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interpretation of あえない

letslearn

先輩
11 Sep 2013
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Hi All,
I'm reading a children book called 友だちくじら。
Its the end of the story. The boys friend the whale no longer comes to see him so he is obviously lonely.
There is this sentence.
きみにあえないよるなんて、ぼくさびしい.
Is this あえない. The adjective....tragic. あえないよる tragic night?
And the きみに.does the に here mark the source i.e. his friend being the source of this loneliness.
よろしくお願いします
 
Negative potential (can not) form of 会う

Children's books are limited to simpler themes, not simpler grammar. Any three year old native speaker already firmly grasps grammar you and I will spend years acquiring.
 
Negative potential (can not) form of 会う

Children's books are limited to simpler themes, not simpler grammar. Any three year old native speaker already firmly grasps grammar you and I will spend years acquiring.
Thanks mikesan.
Unable to meet my friend that night, I was lonely.
 
You haven't yet encountered verbs immediately preceding nouns, I take it. 会えない modifies 夜. The construction is analogous to relative clauses in English.

So

夜君に会えない

and

君に会えない夜

are rather different things.
 
You haven't yet encountered verbs immediately preceding nouns, I take it. 会えない modifies 夜. The construction is analogous to relative clauses in English.

So

夜君に会えない

and

君に会えない夜

are rather different things.
ahh. So its
On nights I can't meet my friend, I am lonely.
 
ahh. So its
On nights I can't meet my friend, I am lonely.

Not quite. You're overlooking the なんて

(You'll eventually figure out what we all did when beginning....that children's books SUCK for learning from).
 
Not quite. You're overlooking the なんて

(You'll eventually figure out what we all did when beginning....that children's books SUCK for learning from).
I can see why, the lack of kanji for one thing.
なんて seems to emphasise the preceding word or sentence, so is it like the English especially in this case.
Especially on nights....
 
Everything before なんて functions as a single noun. What it would more closely work out to in English is "the thought of a night without meeting you" and さびしい we would probably switch to something like "sad" or "depressing" or "breaks my heart" or some such.

One thing early experience attempting to read children's books is good for is demonstrating to you how ridiculous it is when foreign learners say their Japanese is "about the same as an ____ year old Japanese child". Any child over three can run circles around us without breaking a sweat.
 
Everything before なんて functions as a single noun. What it would more closely work out to in English is "the thought of a night without meeting you" and さびしい we would probably switch to something like "sad" or "depressing" or "breaks my heart" or some such.

One thing early experience attempting to read children's books is good for is demonstrating to you how ridiculous it is when foreign learners say their Japanese is "about the same as an ____ year old Japanese child". Any child over three can run circles around us without breaking a sweat.
Thanks mikesan,
Your interpretation definitely highlights the emotions he would be feeling.
 
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