View Single Post
(#2 (permalink))
Old
Supperman (Offline)
JF Old Timer
 
Posts: 300
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: Japan
12-30-2010, 11:47 PM

Quote:
Originally Posted by ParaPara View Post
I have been searching the net, but I cannot find any useful info. Maybe someone can help.

As it reads in the title of this thread I am trying to say the following:


"Because my house is not across the sea."

I don't know how to express that something is or is not across from something.

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks!
Hi.
There are a lot of expressions, and it depends on the context (background).
I wonder what "across the sea" means. If it means "abroad", the expression becomes different.....
OK, I will try.

(Generally speaking about across from something)
You can say "・・・・・の向こう側にある(あります)(affirmative) ....no mukou-gawa ni aru(arimasu)"
Or ・・・・・の向こう側にない(ありません)(negative) ....no mukou-gawa ni nai (arimasen).

なぜならば、僕の家は海の向こう側にはありませんから 。
nasenaraba, boku no ie wa umi no mukougawa ni wa arimasen kara.

The direct literal translation of "の向こう側" would be "on the opposite side of".

Another expression would be "海を渡ったところ" (the place where you can reach when you cross the sea)
なぜなら、僕の家は海を渡ったところにはありませんか ら。  (Though negative form becomes a little too redundant and weird.)
なぜなら、僕の家は海を渡ったところにありますから。 (Positive form is OK.)

////////////////////////////////
(Example context, in which another expression should be used.)
Suppose the speaker is an American who lives in Tokyo. The listener is an Japanese who live in Chiba (a city near to Tokyo).
"Please visit my house. If you don't have a car, you can walk to my house, because my house is not across the sea (the Pacific Ocean)."
なぜなら僕の家は海外じゃありませんから。なぜなら私の家は海外ではありませんから。
なぜなら僕は海外に住んでるわけじゃありませんから。 なぜなら私は海外に住んでいるわけではありませんから 。
In this context, 海外 means "abroad" or "other country".
As Japan is island-country, other countries are always being "across the sea".

/////////////////////////////
(Another example)
Suppose the speaker is a Japanese who lives in Japan. And the listener too is a Japanese who lives in the same island of Japan too.
"You can come to my house by bus, by car, or on foot. You don't need planes or ships, because my house is not across the sea.”
なぜなら僕の家は君の家と陸続きですから。
なぜなら僕の家と君の家は海で隔てられてはいませんか ら。

陸続き = on the same land (continent, island)
海で隔てられる=separated by the sea

Hope this helps.
To make a long story short, if you provide me more context, I think I can recommend the best one.

Last edited by Supperman : 12-30-2010 at 11:58 PM.
Reply With Quote