2 questions on grammar
Posted in: enart.nnmj.com Date: March 13th, 2010
1.) いつに あなたの うちで ばんごはん を たべましょか。
itsuni anatano uchide bangohan o tabemashoka
Is this sentence grammatically correct? I wanted to say "What time (do we) eat dinner in your house?"
2.) べんきょう します and べんきょう して います。
benkyou shimasu benkyou shite imasu
What is the difference between "shimasu" and "shite imasu"?
arigatou gozaimasu!!!! :note:
Anyway, I asked a native friend to please explain it better than this.... :bluush:
And this is what she wrote....
勉強していました。」と「勉強しました。」は、ほぼ同 じ意味ですがニュアンスが少し違います。それは前後の 文にもよるので一言ではなかなか説明できません。たと えば「昨日の晩勉強していました。」と言うと、昨夜は ずっと勉強に時間を費やしていたような印象を受けます 。「昨日の晩勉強しました。」だと、ただ「勉強してい た。」という事実だけしかわからないので、ほんの３０ 分位でもいえるしもしかしたらずっと長い時間勉強して いたのかもしれません。日本語は英語に比べて全体的に あいまいな阜ｻが多いので前後の文で判断する場合が多 いです。もし「前は日本語を勉強していたけど今はもう していず、忘れてしまってる場合」は「前は、日本語を 勉強していましたが、もう今はしていません。」、また は「前に、日本語を勉強しましたが、今はもうしていま せん。」という風にいろんな言い方があります。だから なかなか 間単に違いを説明できないです。そのときの 状況や前後の文によって変わってくるからです。
Missing a う at the end of たべましょ, but that's a minor typo.
I am a beginner in Nihon-go, I have some questions while learning the language. :bow:
1.) いつに あなたの うちで ばんごはん を たべましょか。
itsuni anatano uchide bangohan o tabemashoka
Is this sentence grammatically correct? I wanted to say "What time (do we) eat dinner in your house?"
I'm pretty sure you don't need に in front of いつ, so it would be:
いつあなたのうちでばんごはんをたべますか。 (What time do (we/you) eat dinner at your house?)
With kanji it would be:
いつ貴方の家で晩ご飯を食べますか。
(何時 can be read as "nan ji" and "itsu")
True enough, but I suspect that it it was any less used in kanji it would be approaching the level of using 息を吐く and expecting people to read 吐く as つく. ;-)
[edit] Er, I meant in reference to 'いつ' of course, なんじ is usually in kanji.
one other suggestion: replace anata no uchi/ie with o-uchi. The Japanese prefer not to use words like I, me, your etc.
so, the final sentence would be:
何時ごろおうちで夕食を食べますか。
Nan ji goro, o-uchi de yuushoku wo tabemasu ka.
Itsu goro, o-uchi de yuushoku wo tabemasu ka.
(何時 can be read as "nan ji" and "itsu")
whereas
日本語を勉強した。 means "I studied Japanese."
This difference is the most difficult to grasp most of the time. The first implies you are not studying it any more, because you pretty much gave up on it. The second is more a statement saying that you studied it, which is why you understand the language now.
Combining it with a negative gives it another dimension altogether:
日本語を勉強しない。 means "I don't study Japanese (and have no intention of ever doing so)."
日本語を勉強していない。 means "I don't study Japanese (but I do want to someday)."
日本語を勉強しなかった。 means "I didn't study Japanese." as the statement.
日本語を勉強していなかった。 means "I didn't study Japanese." but has the connotation of regretting that fact.
thank you SacredBlue-san!
itsuni anatano uchide bangohan o tabemashoka
Is this sentence grammatically correct? I wanted to say "What time (do we) eat dinner in your house?"
It's grammatically correct. Literally meaning 'what time shall we eat dinner at your house?"
2.) べんきょう します and べんきょう して います。
benkyou shimasu benkyou shite imasu
What is the difference between "shimasu" and "shite imasu"?
します expresses a present or future tense, depending on the context. しています expresses the progressive tense. So "日本語の勉強をします”would mean "I study Japanese" whereas "日本語の勉強をしています”means "I am studying Japanese".
Like wise, 勉強をしていました means "I was studying". The informal variation of しています is している,and the more colloquial してる
日本語の勉強をします I study Japanese(formal)
日本語の勉強をする I study Japanese(informal)
日本語の勉強をしています I am studying Japanese(formal)
日本語の勉強をしていました I was studying Japanese(formal)
日本語の勉強をしている I am studying Japanese(informal)
日本語の勉強をしていた I was studying Japanese(informal)
日本語の勉強をしてる I am studying Japanese(informal)
がんばってね:clap:
日本語を勉強しない。 means "I don't study Japanese (and have no intention of ever doing so)."
日本語を勉強していない。 means "I don't study Japanese (but I do want to someday)."
This is often highlighted with "suru" in connection with the kekkon shite inai and kekkon shinai distinction as well. :) I wasn't aware of the nuance between "shite ita" and "ita" as learning interrupted and completed, though. Probably because shite ita sounds a little better as "was studying" than "used to study" in English.
日本語を勉強していた。 can also mean "I used to study Japanese."
whereas
日本語を勉強した。 means "I studied Japanese."
This difference is the most difficult to grasp most of the time. The first implies you are not studying it any more, because you pretty much gave up on it. The second is more a statement saying that you studied it, which is why you understand the language now.
I don't think していた implies that you necessarily understand it now, only that you studied over a certain period of time. I'll try to think of a good example later, but even something simple like "A man was studying Japanese at the game last night" ある男が夕べの試合で日本語を勉強していた doesn't say anything about his competence or ability whatsoever.
Also 勉強した could be used in the context of "The first time I studied Japanese I used a textbook" or "When I was in high school I studied Japanese on my own." neither of which say anything about whether you're still studying.
Anyway, I asked a native friend to please explain it better than this.... :bluush:
one other suggestion: replace anata no uchi/ie with o-uchi. The Japanese prefer not to use words like I, me, your etc.
(何時 can be read as "nan ji" and "itsu")
Oh thank you Eelco-san for the suggestion. I am just get too used to construct the sentence in English then translate them into Japanese sentence(e.g "your house"), I guess in order to learn better Japanese, understanding the Japanese culture does help a lot.:D
Unfortunately it's become a puzzle now :)
one other suggestion: replace anata no uchi/ie with o-uchi. The Japanese prefer not to use words like I, me, your etc.
so, the final sentence would be:
何時ごろおうちで夕食を食べますか。
Nan ji goro, o-uchi de yuushoku wo tabemasu ka.
Itsu goro, o-uchi de yuushoku wo tabemasu ka.
Yeah, it's probably better, or just use the person's name. I had forgotten about ouchi, but thought of お宅 later.
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