Questions about sentence structure & phone etiquette
Puutarou-san
One question I have is concerning how to construct a sentence with the
meaning "almost." If someone could translate into Japanese the two sample
sentences I provided, I would be highly appreciative. If not, any other
sentence examples would be satisfactory.
For example:
1. I almost forgot to close the window.
2. I almost didn't make it in time to catch my airline flight.
If "nearly" replaced "almost" would the structure be the same. A simple
yes or no will be sufficient.
Another question I have is about telephone etiquette.
When one person answers a telephone and is asked to put another person on
the line, and the person requested then answers the telephone, what does
the requested person say? Is it....:
"O-denwa kaerimashita." Meaning: I [the person requested] have returned
to the telephone.
or
"O-denwa kawarimashita." Meaning: I've replaced the person that was
talking before. I think this is more likely.
Of all the times I've heard it said I can't seem to tell by listening.
It's been bugging me for a number of years. I know that whenever you want
a second helping of something or a replacement for a drink at a bar you
would say "O-kawari kudasai." But when I hear some people say "kawari" it
sounds very similar to "kaeri." I guess my ears aren't tuned too well.
This is undoubtedly a simple question to answer, so could I get some help.
Yoroshiku onegai shimasu.
Puutarou
--
Nanda to, kimi? Monku aru no kai?
Nara, ippatsu bunnagutte yaru zo!
Ikkan owari da.
なんだと、きみ。文句あるのかい？
なら、一発打ん殴ってやるぞ！
一巻終わりだ。
muchan
Puutarou wrote
:
> One question I have is concerning how to construct a sentence with the
> meaning "almost." If someone could translate into Japanese the two sample
> sentences I provided, I would be highly appreciative. If not, any other
> sentence examples would be satisfactory.
>
Mado-o shimeru-no-o hotondo wasureru-tokoro-datta.
^^^^^^^ ^^^^^^^^^^
>
> 2. I almost didn't make it in time to catch my airline flight.
>
well I don't know that idiom... 'make it in time to...'?
hikouki-ni ayauku nori-okureru-tokoro-datta. ????
> If "nearly" replaced "almost" would the structure be the same. A simple
> yes or no will be sufficient.
Can you replace 'almost' to 'nearly' in English?
'almost' can be said 'hotondo' nearly all cases... almost all cases.
'almost'-wa hotondo-no baai 'hotondo'-to yakushite mondai-nai...
But in these samples above, the ending '-tokoro-datta', or
'-toko-datta'
is the esssence, so removing 'hotondo' doesn't change the meaning.
'hotondo'-o tsukawanakute-mo hotondo imi-wa kawaranai. :)
muchan -- I almost forgot to write my signature...
namae-o wasureru toko-datta-yo :) :)
TAKASUGI Shinji
Puutarou-san wrote:
> One question I have is concerning how to construct a sentence with the
> meaning "almost."
But in most cases, it is good to use a word 'ayauku',
which means you didn't want to fail to do
what you actually had done.
> 1. I almost forgot to close the window.
Ayauku mado o shime-wasureru tokoro datta.
You can use 'soudatta' instead.
Ayauku mado o shime-wasuresoudatta.
> 2. I almost didn't make it in time to catch my airline flight.
Ayauku hikouki ni nori-okureru tokoro datta.
Ayauku hikouki ni nori-okuresoudatta.
> When one person answers a telephone and is asked to put another person on
> the line, and the person requested then answers the telephone, what does
> the requested person say? Is it....:
>
> "O-denwa kaerimashita." or
> "O-denwa kawarimashita."
'O-denwa kawarimashita' is right.
The verb 'kaeru' requires 'ni' before it,
while the verb 'kawaru' requires 'o'.
Abbreviation of 'ni' is not so common as that of 'o'.
> Nanda to, kimi? Monku aru no kai?
> Nara, ippatsu bunnagutte yaru zo!
> Ikkan owari da.
Your signature is funny, but I'd like to say a bit.
'kai' sounds more friendly than 'ka',
so using 'kai' in this situation seems snobbish.
'Ikkan owari da' should be 'ikkan no owarida'.
Thanks.
TAKASUGI Shinji (surname first)
t...@sf.airnet.ne.jp
N Miura
muchan wrote:
>
> Puutarou wrote
> :
> > One question I have is concerning how to construct a sentence with the
> > sentences I provided, I would be highly appreciative. If not, any other
> > sentence examples would be satisfactory.
> >
>
> ^^^^^^^ ^^^^^^^^^^Although this may be right, this sentense doesn't come out easily from my native Japanese tongue at "hotondo".
Takasugi-san put more naturally flowing sentenses in his post in this thread.....
Nobby Miura
Gerald B Mathias
TAKASUGI Shinji (t...@sf.airnet.ne.jp) wrote:
: 'O-denwa kawarimashita' is right.
: The verb 'kaeru' requires 'ni' before it,
: while the verb 'kawaru' requires 'o'.
: Abbreviation of 'ni' is not so common as that of 'o'.
Another surprise! I thought it was "denwa-*ga* kawarimasita."
Shimazaki-san, if you're there, which use of -o is this?
--
Bart
"Wherefore Art Thou?"--header of item in June _Popular Science_
"Wherefore askst thou in language thou understandst not?" --Buck A. Yarrow
Gerald B Mathias
Gerald B Mathias (mat...@Hawaii.Edu) wrote:
: TAKASUGI Shinji (t...@sf.airnet.ne.jp) wrote:
: : 'O-denwa kawarimashita' is right.
: : The verb 'kaeru' requires 'ni' before it,
: : while the verb 'kawaru' requires 'o'.
: : Abbreviation of 'ni' is not so common as that of 'o'.
: Another surprise! I thought it was "denwa-*ga* kawarimasita."
: Shimazaki-san, if you're there, which use of -o is this?
Having given this a night's thought (I'd rather have been sleeping!) after
someone who didn't know what particle would come after odenwa herself still
thought -ga was about the stupidest thing she'd ever heard, I wonder if it
is the same pattern as "sigoto-o kawaru"? If so, would the unexpressed
parts of the sentence be as in "[watasi-ga sakki-no hito-ni] odenwa[-o]
kawarimasita"? Or...?
Interesting contrast with the "...-o owaru" discussion a couple weeks ago.
muchan
TAKASUGI Shinji wrote:
> > One question I have is concerning how to construct a sentence with the
> > meaning "almost."
> But in most cases, it is good to use a word 'ayauku',
> which means you didn't want to fail to do
> what you actually had done.
Then 'mou chooto-de' is another preferable. :)
>
> > 1. I almost forgot to close the window.
> Ayauku mado o shime-wasureru tokoro datta.
> You can use 'soudatta' instead.
> Ayauku mado o shime-wasuresoudatta.
>
> > 2. I almost didn't make it in time to catch my airline flight.
> Ayauku hikouki ni nori-okureru tokoro datta.
> Ayauku hikouki ni nori-okuresoudatta.
>
> > When one person answers a telephone and is asked to put another person on
> > the line, and the person requested then answers the telephone, what does
> > the requested person say? Is it....:
> >
> > "O-denwa kaerimashita." or
> > "O-denwa kawarimashita."
> 'O-denwa kawarimashita' is right.
> The verb 'kaeru' requires 'ni' before it,
> while the verb 'kawaru' requires 'o'.
> Abbreviation of 'ni' is not so common as that of 'o'.
Here before '-ni' comes person's name. : daredare-ni kawarimashita
( now daredare is on the line)
I'm afraid it's another Mitchi's 'intransitive -o'...
muchan
Gerald B Mathias
Someone who knows better wrote:
: Then 'mou chooto-de' is another preferable. :)
Students, it's "mou chotto-de." (Some of my students really do write
"chooto"-- "TI yo U TO" in kana; I want them to stop.)
: Here before '-ni' comes person's name. : daredare-ni kawarimashita
: ( now daredare is on the line)
So my second guess was wrong too? (I thought probably "I have replaced
[daredare-ni"; even though I must have heard this many times on TV,
where the new speaker says "<my name>-ni kawarimasita." Thanks for
straightening me out.
muchan
Bart wrote:
>
> Someone who knows better wrote:
>
> : Then 'mou chooto-de' is another preferable. :)
>
> Students, it's "mou chotto-de." (Some of my students really do write
> "chooto"-- "TI yo U TO" in kana; I want them to stop.)
>
"someone who knows better but never check his typing". :)
It was of course me, and mou chotto-de is of course right.
Shtudents, don't believe muchan literally!
> : Here before '-ni' comes person's name. : daredare-ni kawarimashita
> : ( now daredare is on the line)
>
> So my second guess was wrong too? (I thought probably "I have replaced
> [daredare-ni"; even though I must have heard this many times on TV,
> where the new speaker says "<my name>-ni kawarimasita." Thanks for
> straightening me out.
Yes, <my name>-ni kawarimashita. is normal usage.
It was A, now changed to B, you can say
A-ga B-ni kawatta.
But same time, you can say
( Think about important meeting,)
B-ga A-ni kawatte ohanashishimasu. now B is speaking instead of A.
Here 'A-ni kawatte' can be paraphrased as 'A-no kawari-ni'
So -ni is not simple to explain. I touch next runner to Mitchi, if he's
there...
muchan
Reuben Muns
muchan <muc...@promikra.si> wrote:
>Puutarou wrote
>> 2. I almost didn't make it in time to catch my airline flight.
>>
> well I don't know that idiom... 'make it in time to...'?
>
"make it in time to catch" = "maniau"
Reuben