ほど自分のことを好きじゃない。 My attempt is as follows - A: She does not love herself as much as I love myself. - B: She does not love herself as much as she loves me. -... more
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06/02/19

How to use から and だから as conjunctions?
Recently I was studying the use of から and だから as conjunctions. Could anyone explain why one is used in these examples while the other is not? Are there rules as to whether から and だから can follow a... more
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06/02/19

Does 今度 mean "this time" or "next time"?
1. My dictionary gives many meanings for 今度, they include "this time" as well as "next time". How can it mean both? Since it is 今 in it, shouldn't it only mean "this time"? 2. Also, I am confused... more
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Grammar Japanese Adverbs

06/02/19

Can totemo be used with daisuki or daikirai?
**totemo** means "very" **suki** means "like" **daisuki** means "like very much" If I really like something can I use `totemo totemo daisuki desu`?
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06/02/19

Understand the difference between [dictionary/ない ＋ ようとする] and [volitional ＋ にする]?
I have come across a couple of concepts that seem relatively similar, but I would like an understanding on their differences, if any. The first is the dictionary/ない form + ようとする. And the other is... more
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06/02/19

Can we say "There should be any problem for Adam to eat that apple"?
> There should be any problem for Adam to eat that apple. Is this a proper sentence? The use of *any* here seems to be an issue. For example it seems fine in sentences like: - I couldn't... more
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06/02/19

At Night or In the Night?
Why do we refer to morning, afternoon and evening as 'in the morning', 'in the afternoon', 'in the evening' but not 'in the night' instead we say 'at night.'
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06/02/19

What’s the difference between [v] たとしても and just the plain ても?
What’s the difference between [v] たとしても and just the plain ても? Example: > (1) 説明書を読んでも分かりにくい > (2) 説明書を読んだとしても分かりにくい
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Grammar Japanese Words Usage

06/02/19

Do Japanese parents address their son as musuko?
In America, parents can address their son as son. For example, "Son, could you open the window for me?" Do Japanese parents address their son as 息子？Thanks.
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Grammar Clauses

06/02/19

Am I using in "which in turn" correctly?
The windows do not block out sun light which in turn causes problems such as glares, eye damage, and skin damage for students.
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06/02/19

Can "would" be used twice in an English conditional sentence and still be grammatical?
I know how conditional *if* clause sentences work. I'm aware of the rules which I have to follow. However, I sometimes use *would* after *would* which of course is incorrect in terms of grammar.... more
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Grammar Japanese Jlpt

06/02/19

How does the use of いかんによっては in this question determine one answer over another?
In my JLPT practise book, in a section explaining the use of `いかんによっては`, which roughly means "depending on", they have the following question: >... more
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06/02/19

What's usage of 'to' following 'which' in a relative clause?
I see a sentence in a commercial article > Then in 2006, Amazon launched its Elastic Compute cloud (EC2) as a > commercial web service that allows small companies and individuals to > rent... more
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06/02/19

Why is 一緒に correct and 一緒で incorrect?
This is a mistake I habitually make, even though I know what the right form is. Earlier tonight, I wanted to tell my friend "Let's go together!", so I sent a mail saying: >... more
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