Japanese Help Questions/Translations

[MMM]

Originally Posted by 82riceballs

On Nattybumpo's excellent blog, beforebreakfast.net: 日本語を朝飯前にするウェブサイト

I read the sentence: おっ、すごいですね。日本語が話せるじゃないんですか ！ translated thus: Oh, that’s great! You speak Japanese!

However, when I first read it, I thought "janai" meant "not." Doesn't it? Does it have different meanings when used in different contexts?

Also, does "どこで習ったんですか？" mean "どこで習いましたか？"? Is "no desu" form the same as "masu" form?

Thanks in advance

Think of it as "You can speak Japanaese, can't you?" It's basically the same negative/positive form as that.

~んです and
~ます

are not quite the same...

You know ます already. Think of んです as asking a question as a reaction to a situation.

For example. If I am flying to Seattle today, and I call my friend as ask him

Is it raining in Seattle?
シアトルで雨が振っていますか。

In this case, I don't know if it is raining or not, and I am trying to get the information.

However, if I call my friend in Seattle, and hear what sounds like rain in the background, I can ask:

Is it raining in Seattle?
シアトルで雨が降っているんですか。

This means I had some clue that it might be raining there, and that's why I asked the question.

[filiadragongurl]

I sort of don't agree with your explanation of "n desu"

My sensei always said that it means "it's that..." or "is it that..." if you're asking a question. So here's my analysis of your example above:

Is it that it's raining in Seattle? (or) Is it the case that it's raining in Seattle?
"shiatoru de ame ga futte iru n desu ka"

It's true that you probably have some idea that it might be raining which is why you're asking in this manner, but I think this explanation is less metaphorical, so easier to remember and it's more accurate. Of course Japanese can be looked at from many different angles and still be "correct" on the translating side, so take this as you like.

And my translation is more clunky but I recommend using it internally to understand the meaning behind the grammer.

[82riceballs]

Thanks guys!

[MOSS]

what does this mean:

anata wa anata no thikaku no hito wo aisuru houga shiawase de aru to omou

i know bits and pieces of the words above but the meaning of the entire statement is not something I can comprehend.

anata wa anata no (you are yours ..),,, person you loved (or love? hmm different meaning) houga (is compare.. with what) shiawase (happiness) de aru to omou (feel)

so... in totality, it means ?

[Nattybumppo]

Originally Posted by MOSS

what does this mean:

anata wa anata no thikaku no hito wo aisuru houga shiawase de aru to omou

Translation: I think you'd be happier loving your "thikaku no" person.

"Thikaku" is not a word in Japanese. Maybe it's "shikaku?"　Maybe it's something else entirely?

[enyafriend]

I think "thikaku" here is what we know as "chikaku", as in 'chikai' (near).

==>I think you'd be happier loving people close to you.

[dxong]

Hi there, i'm a newbie here and i am delighted that there is a thread here for Japanese Questions and Translation.

I am a technically inclined person and i would like to ask your help to read these
stuff for me. I can read a few kanji and kana characters..but i cannot really make this instruction/manual work..




I am doing my best to repair this thing..but how could i repair this without knowing how to operate this device in the first place.

All your help will be highly appreciated..
Thanks!

[MOSS]

Originally Posted by enyafriend

I think "thikaku" here is what we know as "chikaku", as in 'chikai' (near).

==>I think you'd be happier loving people close to you.

thank you enyafriend. I was actually trying to check that thikaku word in Japanese-English dictionary but unfortunately I cannot find the meaning. I know the meaning of the all the other words except that. Then mixing up the meaning into 1 is sometimes confusing because of the structure.

anata wa anata no thikaku no hito wo aisuru houga shiawase de aru to omou

anata wa - you are
hito -person
aisuru - love or loved
houga - compare better
shiawase - happiness
omou - feel
so it is chikaku and not thikaku.. meaning near

again thanks a lot for the complete meaning as one.

[kintarou]

Short question for the more affluent members here:

What is the equivalent of saying 'sir' in Japanese?

What prompted this, was a visit to a Japanese exhibition a few months back, and the man kept referring to me and my father as 'sir'-- not so much a term of endearment, but the guy was obviously very friendly and was trying to be nice by using it (at least that's my spin).

I originally figured it would be -san, but that can be used universally in terms of gender, right?

Thanks for any replies.

- kintarou

[82riceballs]

though I am not "affluent," I know that a more polite way to say "-san" is "-sama" which is also neutral in terms of gender.

I also have a question: What's the difference between 赤ん坊 and 赤ちゃん? are they regional variants?

Also, is the following sentence correct: 人々は当ての必要があります。当てはなければ人は絶対 退屈します。Everybody needs a goal in life. People who have no goals are definitely very bored.

I know it sounds kind of awkward in English, but is it OK in Japanese?

Thanks