05/07/19

からだけ vs "だけから", which is grammatical?
Good afternoon all, I was wondering when we chain particles, should "から" come before "だけ", or should it be the other way round? For example, I'm expecting a mail from 健一, a mail from 健二, and a... more
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05/07/19

Difference between ながら, がてら and つつ?
What is the difference between ながら, がてら and つつ?
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05/03/19

だって (datte) meaning?
What are the possible uses for だって?
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05/03/19

〜しては is this a grammar pattern?
I was trying to translate this sentence: 僕はアルバイトしてはレコードばかり買っていたから、一日半働けばLP一枚買えるな、と思って働いていた。 I think I get the overall meaning as: Because I spent all my wages on records I went to work thinking... more
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05/03/19

Difference between ために and ように?
I've got a question regarding difference in usage of 辞書形+ように and 辞書形+ために with verbs' dictionary forms, i.e. - 飛行機に乗り遅れないように、前日早寝したのです。 - 彼は質問をするために手を上げました。 The notion I get is that the first... more
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04/30/19

In what way is the negative form of a verb an adjective?
I was reading the [wikipedia page on "predicate,"](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Predicate_%28grammar%29) where it mentioned that in Japanese, the negative form of a verb is an adjective. I thought... more
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04/29/19

Stative verbs: ～ている　vs　～てある　vs　～（ら）れる?
I'm not sure if I'm wording this properly, but I want to know the nuances of these "stative" type verb forms that act kind of like adjectives. For example, you could describe an open window with... more
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04/28/19

Confusion about "Seemingly not ～"?
So there are several ways to express something is "seemingly not ～": > * ～なさそう * ～そうにない * ～そうもない * ～そうにもない (is this one even real?) I was always taught ～なさそう in my Japanese classes, and it was... more
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04/26/19

what's the difference between ところで and ちなみに ?
what's the difference between ところで and ちなみに ? Are they always/often/seldom interchangeable?
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04/22/19

Habitual aspect?
My (poor) understanding of things is that there are two ways to get habitual semantics in Japanese: * use the dictionary form of the verb: > 毎日、映画{えいが}を見に行く "I go to the movies every day." *... more
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04/21/19

What is the subject when time passes in a narrative (eg １ヶ月を経る）?
(This might be a quick easy question but sometimes the answers to these are unexpected.) What is the subject in the following sentences？ I've given my best efforts for the examples 1-4 below. (I... more
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04/21/19

What form is あり?
On the road outside my daughter's nursery is painted 保育園アリ. I guess this is a form of ある, but what's it called, and why is あり used not ある？
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04/21/19

What form is あり?
On the road outside my daughter's nursery is painted 保育園アリ. I guess this is a form of ある, but what's it called, and why is あり used not ある？
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04/21/19

Difference between 書かないようになった and 書かなくなった?
Example sentences: ぜんぜん長い手紙を書かないようになった。 ぜんぜん長い手紙を書かなくなった。 My Translation: I never write long letters anymore. I believe they both mean the same thing but there's obviously some difference I... more
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04/18/19

Difference between てもいい and ていい?
> 寝ていい？ I've learned that to ask permission for doing something, you needed to use ～てもいい but the more I read japanese, the more I come across ～ていい. What is the difference ? Is the latter a... more
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04/17/19

Contrasting 〜てならない、〜てしょうがない and 〜てたまらない?
These three phrases can be used to express emotions and feelings that cannot be controlled. For example in the following sentences: a) １点差で負けたので、悔しくてならない。 b) １点差で負けたので、悔しくてしょうがない。 c)... more
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04/17/19

How does " ~ずにはいられない " work?
>時代の流れを感じずにはいられない。 I can't help but feel time passing by. >彼のことを同情せずにはいられない。 I can't help but to feel sorry for him. >私は、彼の才能を賞賛せずにはいられない。 I can't help but admire his talent. Would... more
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04/14/19

How to appropriately pair tenses in subordinate and main clauses?
Consider the following combination. Which is the correct one? 1. テレビが私の国で 《できた》 のは１９６０ 《です》。 1. テレビが私の国で 《できる》 のは１９６０ 《です》。 1. テレビが私の国で 《できた》 のは１９６０ 《でした》。 1. テレビが私の国で 《できる》 のは１９６０ 《でした》。 Note:... more
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04/13/19

What´s the difference between による, により and　によって?
I don't understand when you use it and what the difference is between each other. For example, when you say: > 火事によって多くの森林が焼けてしまった。 > 今回の地震による津波の心配はない。
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04/13/19

<adv> versus <adv>+と versus <adv>+に?
I often see adverbs used in one of three ways: 1) Adverb appears in isolation in a sentence: > **あまり** 好きじゃないんですが。 2) Adverb is followed by に > **別々に** お願いします。 >... more
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04/07/19

why is it that some 形容動詞 accepts の after it while some only accepts な after it?
why is it that some 形容動詞 accepts の after it while some only accepts な after it? Examples: の only: 普通、大勢 な or の: 初心、特別、特殊 Is there a way for us to tell if a 形容動詞 needs a の or な particle after... more
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04/06/19

What exactly is the difference between <verb>-てしまう and <verb>- [切]{き}る?
I've read that both the ～てしまう and ～きる (18th meaning of 切る at http://www.csse.monash.edu.au/~jwb/cgi-bin/wwwjdic.cgi?1MUE%E5%88%87%E3%82%8B) forms are used to signify something has been... more
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04/06/19

Writing a story in Japanese: how to handle dialogue?
I'm an elementary Japanese student. I am trying to write a simple story in Japanese, and I want to make it as interesting as possible with my current knowledge of the language. I am concerned about... more
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04/06/19

How to translate: "Keep/leave something". So, how to express intention to leave something unchanged?
Consider questions like: Please leave the door open, thanks! Could you please keep the lift's doors open? Thankyou Please, leave it as it is. They all imply something common: not changing... more
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04/05/19

So-called の-adjectives - how does の *really* work?
Ok, so there seems to be some controversy over whether we can really say that there are 'の-adjectives', or whether we simply use a noun in an "attributive" way (a term which I don't actually really... more
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