日本語 Japanese Ask Questions Thread 4

If you have a question about the language, ask it and fellow 4channers might see it and answer it for you.


Japanese Ask Questions Thread2
http://dis.4chan.org/read/lang/1206158123/1-40

Japanese Ask Questions Thread3
http://dis.4chan.org/read/lang/1267485093/1-40

>>80
"Thank you very much!! I think next time I will create a work which will look unable to be made as a kit."

I already finished 250 pages of genki and still don't feel that I grasp anything harder than "それは猫です。猫はかわいいですね。私はかわいい猫が好きです。"

Genki has grammar in lessons, but they use grammar from previous lessons so rarely, that I already forgot most of it. Short dialogs do not help either.

Am I doing something wrong?

What's the best place to find Japanese subtitles for movies? Opensubtitles has some but are there any other?

fuck off subfag

>>83
Generally, you don't. Try downloading the DVD versions from Perfect Dark, they'll often have subtitles (though often not word-for-word). All in all, if a piece of Japanese media doesn't have subtitles, it's probably better to play it by ear anyway (pause or slow down the movie if necessary/possible).

>>85
Isn't here anyone making subs for illegally downloaded English movies? In my country almost every new movie gets an amateur made translation released in the internet.

What's the best way to start learning for an absolute, 0-knowledge beginner? I've tried to start learning before, but I could never get any sort of progress, since I couldn't find any sort of structured plan for how to learn in any online resource.
Not to mention most of the resources I could find were of dubious quality...

Hey, if anyone could help me with a couple things, I'd really appreciate it.

Basically, there's just a few grammar points that I'm getting hung up on. Currently, I'm trying to translate the following:

"I want to study abroad in Canada next year, but I don’t like the English professor, so I can’t go. I can’t get him to write a letter of recommendation."

Right now, I have:
Rainen Canada ni benkyoushi ni ikitai, ga eigo no sensei ga kirai desu kara, ikemasen.  Watashi ni suisenjo o kaite kureraremasen.

I think I have the gist of the first sentence down, but if you see any fatal flaws please fix them.  As for the second sentence, I'm pretty stumped.  I know that I have to work in 'ndesu' form in there somehow, but I'm not sure how.  As for the garbled mess at the end, I translated writing a letter of recommendation as "suisenjo o kaite kureraremasen" (te form and kureru because it's a favor, and then I attempted potential form to make it kurerareru, which I don't even think is right).

>>88
I'm not sure exactly what you want, but I'll give at it what I can.
For the first sentence, "ga" shouldn't by itself. "ikitaindesuga" would work better. Saying straight out "kirai" seems a bit harsh to me, but instead of "desu kara", "nanode" might be better. But I don't really like how it's "eigo no sensei", but at your level, I'm sure it's fine. Not sure about the need for the second comma though.
Seond sentence, I'd add "Sensei ha" to clarify, and "ni" should be "no". Something like "Sensei ha watashi no suisenjo wo kaite kuremasen".

Again, I'm not exactly sure of your situation, but I hope it won't be written in romaji

>>89
Yeah, I'm a first year student so some of my constructs will definitely sound harsh, given the tools I have available.

For the second sentence, I just feel like kuremasen would imply something like "He didn't write a letter of recommendation" as opposed to something like "I can't get him to write one."  Is that wrong?  We just learned potential form so I feel like he's trying to stuff it in as much as possible.

And since that's explaining why the speaker can't go, would that not need ndesu?

>>90
Actually, I think what I wrote should be "Sensei ga". Anyway, it's more like "He won't write my recommendation". I know it's not exactly the same, but I"m having trouble coming up with a way to rephrase the sentence.
"Sensei (wo) suisenjo wo kaku koto settoku dekimasen"
Would be something like "I can't persuade teacher to write my recommendation"

Sorry if there are any grammatical errors. I only speak in Japanese, so I can only say what "feels" right. I may not be the best person to help you, but it seemed like you needed help quick.

>>88
"I want to study abroad in Canada next year, but I don’t like the English professor, so I can’t go. I can’t get him to write a letter of recommendation."

「来年カナダに留学したいんだけど英語の教授のことがあまり好きじゃないから行けない状態です。（それより、そして、その上に）私は（その教授に）推薦状を書いてもらうことが出来ません。」

First, using "Canada ni benkyoushi ni ikitai" to designate that you want to study abroad sounds a little stinted. Using 留学する instead flows better (because that's what it actually means). Also, the construction "stem+ni+iku" operates much better in short-term sentences like "going/went to play golf". The result sounds like "I'm going to go to Canada to study (for bit but I'll be back)".

If you're at the college level, 先生　can be exchanged with 教授, though it isn't entirely necessary. You might as well learn it now though.

Saying （人）がきらい of anyone is not only rude but makes you sound slightly childish.　（人）があまり好きじゃない puts some distance between you and the person but still manages to communicate that you don't really like them.

If you want to literally say "I can't go" you're right to use 行けない but that leads me to question exactly why. The potential form in and of itself denotes that you are able or unable to perform a task, not that you are not being permitted to do so.

The sentence "I can’t get him to write a letter of recommendation" can be worded in many ways, largely because it's idiomatic in English ("GET someone to do A" meaning "MAKE someone do A"). Though its possible to use causative form here, I opted to again respect the professor in question. 書いてもらう literally means "to receive the writing of" though the "te-form+morau" construction is often translated as "to get someone to etc." Used in conjunction with ことが出来ない, this shows that you are unable to do such. "Watashi ni suisenjo o kaite kurenai" is not wrong grammatically or situationally (though it is written in eye-bleeding romanji) it just says "(The professor) will not write me a letter of recommendation", eschewing the idea that you are unable to provoke him.

Also, learn hiragana now.

>>88
In short, a bad relationship with the prof makes you difficult to study abroad, doesn't it? If so, that pair of sentences looks a bit disconnected.
You may as well use "eigo no kyouju to no kankei ga yoku nai node"(the relationship with the English professor is not good, so..) instead of "suki" or "kirai". That clarifies the cause, and is gentler than representing that feeling directly.

この板はスパムだらけだよね
この調子では死んでしまう

I guess japs hate this pirated edition of 2chan and want to drive out this site. If not, why spams are always written in kanji?

やっぱいつも漢字で書かれているんだけど
日本人は本当に４ちゃんに対してこの程度の怒りを抱いているか？
そもそも一目見れば、この掲示板はけっして人気があるではないということは明らかだね

私は日本人、嫌い４ちゃん

>>97
出て行け

Hello everyone! I have 2 question for you guys.
1) Regarding giving/receiving verbs; i don`t get what this `circle of family` is, i know the main use of ageru, kureru, morau (morau also seems confusing).

2) Anyone care to explain how verbs works? i`m talking about transitive and intransitive + their particles.

Thanks all.

I'm wondering how to say "If people keep saying things like that, I might actually start to believe it".

I've got:

「人々はそんなことを言って続けたら、私は本当に信じるにいたるかもしれません。」
および
「人々はそんなことを言いっぱなしだったら私は本当に信じるにいたるかもしれません。」

どっちの方がいいって決定できません。
むしろ両方が間違っている可能性もありますね。
だれか手助けをしてくれればうれしいです。

Can someone help explain the meaning of "そんなんで"? Is it a contraction of some sort?

For example, in the phrase "そんなんで大丈夫なんですか？" I think it means, "Is something like that okay?" with "something like that" = "そんなんで".

Hello minna! Anyone care to explain me the `dressing` verbs? I know there are like 3-4 different verbs that you use with different clothing pieces. Thanks all

>>100
「言いっぱなし」は言い続けることではなくて、無責任に言うことなので、ここでは使えません。
上の文を少しなおして、
「人々がそんなことを言い続けたら、私は本当に信じるにいたるかもしれません。」
とすれば、よいです。

私なら後半は、こう書きます。
「私は本当にそれを信じはじめるかもしれません。」

>>102
履く　＝　to wear on lower body (pants, shoes, underwear)
着る　＝ to wear on total body (suit, kimono) or upper body (shirt)
被る　＝ to wear on the head (hat, your ass)

Now that I'm done with the first RTK, I'm thinking of doing Tae Kim's Grammar Guide and learning vocab along the way from anki.
Does anyone have any suggestions on how to proceed from here on out?
I've heard Byki is pretty good.

Does anyone else think its funny that 時,寺,侍,持 can all be read as "ji"?

>>106
No.
>>105
Kanji damage, news sites, dramas, music, games, TV shows.

>>99
Anyonecan explain those please?

>>106
There a lot of such kanji in japanese. They even have some funny name, but I forgot it.

>>109
Found it. Kanji damage calls them "strong radicals" http://kanjidamage.com/tags/24

>>108
No, please read textbook.

>>111
Are you Japanese? I'm just curious.

How do you say I want to exert my dominance over inferior females by shitting in their pixelated mouths ?

>>113
"そうです、私が変なおじさんです"

>>113
「俺は彼女らのピクセルで構成された口の中にウンチすることで劣った女性達を支配したい。」
”I want to exert my dominance over inferior females by shitting in their pixelated mouths”

How can i say "many", as in "next week, I have many things to do, therefore, I won't have any time."?
Tasukan? When i translated it using that word, it didn't sound good enough.

"I have many things to do" -> "watashi niha takusan yaru koto ga aru"("there are many things for me to do")

>>116
来週は沢山用事があるので時間がない。

>>118
>>116
Alternatively you could use 用事がいっぱいあるから時間がない

How would I say, "Why doesn't Tanaka-san play the guitar anymore?"

Would "なんで田中さんはギターがもう弾いてないですか？" be a correct way?