302 Answered Questions for the topic Japanese

05/28/19

Why is it 日本語がわかります instead of 日本語をわかります?
From what I understand, `は` is the topic marker, `が` is the subject marker, and `を` is the object marker. One of the first sentences I learned doesn't seem to fit the rules I described above. The... more
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05/27/19

Difference between ままに and ままで?
What would be the difference between > 扉はやはり音もなく、押されるまま**に**動いた。 and > 扉はやはり音もなく、押されるまま**で**動いた。 When do you use ままで instead of ままに？
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05/26/19

Why are we allowed to use を particle with na-adjectives?
Can someone explain the usage of a _na_-adjective with the を particle? I cannot understand why we can say > ほうれん草を嫌いな人もいる。 because I'd thought that it had to be a が or の particle instead of... more
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05/26/19

What are the general principles of using verbs to modify nouns (e.g. 焦げるトースト/焦げたトースト)?
In all the time I've studied the language, I've never heard or seen anybody even hint at whether the principles from a given language (like using “burnt toast” vs. “burning toast”) carry over, or... more
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05/26/19

Combining に/で particles with 等【など】(or other "etc." stand-ins)?
I was recently trying to make an **open-ended** enumeration of places in a construction that would require the use of a に particle. E.g.: > AやBに行こう or even: > A[and the... more
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05/25/19

に and で revisited?
Consider the statement A: ホテル（に/で）泊まる. For both cases would translate to "I stay at a hotel" in English. However they are answers to different questions. Consider the questions １．どこに泊まる　and... more
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05/25/19

Is it ever right to use ば conditional to mean 'when'?
> 「だっ大丈夫よ、まるちゃんだってわたしたちのタイプだと思うよ、ねぇ」ととし子ちゃんが**なぐさめれば**、「そうだよ。さくらはぼくらの方の仲間だよ」と長山君が笑顔で言い、「そうよ」とたまちゃんが優しくうなずく。 > *(When?)* Toshiko comforted her, saying, "It's alright. I think Maru is our kind... more
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Japanese Grammar Meaning

05/25/19

What's the meaning of もの in this sentence?
> てっきり、兄は腰を下ろす**もの**だと思っていた。 I have no clue about what it could mean.
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05/25/19

Is it true that にしたって is the colloquial form of にしたところで?
I've been thinking if it is true that にしたって is the colloquial form of にしたところで. In other words, are the bottom two sentences identical in meaning and nuance? 1)... more
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Japanese Grammar Anime Usage

05/25/19

In what situations can you use ぞ as a sentence ender?
When can one use the sentence ender ぞ? I've only ever heard it anime, so I'm unsure of it's actual usage in the real world. Is it not used that often or limited to specific age/gender groups?
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05/25/19

Understanding the usage of もう with present tense verbs?
I think when a lot of people first learn もう it's as "already', right? There's also the meanings of "anymore", "soon", "now", "more', "another" and its use as an interjection. That's a lot of... more
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Japanese

05/25/19

The grammar of ~かれ~かれ?
Consider these: > - 遅かれ早かれ > - 良【よ】かれ悪【あ】しかれ What is the underlying grammatical make up of this `~かれ~かれ` pattern (if any)? Is this pattern productive(i.e. can be extended to arbitrary... more
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05/25/19

Difference and nuance between することはない and する必要はない/する可能性はない?
I understand the grammar point "Verb (Dictionary Form) + ことはない" can mean either "There is no need" or "There is no possibility" depending on context. However, what are the differences? Are there... more
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Japanese Grammar Meaning

05/25/19

Who scolded whom in Aに怒られる?
I can see that someone got mad or someone made someone else mad. The things that make it difficult are `に` and the `られる` form of `怒る`. What does this mean? How do you figure out who did what in... more
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05/24/19

ならば vs なら. both are totally interchangeable without affecting the nuance of the sentence?
is it true that なら is merely a short form of ならば and as such, both are totally interchangeable without affecting the nuance of the sentence? Also, a second question is is ならば more "formal" than... more
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Japanese Grammar Particles

05/23/19

When is it okay to use あります with a living subject?
When learning Japanese everyone's taught いる is for a living thing and ある is for non-living things. However, I recently saw the following sentence ... >あと、サッカー選手でもあります。 ... which ends in ある /... more
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Japanese Grammar Word Choice

05/23/19

Different ways to show intention to do something?
How can one say "I am going to", express intention to do something in the future. I know some expressions such as: >たいと思う - 　I'm going to/ I want to >ましょう - I will/ Why don't I >... more
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Japanese Grammar

05/23/19

どうか, どうにか, どうかして - differences?
I was just wondering what the essential differences are between these and how I would use them in everyday speech. Thank you.
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05/23/19

Sentence (question) ending かい - how is it different from just か?
I sometimes find questions that are normally ended with the question particle か to end with かい. For example: > いいかい？ > そうかい？ > あいつがどうかしたかい？ And sometimes with just い without か (if I... more
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05/23/19

私は猫が好き and 猫は私が好き?
<sup>I'm an absolute beginner. I've learned Japanese in my spare time for less than two months. This is my first question here. Even though I think this question is potentially trivial, it's... more
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05/23/19

What does のですが mean in the following sentence?
焼き鳥屋さんで集まったのですが、とても楽しい、かつ有意義な時間を過ごしました。
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Japanese Grammar Verbs Tense

05/22/19

太ってる猫 vs "太った猫"?
I saw this sentence and its translation in a textbook > 彼女は太った猫が好きじゃない。 > She doesn't like fat cats I was under the impression that 「太ってる猫」 means something like “cat that is in the state... more
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05/21/19

What is 〜からです and when is it used? How does it differ from 〜ですから and 〜んです?
I have seen this expression a few times, and have never quite understood it. In particular, it seems to be equatable both to ですから and to んです, but I can't figure out where it would be used over... more
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05/21/19

Understanding どうしたら?
On the 100th anniversary of the first anime 東京国立近代美術館フィルムセンター said: > **どうしたら**このアニメがこれから１００年残っていくか考えてほしいと思います > ??? We want you think about how these anime will be here 100 years from... more
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05/20/19

What is the difference between "に" and "には"?
The title should be pretty self-explanatory. What meanings does each convey? And in what kinds of circumstances would one be used instead of the other? For example, what are the differences... more
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