Japanese Help Questions/Translations

[MMM]

Originally Posted by 82riceballs

1. what's the difference between
-naide and
-nakute

i know that u use naide for kudasai (wasurenaide kudasai), but i'm not sure what "nakute" is. i'm pretty sure they're both "continuative" forms of "nai".

oh wait, is "nakute" from "arimasen" or soemthing?

2. why is that after nouns, there is sometimes a "no nai"
e.g. はずのない、かけがえのない、etc.

3. 不思議なくらい- can someone break this down & translate it? I think it means "it's so wonderful". (fushigi na) + (kurai), but what's "kurai"?

4. what's 数えきれぬ？ i know that kazoe = number, but i don't get the rest. (btw, it's from the song "Jewel Song" by BoA.)

thanks in advance

It would take more time than I am willing to give at this moment to give a definitive answer, but let me help out a little.

1) ~ないで is pretty much only used as a negative command:
食べてください: Please eat.
食べないで下さい: Please don't eat.

なくて　can be seen with nouns, verbs and い-adjectives. Here are some places you might see it (I won't explain every expample)...

食べなくてもいいですよ。: You don't have to eat it.
バスじゃなくて、車でいきましょう：Let's go by car, not by bus.
おいしくなくて、すぐ捨てました。:Not tasting good, I threw it away.

3) 不思議なくらい I would translate it as "a mysterious darkness" but there needs to be something after くらい (i.e. tunnel, forest, etc.) so I could be wrong here.

4) No idea... translating songs is it's own science, and I don't always recommend it for language study.

[stekun]

MMM has some good comments, and I will venture a few of my own.

Originally Posted by 82riceballs

1. what's the difference between
-naide and
-nakute

i know that u use naide for kudasai (wasurenaide kudasai), but i'm not sure what "nakute" is. i'm pretty sure they're both "continuative" forms of "nai".

oh wait, is "nakute" from "arimasen" or soemthing?

As you said, they are similiar. Here's how I think of it:
"Naide", as MMM said above, is for a command... specifically a negative command. So use it when you are telling someone not to do something. (ie. Tabenaide kudasai = Please don't eat. Also, Soko de magaranaide, masugu ni itte kudasai = Don't turn there, please go straight.)

"Nakute", on the other hand, would be translated not as a command, but a neutral statement (in the negative conjugation) followed by the word "and" (that is, it's continuative, as you said). (ie. Tabenakute, dekakemashita = I didn't eat and went out, or I went out without eating).

That's the gist anyway.

2. why is that after nouns, there is sometimes a "no nai" or a "no something else"
e.g. はずのない、かけがえのない、しまうのなら、etc.

This pattern is generally followed by a noun. So hazu no nai in full context is going to be something like naku hazu no nai otoko which would mean "a man that one would not expect to cry". Likewise, genki no nai hito would be "an unhappy person" or more directly "a person with no high spirits". Translating without the following noun to give context would be tough. Maybe someone else has a better explanation?

3. 不思議なくらい- can someone break this down & translate it? I think it means "it's so wonderful". (fushigi na) + (kurai), but what's "kurai"?

Not sure here. I wonder if you mean gurai? Fushigi na gurai is a phrase I have heard several times, although I'm struggling with a good translation. Something like, "It's so weird, I might even call it fushigi". Yuck, that's a bad translation. If you do mean kurai, however, then it sounds a little funny to me, but MMM's translation as "a mysterious darkness" is a good one.

4. what's 数えきれぬ？ i know that kazoe = number, but i don't get the rest. (btw, it's from the song "Jewel Song" by BoA.)

Kazoe-(ru) is a verb meaning "to count". Kireru is to "cut off" or "to end". The nu at the end is an archaic/poetic way to say -nai (the negative verb conjugation). Put the pieces together and you get "Counting that doesn't end" or "Uncountable" which implies "infinite" or "endless".

5. can someone help me with translating this:
諦めるよりも辛いよ (Giving up is more painful than)
「失くすこと」に慣れちゃ (getting used to losing)
何もしない後悔より (???????????????)
…いっそ　打たれてたい (i'd rather be punched)

Ugh... as mentioned above, translating songs is a crummy way to study language, as they break the rules all the time, or say things in poetic language, which is far from what is spoken on a daily basis. I mean, if you communicated in English using language from song lyrics, people would look at you funny! That said, I'll take a stab at it, just for fun, but I'll let you determine how accurate you think this is!

It's more bitter than giving up (I use "It's" because the context is unclear)
Getting used to losing
is better than regrets from doing nothing
I'd rather be hit/punched/whatever

That last line is funny...! I wonder what the full context is on that one?

Anyways, hope that helps a little.

[82riceballs]

私の質問に答えてくださってありがとうございました。
(hehe, just learned that from kiyo-san)

[f4ll3nangel]

Currently I'm a student enrolled in an intensive Japanese summer program, and I am having some trouble gramatically with sentence order, particles, and the like. I was wondering first about how to quote both directly and indirectly, and since there's a difference in a question quote and answer quote, what if it's not a question or an answer, but just a statement and reply? Do I use the answer quote and add da? or ka? Very confused, please help if possible!!

[laurel]

Originally Posted by rosaline144

I will be meeting the manager of a japanese bookshop to hopefully get a work experience placement soon.. It might be subject to interview.. so I want to learn some really polite japanese (I don't know much of Japanese used in business) to introduce myself/say goodbye/other phrases etc..

I heard that "Watashi wa ____ to moushimasu" is politer than "watashi wa ___ desu"
and that "Mata o-me ni kakareru hi o tanoshimi ni shite imasu." [I look forward to meeting you again] is a good phrase. Also "O-tsukaresama deshita".. & "O-saki ni shitsurei shimasu" when leaving before another co-worker.

Are there any other things I can learn like greetings to co-workers and customers? I also would like to ask the manager.. "What uniform will I have to wear?" (heheh.. that is if I get the placement *fingers crossed* )

Well, as for useful phrases in business, I memorized the following ones when I did part-time job:


いらっしゃいませ
Irassyai mase
(Can I help you?)

ありがとうございます
Arigatou gozaimasu
(Thank you.)

いかがなさいましたか？
Ikaga nasaimashitaka?
(Everything OK?)

申し訳ございません
Mousiwake gozaimasen
(I'm sorry.)

失礼いたします
Sitsurei itashimasu
(Excuse me.)

お待たせいたしました
Omatase itashimashita
(Sorry to keep you waiting.)

かしこまりました
Kasikomari masita
(Yes, sir / madam.)

恐れ入ります
Osore irimasu
(I appreciate your help.)

またお越しくださいませ
Mata okosi kudasaimase
(We look forward to your coming again)


"What uniform will I have to wear?" is どのような制服を着ることになりますか (Dono youna seihuku wo kiru kotoni narimasuka)？
征服 means "conquest"; 制服 means "uniform" (don't worry MMM san, even native Japanese frequently make this mistake)

Good luck for your job hunting, rosaline san

[mamok]

誤って ayamatte vs ayamatte　過って
both are supposed to mean "by mistake"
Is there any difference?

[bunniXchan]

i really would like to learn japanese. shojo beat has a page at the beginning of the magazine that teaches words and phrases. it is easiest to learn where you are submerged in the culture and language. do you have any other tips for learning japanese??? everyone calls me their "real-life anime friend", so i should learn japanese, especially since i like anime/manga, food, fashion, and j-rock so much!

[MMM]

So true. Full immersion is the best way to learn. but not the only way.

[manfan]

I have a line of sentence to translate. Please translate....

尸魂界突入前に行たれた浦原との[殺し合い].

I don't what to do with that bolded words.

Sankyuu!!!

[xKyoxLoverx]

Hey i'm new to this....
I wanna learn Japanese,
But I'm not really good at remembering stuff,
So i think i'm gonna be hopeless at remembering words , etc.
Can anyone help me or something...
I always wanted to learn it but i think its gonna be hard...