Need a word or phrase translated?

[Toritoribe]

1)The problem that there is so many structure with the same meaning, for example : 上で ＝ ために what is the difference between these two structures ?

Probably most languages, not only Japanese, have such "multiple expressions for one meaning" structure, in my opinion.;-)
Anyway, as for "in order to" context, there's no difference between the two words. 上で sounds more literary/formal, though.

2)老後のことを考えると、不安は募るばかりだ.
What does this mean of ばかり here ? Can I translate that "If we think about old age, we only feel anxious" ?

we feel more and more anxious.
ばかり emphasizes 募る in this context.

3)こうなった以上は、もう他に方法はない.
Why do we have to use は after 以上 ? I think the sentence is sufficient without は.

Both, こうなった以上は and こうなった以上, can be used. There's no difference.

Another matter is that はない is correct or not ? I think it shoul be がない.

Both are correct in this context.
How to explane は/が issue ... Roughly speaking, "が" emphasizes "方法", "は" emphasizes "ない".

I can translate it as following " This is this way and certain that there is no other way"

こうなった以上(は)、
Now that things have come to this pass,

It's a kind of set phrase.

Hope this helpful

 

[eochanghy]

Dear Toritobe san,
Thank you so much for your help.
More questions as following
1)彼のような選手は鍛えがいもあり、育てがいもある。
I have no idea of 鍛えがいもあり、育てがいもある here .
2)言いたい奴には、好きなように言わせておくがいい
I can translate this sentence as " let the guy (whom wants to tell) tell at his will is ok" --->
3)あんな奴に負けたなんて、くやしい限りだ.
What does "なんて" do here ?
Thanks for your help.

 

[Buckaroo Banzai]

That's really for emotion. It's like, "You lost to him?! Boy that's humiliating."

 

[srintuar]

1)彼のような選手は鍛えがいもあり、育てがいもある。
I have no idea of 鍛えがいもあり、育てがいもある here .

がい is 甲斐 (かい) which means worth/value.

Perhaps a coach or talent scout is saying
"An athlete like him is worth the effort to train and develop."

 

[Tomii515]

I have a question about 言う

In the book I'm using, when it taught you to quote something, it used 言う in the -te iru form. I was just wondering why.

Like, for example

スーさんは、明日試験があると言っていました。
Sue said that there's a test tomorrow.

I was just wondering why they use that instead of 言いました

Thanks~

 

[Buckaroo Banzai]

Yes, that is true of "gai." Another very good word to know is "ikigai," or reason for living. Kinda like "there is value in living."

 

[undrentide]

I have a question about 言う

In the book I'm using, when it taught you to quote something, it used 言う in the -te iru form. I was just wondering why.

Like, for example

スーさんは、明日試験があると言っていました。
Sue said that there's a test tomorrow.

I was just wondering why they use that instead of 言いました

Thanks~

(1)
スーさんは、明日試験があると言いました。
Sue said that there's a test tomorrow.

(2)
スーさんは、明日試験があると言っていました。
Sue was saying that there's a test tomorrow.

The above are literal translations.
1. is commonly used for narration, like stating a fact in a novel, etc.
2. is more commonly used in daily conversation, which sounds more like "I heard Sue saying that..."
Both are grammatically correct, but 1 sounds like a statement from the 3rd person while 2 sounds that one is talking his experience (he heard, he saw, etc.)

 

[Tomii515]

Undrentide, thanks so much!!

 

[dookama]

This sentence is giving me... a ton of problems.

洋梨に形をしたワインの瓶がテーブルの端にあり、そのラベルには葡萄を口に頰張り房を手に持った金髪の女の絵が描かれてある。

It's partly 頰, which I can find just about nothing about, and partly that I can't figure out how the phrases coalesce into a single entity.

 

[Toritoribe]

2)言いたい奴には、好きなように言わせておくがいい
I can translate this sentence as " let the guy (whom wants to tell) tell at his will is ok" --->

言わせておくがいい means not "allow a guy to say" but "leave a guy to say". It's used in the context of "it's not my/our business (with some angry)".

3)あんな奴に負けたなんて、くやしい限りだ.
What does "なんて" do here ?

～なんて is from ～などとて.
In this context, なんて shows that the speaker thinks the fact "あんな奴に負けた" is unacceptable/unbelievable.
*なんて ＝ などということは

note:
なんて～ used in such like "なんてかわいい, なんて酷い (how cute, how terrible)" structure is from なんと.

 

[Toritoribe]

This sentence is giving me... a ton of problems.
洋梨に形をしたワインの瓶がテーブルの端にあり、そのラベルには葡萄を口に頰張り房を手に持った金髪の女の絵が描かれてある。
It's partly 頰, which I can find just about nothing about, and partly that I can't figure out how the phrases coalesce into a single entity.

頰 is 異字体(another form) of 頬.
In this sentence, it's used as not a noun 頬(ほほ; cheek), but a verb 頬張る(ほおばる; bite).

The former part explains about where the wine bottle is, and the latter part explains about the label on it.

 

[eochanghy]

Dear Toritobe san,
Tks again ^_^!
More questions onegai !
1)彼とお会いした折り、「また君と一杯やりたいなあ」って言ってらしたわよ。
What is なあ in やりたいなあ for ? On the other hand, I do not understand the way of using "って" and "言ってらしたわよ". What does that mean of らしたわよ here ?
2)第六感というか、嫌なことが起こりそうな感じがする.
Why is the word というか used here ? Can I change to ということは ？ I think がする have the meaning of 感じる so why do we have to put 感じ here ?
3)確か、ここら辺りに置いたはずなんだが、ないなあ.
I have no idea of this sentence.
Please help.

 

[dookama]

Thank you so much, Toritoribe. It makes sense now -- and I can find information on 頬 a lot easier than on 頰.

 

[Omaki]

I'm going to Japan next week and compiling a list of phrases and questions to use while I am there. Can someone please help me translate these questions to japanese for me?

1) Excuse me, can you please tell me how to get to the (insert name here) subway/train station station?

2) Excuse me, can you assist me with this ticket machine. I want to go to (insert location here).

3) Excuse me, can you please tell me where to find the closest bathroom?

4) May I see a menu please (preferably with pictures)?

 

[Toritoribe]

1)彼とお会いした折り、「また君と一杯やりたいなあ」って言ってらしたわよ。
What is なあ in やりたいなあ for ?

なあ ＝ な: a sentence-final particle to express the speaker's exclamation.

On the other hand, I do not understand the way of using "って" and "言ってらしたわよ". What does that mean of らしたわよ here ?

言って: te-form of the verb 言う

言ってらした ＝ 言ってらっしゃった ＝ 言ってらっしゃいました: the honorific form of 言ってた/言っていた

言ってらしたわよ: the "courtly" female way of saying 言ってらっしゃいましたよ.
I've never heard it in "real" conversations (I mean, except in movies/dramas/animes/novels), though...

2)第六感というか、嫌なことが起こりそうな感じがする.
Why is the word というか used here ? Can I change to ということは ？

第六感というか
"with something like sixth sense", "with sixth sense or the like" in this context.
thus, 第六感というか ≠ 第六感ということは

I think がする have the meaning of 感じる so why do we have to put 感じ here ?

気がする/感じがする means 感じる.

It might be similar to the relationship between "to have the feeling of" and "to feel" in English.

3)確か、ここら辺りに置いたはずなんだが、ないなあ.
I have no idea of this sentence.

確か、この辺りに置いたはずなんだが、(見え)ないなあ/(見当たら)ないなあ/(見つけられ)ないなあ。


I forgot to write before. srintuar and Buckaroo Banzai answered about "がい", not me.;-)

 

[beijingcity]

Hi at all.
I don't speak japanese but I need a little translation
how do you say "I'm Italian and I'm 25 old. Nice to meet you" in japanese?
I hope you help me

 

[diceke]

Hi at all.
I don't speak Japanese but I need a little translation
how do you say "I'm Italian and I'm 25 old. Nice to meet you" in Japanese?
I hope you help me

はじめまして。(Nice to meet you.)
私は２５歳のイタリア人です。(I'm a 25 year old Italian.)

Hope this helps!

 

[Mikawa Ossan]

はじめまして。(Nice to meet you.)
私は２５歳のイタリア人です。(I'm a 25 year old Italian.)

Hope this helps!

I would just add

よろしくお願いします。

At the end. It's complimentary with はじめまして when you meet someone for the first time.

 

[undrentide]

I'm going to Japan next week and compiling a list of phrases and questions to use while I am there. Can someone please help me translate these questions to japanese for me?

1) Excuse me, can you please tell me how to get to the (insert name here) subway/train station station?

2) Excuse me, can you assist me with this ticket machine. I want to go to (insert location here).

3) Excuse me, can you please tell me where to find the closest bathroom?

4) May I see a menu please (preferably with pictures)?

If you understand Japanese, then:

1. Sumimasen, ~~~ eki niwa douyatte ikeba ii desuka?
2. Sumimasen, kippu wo kau nowo tetsudatte moraemasenka?
~~ ni ikitai desu.
3. Sumimasen, ichiban chikai toire wa doko desuka?
4. menyuu wo misete moraemasenka? Shasin no aru menyuu wa arimasuka?

But if you don't know the language well, I'd recommend to use very simple phrases/sentences instead. If you use complicated sentences, Japanese people would think you can understand Japanese and would reply with long/complicated sentences too.

1. Sumimasen, ~~ eki wa doko desu ka?
(Excuse me, where is xxx station?")
...then people will point the direction or take you there if they have time.
sumimasen: excuse me / sorry
doko: where
eki: station

2. Sumimasen, kippu wa douyatte kaimasu ka?
(Excuse me, how do we buy tickets?)
kippu: ticket(s)
douyatte: how
kaimasu: buy

xxx ni ikitai desu.
(I want to go to xxx)

ikitai = iku+tai : want to go

3. Sumimasen, toire wa doko desu ka?
(Excuse me, where's the bathroom?)
toire: toilet

4. Sumimasen, menyuu onegai shimasu.
(Excuse me, a menu please)
onegai shimasu: please

Sumimasen, eigo no menyuu wa airmasu ka?
(Excuse me, do you have a menu in English?)

Enjoy your trip to Japan!

 

[dodoshady]

Hi at all.
I don't speak Japanese but I need a little translation
how do you say "I'm Italian and I'm 25 old. Nice to meet you" in Japanese?
I hope you help me

I'm Italian too, ciao! I've not the programme to write in Japanese but i think you need the written in Japanese, isn't it?

 

[lulurin]

I'm so sorry if I post this in the wrong thread..
I'm trying to learn Japanese so I create this blog--> lulurin.j-talk.com
I hope that you guys will help me correcting my errors by leaving some comments... ^^;;
どうぞよろしくお願いします！＞。＜

 

[Elizabeth]

がい is 甲斐 (かい) which means worth/value.

Perhaps a coach or talent scout is saying
"An athlete like him is worth the effort to train and develop."

Yes, I think so too. And this is just where I left off after not being around for a while....sorry if you know everything already.

「．．．がい」は、いろんな言い回しがありよく使われています。例えば「やりがい」は、worthwhile, rewarding, worth trying などの意味があります。

他に良く使われる言い方としては「 生きがい」は、makes my life worthwhile, worth living for などの意味があります。


「今の仕事はやりがいがあります。」とか、「勉強の成果があがるとやりがいが出てきます。」みたいに使います。

「子育てに生き甲斐を感じます。」I am greatly satisfied rasing my children.とか、「私には何の生き甲斐もないです。」I have nothing to live for..などがありますね。...

3)あんな奴に負けたなんて、くやしい限りだ.

You get the basic feel of it, then, right ? 限りだ is an idiom maybe which doesn't add anything in meaning ????

 

[eochanghy]

Dear all,
Thank you so much for your explanation.
Elizabeth san, I saw you in this forum first time maybe from 2004. I came back in 2006 and saw your posts again and now it is so nice to see you here again.
I have other questions...
1)生きてるうちが花なのさ。死んで花実が咲くものか。
I do not understand the structure 花なのさ here so can not translate it
2)私ができ得る限りのことは、喜んでいたしましょう.
I don't think that we can use でき得る here so I have no idea of the meaning of ができ得る限りのこと.
3)先生の丁寧な教え方のおかげか、このクラスには落ちこぼれの学生は一人もいません.
Why do we use おかげか here ? If I use おかげで , will the meaning be changed ?
皆さん、お願いします。

 

[Niedy]

Hi!

Today a friend asked me for help, she needed 2 sentences as fast as possible and I told her my Japanese was bad, but she said it's better than nothing... so I tried, but probably failed really bad and now I'm wondering how bad it really is

She got a 見積もり and was asked to confirm it... so I just used the words they did and ended up with this: 見積もりを確認します。

they also asked for her credit card information and she was wondering how to let them know... and I gave her the following (which I hope means something like "Regarding the credit card info, what would be the best way to let you know?)

クレジットカードの番号、有効期限がどんな知らせる方法は一番いいでしょうか。

My main concern obviously is, if ppl. are actually able to understand it (even if it sounds weird). Secondly, how would Japanese actually say something like that?

Thanks in advance!

Julia

 

[Toritoribe]

Hi!

Today a friend asked me for help, she needed 2 sentences as fast as possible and I told her my Japanese was bad, but she said it's better than nothing... so I tried, but probably failed really bad and now I'm wondering how bad it really is

She got a 見積もり and was asked to confirm it... so I just used the words they did and ended up with this: 見積もりを確認します。

they also asked for her credit card information and she was wondering how to let them know... and I gave her the following (which I hope means something like "Regarding the credit card info, what would be the best way to let you know?)

クレジットカードの番号、有効期限がどんな知らせる方法は一番いいでしょうか。

My main concern obviously is, if ppl. are actually able to understand it (even if it sounds weird). Secondly, how would Japanese actually say something like that?

Thanks in advance!

Julia

As for the second sentence, probably they can understand what you want to say.

for the first one,

見積もりを確認しました。
見積もりを確認します means "I will confirm 見積もり from now" ＝ "I haven't confirmed 見積もり yet".

for the second one, if I would say

クレジットカード番号と有効期限をお知らせするのは、どういう方法がいいでしょうか。
クレジットカード番号と有効期限をお知らせするのに、一番いい方法はなんでしょうか。
クレジットカード番号と有効期限は、どういう方法でお知らせしたらいいでしょうか。

Hope this helps