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We have already learned two helping verbs;
1. [V-te]+iru
2. [V-te]+shimau
These “iru” and “shimau” are verbs. When they are combined with other verbs like 1 and 2, they slightly lose their original meanings, instead, they add some meanings to the verbs in Te-form. These “-iru” and “-shimau” are works like “auxiliary verbs”, but Japanese has the word groups that should be called “auxiliary verbs” in terms of grammer. Therefore, my posts call this kind of verbs “helping verbs”.
In the section 30, we are going to learn two helping verbs, “-aru/arimasu” and “oku/okimasu”. The exercises A1 and A2 are for “-aru/arimasu”, and A3 to A5 are for “oku/okimasu”. The original meanings of these two are as follows;
“Aru/Arimasu”: A thing, an object without life, and a plant exist.
“Oku/Okimasu”: put something onto somewhere
When these verbs become “helping verbs”, although these original meanings get weakened, they add some nuance to the verb in front of them.
We are learning one of usages of helping verb “aru/arimasu” in A1. At first, let’s check the conjugation patterns of it.
– Dictionary form = aru, Masu-form = ari masu
– Nai-form = nai*
– Te-form = atte, Ta-form = atta
Though the verb “aru” is a Group1-R verb, but Nai-form “aranai” is hardly used in modern Japanese. Saying “Aranai desu.” will be considered incorrect. It is interesting that the negative form of verb “aru” is an I-adjective “nai”. A bit of digression, but “Arimasen” sounds better than “Naidesu.” when saying something doesn’t exist.
Then, let us look at today’s sentences;
3. Kokuban ni Ji ga Kaite ari masu. (Some characters have been written on the blackboard.)
Looking at this sentence 3, think about the followings
– “ga” is the subject marker.
– “Kaite” is the Te-form of the transitive verb “Kaku/Kakimasu”.
– “arimasu” is a helping verb here, which is an intransitive verb.
Since the verb “Kaku” is a transitive verb, usually it should be “Ji o Kaku”, but as you see, it’s “Ji ga”. So. it would be better to think that the subject is “Ji (ga)” whose predicate is “arimasu”.
Then, what is the difference between “(3’) Kokuban ni Ji ga Arimasu.” and “(3.) Kokuban ni Ji ga Kaite arimasu.”? 3’ is simply telling current situation. On the other, 3 is telling is that someone wrote characters on the black board at some time in the past, and the characters still remain on the board.
4. Kaban ni Denshi-Jisho ga Irete ari masu. (An electric dictionary has been put in a bag.)
This sentence says that someone put the electric dictionary into bag at some time in the past, and the result of putting the dictionary into bag remains until now. Probably the person who put it in the bag is “Watashi (I)”. Then don’t you think we have learned a similar thing recently? That was at A1 and A2 in the section 29 with the construction of “[Vi-te] iru/imasu”. Look at the sentence below;
5. Kaban ni Denshi-Jisho ga Haitte i masu. (There has been an electric dictionary in the bag.)
This sentence says that an electric dictionary itself got into a bag at some time in the past, and the result of getting into bag remains until now. Therefore, the sentence 4 and 5 have almost the same meaning. But you need to be careful about the difference between the two.
– 4 : [Vt-te] arimasu: Irete+arimasu
– 5 : [Vi-te] imasu: Haitte+imasu
Note that “Hairu” and “Ireru” are “a pair of intransitive and transitive verb”.
6. Genkan ni Surippa’a ga Narabete arimasu. (Slippers have been lined up at the entrance.)
This sentence says that someone put slippers neatly on the floor of entrance at some time in the past, and the result of putting slippers remains until now. “Narabete” is the Te-form of the transitive verb “Naraberu/Narabemasu”. The intransitive verb that can be the pair of this is “Narabu/Narabimasu”. Since Nai-form of Narabu is Nara<ba>nai, the conjugation pattern of “Narabu/Narabimasu” is Group1-B. Do you remember “Bi/Mi/Ni=>nde”? The Te-form of Narabu is “Narande”. Let us make “[Vi-te]+imasu”.
7. Genkan ni Surippa’a ga Narande imasu. (There have been slippers lining up at the entrance.)
Since it is not clear where today’s sentences are above, they are as below;
3. Kokuban ni Ji ga Kaite ari masu. (Some characters have been written on the blackboard.)
4. Kaban ni Denshi-Jisho ga Irete ari masu. (An electric dictionary has been put in a bag.)
6. Genkan ni Surippa’a ga Narabete arimasu. (Slippers have been lined up at the entrance.)
The sentence construction of these is;
[Noun] ni [Subject] ga [Vt-te]+arimasu.
I think that today’s post can end here, but let me continue, although the following explanation may be a confusing one.
Using today’s sentence construction, making the sentence below is okay;
8. Shinkansen no Kippu ga Yoyaku-shite arimasu. (A ticket of high-speed train has been reserved.)
The verb “Yoyaku-suru” is a transitive verb, and today’s construction is “— [Subject] ga [Vt-te]+arimasu.” But look at the next one. Is the sentence okay?
9. Shinkansen no Kippu o Yoyaku-shite arimasu. (I have already reserved a ticket of high-speed train.)
Probably, it’s okay in the real situation. Sometimes a native Japanese speaker does say so. This is simply because “Yoyaku-suru” is a transitive verb. In the sentence 9, Kippu is not the subject of intransitive verb “arimasu”, but the object of transitive verb “Yoyaku-suru”. Even if a native speaker uses the sentence 9, I don’ think this sentence is okay to be written in the textbook. I may be wrong. There is a school of thought who thinks it is the best way to inundate a learner into the vast magnitude of flood of foreign language with a lot of words, expressions, and their variations. I think I am at opposite end as to teaching a foreign language. I try to facilitate learners understanding by restricting vocabulary and patterns of sentence constructions.
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This post was written with reference to the exercise A1 on Section30 of “Minna no Nihongo (2nd Edition)” published by “3A Corporation”
Yesterday we learned a helping verb “-shimau”. With a Te-form of a verb, “V-te shimau” can express the following two;
(1) A thing to do has already been done. (in the case of past-tense “shimaimashita”)
Example: Happyou no Suraido wa Mou Tsukutte shimai mashita.
(I have already made slides for presentation.)
(2) Though I didn’t expect, I made an error. (with past-tense “shimaimashita”)
Example: Densha ni Kasa o Wasurete Shimai mashita.
(I left my umbrella in a train.)
Today we are learning the usage (2). Please refer to yesterday’s post about the usage (1) and other basic things about “V-te shimau”.
The usage of (2) is used when you have made an error. It is like you didn’t have any intention to do such mishap, which is usually difficult to recover. Look at some examples below;
1. Heya no Kagi o Nakushite shimai mashita. (I lost my room key.)
The verb “Nakusu/Naku[shi]masu” is a Gr1-S verb. In order to get Te-form, using {shi=>shite} for Gr1-S verbs, you get “Nakushite”. Note that “Nakusu/Nakushimasu” is a transitive verb. Therefore, the object of action “lose” is described with the particle “-o”(Kagi o Nakusu).
2. Jugyou ni Okurete shimai mashita. (I couldn’t get to the class in time.)
The verb “Okureru/Okuremasu” is a Gr2 verb. It’s easy to get Te-form “Okurete” by taking place of “masu” with “te”. Note that “Okureru/Okuremasu” is an intransitive verb. Therefore, you cannot say “(WRONG) Jugyou o Okureru”. The particle “ni” is used to describe what is target of an action’s effect.
3. Sumaho ga Kowarete shimai mashita.
Since the particle “ga” is the subject marker, “Sumaho” is the subject. “Kowarete” is the Te-form of “Kowareru/Kowaremasu”. Do you know “Kowareru” is an intransitive verb or a transitive verb? Look at the comparison between intransitive and transitive verbs below;
– Sumaho ga Kowarete shimai mashita. (My smartphone has broken.)
– Sumaho o Kowashite shimai mashita. (I have broken my smartphone.)
“Kowareru” is an intransitive verb, and “Kowasu” is a transitive verb. Be careful about the difference of the particles between “ga” and “o”.
“V-te shimau” of today’s usage is to express that an unintentional error has been made. But with a caution about particles, let us look at the following conversations;
Teacher : Doushite Jugyou ni Okuremashitaka. (Why are you late for the class?)
Student1 : Densha ga Okurete shimatta ndesu. (Because ?????)
Student2 : Densha ni Okurete shimatta ndesu. (Because ?????)
Can you tell which student will be scolded by teacher?
Before wrap up toady’s post, let’s review two usages of “V-te shimau” again.
(1) A thing to do has already been done.
Example: Happyou no Suraido wa Mou Tsukutte shimai mashita.
(I have already made slides for presentation.)
(2) Though I didn’t expect, I made an error.
Example: Densha ni Kasa o Wasurete Shimai mashita.
(I left my umbrella in a train.)
Don’t you feel funny because usually (1) expresses a positive thing, but (2) a negative thing? The identical “V-te shimau” sentence construction means two opposite things. Sometimes an independent one sentence is not enough to know the meaning. You need to know the context in which the “V-te shimau” sentence is being used.
4. Furui Hon o Sutete shimai mashita. (I have thrown old books.)
Is this sentence 4 means (1) or (2)? — It’s not clear.
4-1. Furui Hon o Sutete shimai mashita. Heya ga Hiroku Nari mashita.
(I have thrown old books. I have got more space in my room.)
4-2. Kichouna Hon deshitaga, Machiatte Furui Hon o Sutete shimai mashita.
(I mistakenly have thrown old books that were valuable.)
Now you know 4-1 is (1), 4-2 is (2).
Likewise, sometimes an identical sentence construction has two usages. You can’t tell the exact meaning without context. Now we know the potential expressions. (We learned the long one in the section 18 and short one in 27. Let me use the long one.)
5. Oyogu koto ga Dekimasu. (I can swim.)
5-1 Watashi wa Sen-me’etoru Oyogu koto ga Dekimasu. (I can swim 1000 meters.)
5-2 Kono Pu’uru wa Yoru Juu-ji made Oyogu koto ga Dekimasu. (We can swim until 10 p.m. in this pool.)
5-1 describes a person’s ability, and 5-2 describes that a situation allows you to do. This kind of “the same construction has two meanings” will appear again in the section 48 about Causative expressions. It is important for Japanese learners to understand meaning of a sentence not only based on the construction, but also deriving from the context.
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This post was written with reference to the exercise A4 on Section29 of “Minna no Nihongo (2nd Edition)” published by “3A Corporation”
Through the exercises A1 and A2 in this section 29, we have learned one of usages that was expressed by “V-te iru”. Those were to express that a result of action is persisting. When you learn and utter the expressions “V-te iru”, it is important to make Te-form correctly. But have you ever thought about what “iru” is? Probably you know that “iru/imasu” is an intransitive verb to express an existence of an animal and/or people. Apparently, the verb “iru” is one of basic verbs and frequently used one. Those basic verbs were often placed right after a verb in order to add some meanings. Let me call such verbs “helping verbs”. When a basic verb becomes a helping verb, the original meaning of it would get weakened. And a helping verb is usually written in Hiragana. See the examples below;
1. Chichi no Kami ga Shiroku Natte kimasita (きました). (My dad’s hair has become gradually white.)
The helping verb “kuru (kimashita)” has lost its original meaning of “come”. Once it has turned to be “Natte kuru”, “kuru” no longer means spatial movement, now it means a change from past to present.
2. Gakkou ni Kyoukasho o Motte Kimashita (来ました). (I came to the school putting the textbook into my bag.)
In this case, the verb “kuru (kimashita)” does mean “come” because the speaker really conducted spatial movement. It does not become a helping verb. So, “Kimashita” is written with Kanji.
Today, we are learning another helping verb “-shimau”. This one is not so “basic” verb, but one of important helping verbs. Its original meaning is to put something into some places with well-organized manner. Let us check the conjugation of the verb “shimau”
– Dictionary form = Shimau, Masu-form = Shimai masu
– Nai-form = Shimawa nai (Gr1-W)
– Te-form = Shimatte, Ta-form = Shimatta
– Potential form = Shimaeru
When “-shimau” becomes a helping verb, “V-te shimau” has two usages as the following;
(1) A thing to do has already been done. (in the case of past-tense “shimaimashita”)
This is what we are leaning in the exercise A3 today.
(2) Though I didn’t expect, I made an error. (with past-tense “shimaimashita”)
This is what we are going to learn in A4 tomorrow.
Then let us look at several examples of “V-te shimau” for the usage (1);
1. Manga no “Wan Pi’isu” wa Zenbu Yonde shimai mashita.
(I have already read through the comic “One Piece”.)
2. Happyou no Suraido wa Mou Tsukutte shimai mashita.
(I have already made slides for presentation.)
3. Shukudai wa Toshokan de Yatte shimaimasu.
(I am going to complete the homework while I am in the library.)
4. Hoteru wa Ashita madeni Yoyaku-shite shimaimasu.
(I am going to make a reservation for the hotel by tomorrow.)
There is one thing that is common to all the four sentences. It is that the particle “wa” is not the subject marker but the topic marker. The original particle was “o” which is to indicate an object of transitive verb’s action. The followings show “[Object] o [Transitive verb]”;
1’ “Wan Pi’isu” o Yomu 2’ Suraido o Tsukuru
3’ Shukudai o Yaru 4’ Hoteru o Yoyaku-suru
Since the speaker wanted to make these objects the topic of the sentences, the object marker “o” turned to be “wa” and the word with “wa” was placed at the top of the sentence. Again, this “wa” is not subject marker but topic marker. Therefore, you cannot find the subject in the sentences 1 through 4. If you cannot find the subject in the sentence, it is usually “Watashi” in the beginner’s level of Japanese learning.
The sentences 1 and 2 end with “mashita.” This means the sentences are of past/perfect tense. On the other, the sentence 3 and 4 end with “masu”. In a verb predicate sentence, the ending with “masu” indicates that the sentence is in present tense sometimes, but usually in future tense. And if the subject is “Watashi (I)”, “Verb+masu” expresses a strong will of the speaker. The sentence 3 says that the speaker has a strong will to complete his/her homework. And the sentence 4 says that the speaker has a strong will to make a reservation of hotel.
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This post was written with reference to the exercise A3 on Section29 of “Minna no Nihongo (2nd Edition)” published by “3A Corporation”
There are not much differences from yesterday’s sentences. Both in yesterday’s and today’s, “V-te iru” works to express a result that happened in one time in the past has still been persisting. This kind of “V-te iru” sometimes is dealt with a part of “V-te iru for “Action Continues””, but when an intransitive verb is used for “V-te iru”, it is categorized as “A Result is Persisting”. The only difference between yesterday and today is the subject markers. Yesterday’s sentences use “ga” and today’s “wa”. And today’s sentences use one-series of Ko-so-a words,
1. Kono Denki wa Kiete imasu. (This light is turned off.)
2. Sono Ko’ohi’i Sa’aba’a wa Koshou Shite imasu. (That coffee server broke.)
3. Ano Ki wa Taorete imasu. (That tree has fallen over.)
The sentence 1 indicates that the light turned off in some point in past. After that, the light has been off until now. This explanation was repeated in yesterday’s post. So for today, let us just look at two issues; comparison between intransitive and transitive verbs, and comparison between “wa” and “ga”.
[ 1 ] Intransitive verbs and Transitive verbs
1. Int: Kieru/Kiemasu : Denki ga Kiemashita. (The light turned off.)
Tra: Kesu/Keshimasu : Watashi wa Denki o Keshimashita. (I turned the light off.)
2. Int: Koshoushuru/Koshoushimasu : Ko’ohi’i Sa’aba’a ga Koshou shimasita. (The coffee server has broken.)
Interestingly, there isn’t the transitive version of “Koshousuru/Koshoushimasu”. One of group3 verb “Suru/Shimasu” is very often used as transitive verbs. Although “Suru/Shimasu” sometimes works as intransitive verbs, but not many times. Likewise, compound group 3 verbs with active noun and “Suru/Shimasu” are usually transitive.
<examples — transitive>
– Benkyou-suru (study) : Nihongo o Benkyou-shimasu (study Japanese)
– Ryouri-suru (cook) : Suigyouza o Ryouri-shimasu (cook boiled dumplings)
– Yoyaku-suru (reserve) : Hoteru o Yoyaku-shimasu (reserve a hotel room)
<examples — intransitive>
But there are some compound Gr3 verbs that is a combination of active noun and “Suru/Shimasu”
– Sanka-suru (participate) : Boranthia ni Sanka-shimasu (participate a volunteer activity)
– Goukaku-suru (pass a exam) : Kiken ni Goukaku-shimasu (pass the examination)
– Shuushoku-suru (start working) : Kaisha ni Shuushoku-shimasu (start working in a company)
– Koshou-suru (break) : Kopi’iki ga Koshou-shimasita (Photocopy machine has broken.)
So, group3 verbs “Naninani-suru” are usually transitive verbs, but you need to be careful that some of them are intransitive verbs.
3. Int: Taoreru/Taoremasu : Ki ga Taore mashita. (The tree fell down.)
Tra: Taosu/Taoshimasu : Furui Ie o Taoshi mashita. (We tore down the old house.)
As is the case in 1 and 3, There are pairs of intransitive verb and transitive verb. It is like rise-raise, lie-lay, and sit-seat in English. The problem is that there are so many such pairs in Japanese. On the other, sometimes like 2, there is only intransitive verb and no transitive verb that can be a pair with intransitive verb. Actually, there is a way to have such intransitive verb work as transitive verb. The way will be explained in the section 48.
[ 2 ] “wa” or “ga” for Subject Marker
All the three sentences of today use “wa” for the subject marker.
1. Kono Denki <wa> Kiete imasu. (This light is turned off.)
2. Sono Ko’ohi’i Sa’aba’a <wa> Koshou Shite imasu. (That coffee server broke.)
3. Ano Ki <wa> Taorete imasu. (That tree has fallen over.)
In these situations, the speaker and the listener share what the subject is. Two persons are looking the same light in the sentence 1, the same coffee server in 2, and the same tree in 3. But if you want to use “ga” instead of “wa”, what kind of situation necessitates use of “ga” for subject marker?
1’. A : I have heard that a light bulb is off. Which one is turned off?
B : Kono Denki <ga> Kiete imasu. (This the light that is turned off.)
2’. A : I have heard that one of coffee servers had got problem and didn’t work well. Do you know which one is broken?
B : Sono Ko’ohi’i Sa’aba’a <ga> Koshou Shite imasu. (That coffee server is the one that has broken.)
3’. A : There are many trees in the park. Do you know if there is a tree that fell down by the strong wind yesterday?
B : Ano Ki <ga> Taorete imasu. (That tree has fallen over.)
As you can see, if we think of situation in which “ga” is used for the subject markers, we need to make up settings. On the other, the sentences 1, 2, and 3 using “wa” are simply mentioning the situation. It is really a difficult problem as to which of “wa” or “ga” is to be used. If you don’t know which is better, using “wa” may be a good choice. “wa” is broadly being used for topic marker and subject marker. This is the reason that you learn “wa” in the first day of Japanese learning, but “ga” comes later.
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This post was written with reference to the exercise A2 on Section29 of “Minna no Nihongo (2nd Edition)” published by “3A Corporation”
[ 1 ] “V-te iru” for “A Result is Persisting”
As explained in A2 S28, the functions of “V-te iru” are shown below;
<1> Action is Ongoing
– Satou-san wa Ima Denwa de Hanashite imasu. (Sato-san is now talking on a phone.)
<2-1> Action Continues
– Satou-san wa Suzuki-san o Shitte imasu. (Sato-san knows Suzuki-san.)
<2-2> Result of Action is Persisting
– Doa ga Aite imasu. (The door is left open.)
<3> Action is Repetitive
– Maiban Ku-ji no Nyu’usu o Mite imasu. (I watch the news program at 9 p.m. every night.)
What we are learning is <2-2>. Although <2-2> is sometime included in “<2-1> Action Continues”, if a verb for “V-te” is an intransitive verb that expresses action in short period of time (instantaneous verbs) *. Let us look at some examples of <2-2>.
1. Mado ga Aite imasu. (A window has kept opening.)
In some time in the past, it happened that a window opened. When that window was opening, the action didn’t take much long. Action “open” itself was short lasting. However, the consequence of the action has lasted since it happened. This “V-te iru” ‘Aite imasu’ expresses that the result of action is sustained until now.
“Aite” is the Te-form of intransitive verb “Aku”. If you want to say “open” as transitive verb, it is “Akeru”. check the difference between intransitive verb “Aku” and transitive verb “Akeru”.
– Intransitive verb sentence : Mado ga Akimashita. (The window opened.)
– Transitive verb sentence : Watashi wa Mado o Akemashita. (I opened the window.)
2. Taxi ga Tomatte imasu. (A taxi is stopping.)
A taxi stopped in some moment in past, and it keeps stopping until now. “Tomatte” is the Te-form of intransitive verb “Tomaru”. If you want to say “stop” as transitive verb, it is “Tomeru”. check the difference between intransitive verb “Tomaru” and transitive verb “Tomeru”.
– Intransitive verb sentence : Takushii ga Tomarimashita. (The taxi stopped.)
– Transitive verb sentence : Watashi wa Takushii o Tomemashita. (I stopped the taxi.)
3. Garasu no Koppu ga Warete imasu. (A glass cup is broken.)
A glass cup broke. Breaking was instantaneous. Since then, the cup is left broken until now. “Warete” is the Te-form of intransitive verb “Wareru”. If you want to say “break glass into pieces” as transitive verb, it is “Waru”.
– Intransitive verb sentence : Osara ga Waremashita. (The dish was broken.)
– Transitive verb sentence : Watashi wa Osara o Warimashita. (I broke the dish.)
The verbs for Te-form are all intransitive verbs in the example 1 to 3; Aku, Tomaru, and Wareru. These actions take very short period of time. But making “V-te iru”, you can express that the result of action is still sustained. This is one of functions of “V-te iru”, but we can learn as important aspect of “V-te iru”. It is that “V-te iru” can make an instantaneous action a stative situation.
* : Most of Verbs express actions that can be done in short period of time (instantaneous verbs). Therefore, this caveat after “that expresses” may be unnecessary. Stative intransitive verbs are not many. Knowing Aru(有る), Iru(居る), Iru(要る), is okay. There are no “V-te iru” for these. If you think you have heard “V-te iru” for these Aru and Iru, they are not, instead;
– Atte iru => 会っている(be meeting), or 合っている(be fitting, be adjusting)
– Itte itu => 言っている(be saying), or 行っている(being there)
[ 2 ] Subject Marker “-ga” for New Information
Here is another important issue for today’s sentence construction. Compare the following two;
1. Mado ga Aite imasu. (A window has kept open.)
4. Ano Mado wa Aite imasu. (That window has been kept open.)
Today we learn the sentence 1, and tomorrow, 4. What is the subject marker for 1 and 2? The subject marker is “ga” in the sentence 1, while it is “wa” in the sentence 2. Selecting “wa” or “ga” for subject marker is difficult for learners, and even for native Japanese speakers for sometimes. There are some criteria for decision making about “wa” or “ga”;
Explanation1:
“wa” : The purpose of the sentence is to explain of Known subject’s name, condition, or action.
“ga” : The purpose of the sentence is to specify what the subject is.
Explanation2:
“wa” : [Subject] wa [Important Information].
“ga” : [Important Information] ga [Predicate].
So far, I have used these two explanations when it comes to choice of “wa” or “ga” as subject marker. But when you look at today’s sentence 1;
1. Mado ga Aite imasu. (A window has kept opening.)
Which of the subject or the predicate is important in this sentence, “Mado (a window)” or “Aite imasu(has kept opening)”? You may answer both are important. Yes, probably the subject “Mado” and the predicate “Aite imasu” are both important information. And depending on a situation, “Mado wa Aite imasu” is also okay. Then, how we correctly choose “wa” or “ga”?
Case for “wa”
A : Mado wa Aite imasuka. (Is the window open?)
B : Hai, Mado wa Aite imasu.(Yes, the window is open.)
In this case, the word “window” is shared between persons A and B.
Case for “ga”
Suppose a burglar broke into a house. The next morning, a police officer arrived. He called his boss from the scene.
Boss : Anything wrong with the house?
PO: A window is open. => Mado ga Aite imasu.
The boss must have thought the house had got something unusual. But at the time of asking, the boss didn’t have a concrete idea about what was wrong. Then the police officer told him a new information. A window that should be closed during the night was left open in the morning. As this example indicates, when you say new information, “ga” is usually used as the subject marker. Window’s being left open is not surprising to police officer, but sometimes a thing happens suddenly, and it is a bit surprising, “ga” is used like below;
5. Att! Mukou kara Basu ga Kimasu. (Ah! a bus is coming from there!)
6. Hora! Shingou ga Kawarimasu. (Look at that! Trafiic light is changing!)
Therefore, another “wa” or “ga” criteria would be as follows;
“wa”; when talking about already known information
“ga”; when talking about a new information.
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This post was written with reference to the exercise A1 on Section29 of “Minna no Nihongo (2nd Edition)” published by “3A Corporation”
Yesterday, we learned a sentence construction to say reasons using the conjunctive particle “-shi,” twice. Basically “-shi,” is to enumerate two things. Today’s sentence also raised two reasons, but uses “-shi,” only once for the first reason. For the second reason, “-kara” is used. Let’s look at today’s sentences;
A : Doushite Nihon no Hokkaido ga Sukina ndesuka. (Why do you like Hokkaido of Japan?)
B1 : Tabemono mo Oishii shi, Fu’ukei mo Kirei desu kara.
(Because foods are delicious, and scenery is beautiful.)
B2 : Onsen mo Kimochi’ii shi, and Suki’i-jou mo Arimasu kara.
(Because hot springs make me feel good, and there are many ski resorts.)
B3 : Yuki mo Mirareru shi, Ainu Bunka mo Wakarimasu kara.
(Because I can see snow, and also, I can learn about Ainu* culture.)
*= proper noun
The question A doesn’t say “Sukidesuka”, instead, it says “Sukinandesuka.” using “-ndesu” which was introduces in the section 26. “-ndesu” has a function to explain a reason/cause. Using “-ndesuka” is an effective way when asking a question using “Doushite” and “Naze” which both mean “why”.
The answers of B1 to B3 end with “-kara.” This is what Minna no Nihongo shows learners. And this is no problem, especially thinking about developmental stage of Japanese as a second language. Saying a reason is important for communication. The sentence-final particle “-kara” is introduced in early stage in Minna no Nihongo. It is at “Sample sentences” in the section 9. But to me, using “-kara” as a sentence-final particle sounds a little bit casual. Again, it’s no problem for a learner of Japanese as foreign language to end the sentence with “-kara.” But if a learner is of intermediate-level, I would like to recommend a different type of sentence ending with “kara”.
Here’s the last half of B1;
– Fu’ukei mo Kirei desu kara.
= [Subject] + [Predicate with Polite Ending] + kara.
My suggestion is as follows;
– Fu’ukei mo Kirei da kara desu.
= [Subject] + [Predicate with Short Ending] + kara desu.
B2 => Suki’i-jou mo Aru kara desu.
B3 => Ainu Bunka mo Wakaru kara desu.
I don’t think it is good to increase the number of variations in the early stage of second language learning. So just stick to the way Minna no Nihongo shows you. But let me say that it is good to end your answer with “-kara desu.” when you are asked a question starting with “Doushite (why)” or “Naze (why)”.
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This post was written with reference to the exercise A5 on Section28 of “Minna no Nihongo (2nd Edition)” published by “3A Corporation”
The function of the conjunctive particle “-shi,” is to say two things parallelly. And sometime such enumeration tends to be reasons for a conclusion. As shown in yesterday’s post, the connections between a word and “-shi” is usually be short ending form plus “-shi”. In the case of present-positive;
(1) verb : -u+shi, — e.g. Ar-u+shi, Ir-u+shi,
(2) I-adjective: -i+shi, — e.g. Hiro-i+shi, O’o-i+shi,
(3) Na-adjective: -da+shi, — e.g. Shizuka-da+shi, Benri-da+shi,
Let us look at today’s sentences;
[Subject] wa [Predicate1] shi, [Predicate2] shi, [Conclusion].
Examples;
1. Kono Toshokan wa Shizukada shi, Hiroi shi, Itumo Koko de Hon o Yonde imasu.
(This library is quiet and spacious, so I always read a book here.)
2. Kono Toshokan wa Hon mo O’oi shi, Kashidashi mo Benrida shi, Itsumo Koko de Hon o Karite imasu.
(This library has many books, and the lending procedure is convenient, so I always borrow a book here.)
where; Kashidashi; noun(+suru); lending
3. Kono Toshokan wa Zasshi Ko’ona’a mo Arushi, Shinsetuna Hito mo Irushi, Itumo Koko de Hon o Yonde imasu.
(In this library, there is a magazine area, and kind people are there, so I always read a book here.)
Note that there are two intransitive verbs for existing;
– Things without life and plants; Aru/Arimasu
– Human kind and animals; Iru/Imasu
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This post was written with reference to the exercise A4 on Section28 of “Minna no Nihongo (2nd Edition)” published by “3A Corporation”
Since I can harvest many carrots from my garden, I made pickles this morning. Tasted in the evening, I felt it’s not so bad.
The sentence construction in the title uses the word “Predicate”. When it comes to predicate, we need to think about four types of it. They are Noun, Na-adjective, I-adjective, Verb predicates. Since a noun predicate and a Na-adjective predicate are using the same sentence endings, let us look at three types of predicates for today’s construction.
(1) Verb
1. Satou-san wa Gita’a mo Hikeru shi, Uta mo Utaeru shi, soreni Sakkyoku mo Dekimasu.
where, sakkyoku; noun(+suru); composition, song-writing
(Sato-san can play a guitar, can sing a song, and she can write a song.)
Note that three verbs in the sentence are all in potential form. Using potential forms are not always necessary for this construction. For example,
2. Miller-san wa Osake mo Nomushi, Osashimi mo Tabemasu.
(Mr. Miller drinks Sake, and eat Sashimi.)
If Miller-san who is not Japanese drinks Sake and eats Sashimi, wouldn’t it be positive things? Someone having potentialities to do is positive. And it is good to say positive things when enumerating two or three words. Therefore, it is good to learn a sentence with verbs in potential forms, when you learn the conjunctive particle for enumeration.,
2’. Miller-san wa Osake mo Nomerushi, Osashimi mo Taberaremasu.
(Mr. Miller can drink Sake and eat Sashimi.)
where; Nomeru and Taberareru are the potential forms of Nomu and Taberu, respectively.
(2) I-adjective
3. Suzuki-san wa Wakai shi, Se mo Takai shi, soshite Ashi mo Hayai desu.
(Suzuki-san is young and tall, and he runs fast.)
where; Se is height of body. Ashi is legs.
An I-adjective is placed in front of “-shi.,” with “i” as you see in the sentence 3.
(3) Na-adjective
4. Takahashi-san wa Majimeda shi, Shinsetsuda shi, Karada mo Kenkou desu.
(Takahashi-san is Majime* and kind, and his body is healthy.)
* It is difficult to express “Majime” by one word in English.
It is important to know how verbs, I-adjectives, and Na-adjectives are connected to “-shi,”. These three types of words need to be “short ending forms” in front of “-shi,”. In the case of present tense;
(1) verb : -u+shi, — e.g. Hiker-u+shi, Utaer-u+shi, Nomer-u+shi, Taberarer-u+shi,
(2) I-adjective: -i+shi, — e.g. waka-i+shi, Taka-i+shi,
(3) Na-adjective: -da+shi, — e.g. Majime-da+shi, Shinsetsu-da+shi,
These “-u+”, “-i+”, and “-da+” are used for present tense. In the case of past tense, connections to “-shi,” can be as below;
(1) verb in past tense
1’. Satou-san wa Gita’a mo Hiketa shi, Uta mo Utaeta shi, soreni Sakkyoku mo Dekimashita.
(Sato-san was able to play a guitar and sing a song, and she was able to write a song.)
(2) I-adjective in past tense
3’. Suzuki-san wa Wakakatta shi, Se mo Takakatta shi, soshite Ashi mo Hayakatta desu.
(Suzuki-san was young and tall, and he ran fast.)
(3) Na-adjective in past tense
4’. Takahashi-san wa Majimedatta shi, Shinsetsudatta shi, Karada mo Kenkou deshita.
(Takahashi-san was Majime* and kind, and his body was healthy.)
Although the conjunctive particle “-shi,” is the main thing to learn here, but you may find that the particle “-mo” is used many times in the examples. “-mo” has already been introduced at A5 in the section 1. At that time, it is explained that “-mo” is a particle to indicate that the noun is the same kind with another noun that appeared in preceding sentence. This time, “-mo”(s) has the function to enumerate two or three nouns within a sentence.
1. Satou-san wa Gita’a <mo> Hikeru shi, Uta <mo> Utaeru shi, soreni Sakkyoku <mo> Dekimasu.
If guitar, song, and composition are not enumerated, and each of them stands alone,
<Gita’a ga Hikemasu.>, <Uta ga Utaemasu.>, and<Sakkyoku ga Dekimasu.>
So, putting these three into one sentence, the particle “ga” turned to be “mo”.
2. Miller-san wa Osake mo Nomushi, Osashimi mo Tabemasu.
What particle is the original one before it turned to be “mo”?
<Osake o Nomimasu,>, <Osashimi o Tabemasu.>
It is better to know what the original particle was before being replacing by “-mo”.
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This post was written with reference to the exercise A3 on Section28 of “Minna no Nihongo (2nd Edition)” published by “3A Corporation”
Agony or Fun?! Second Language Learning 