Japanese Learning (A4 S33): Saying what it means using the Particle “to”; [Subject ] wa { what it means } to Iu Imi desu.

Today’s sentence construction also uses the particle “-to”, and in macro perspective, it is a noun predicate sentence.

1. [Subject] wa [Noun] desu.

The noun “Imi” is modified by a verb clause.

2. [Subject] wa [Verb clasue ] Imi desu.

And the verb is “Iu/Iimasu(say/tell)” in dictionary form. The particle “-to” is placed in front of “Iu” to indicate the end of the part of “what is means”.

3. [Subject] wa [ what it means ] to Iu Imi desu.

As we have learned in the section 21, just in front of “-to”, or in other words, the end of “what it means” part usually becomes “short ending form”. This “short ending form” includes Imperative form and Prohibitive form which we have just learned in A1 and A2.

1. Kono Ma’aku wa Tomare to Iu Imi desu. (This mark means “Stop”.)

“What it means” part of the sentence 1 is “Tomare” that is Imperative form of the intransitive verb “Tomaru/Tomarimasu”. And “Tomare” is directly connected to the particle “-to”.

2. Kono Ma’aku wa Puragomi da to Iu Imi desu. (This mark means “Plastic waste”.)

“What it means” part of the sentence 2 is “Puragomi da”. “Puragomi” is a noun which is shortened “Purasuchikku Gomi (Plastic waste)”, and “da” is a sentence ending for noun predicate in the case of present-positive. And an important thing is that “da” is for short ending. What is for polite ending? Is it applicable to the today’s sentence?

<WRONG> Kono Ma’aku wa Puragomi desu to Iu Imi desu.

You see “desu” is doubled. The right expression is 2,

<RIGHT> Kono Ma’aku wa Puragomi da to Iu Imi desu.

3. Kono Ma’aku wa Shintai-Shougaisha ga Kuruma o Tomerareru to Iu Imi desu.

(This mark means that disabled people can park their car here.)

“What it means” part of the sentence 3 is a long one, “Shintai-Shougaisha ga Kuruma o Tomerareru”. You see this one is like a sentence consisting of a subject, object, and verb in potential form. And the verb “Tomerareru” is also a short ending of a verb with the last alphabet “-u”.

Practice and remember the following conversation;

A : Kore wa Dou Iu Imi desuka? (What does this mean?)

B : Kore wa Abunai to Iu Imi desu. (This means dangerous.)

————————————–

This post was written with reference to the exercise A4 on Section33 of “Minna no Nihongo (2nd Edition)” published by “3A Corporation”