きいた / だけ / 見られない / 凝らす / 山田さんは...

Hello,

1. ここはまるでクーラーがきいた部屋のように涼しくて気持ちがいいですが...

Is きいた = 効いた?


2. こんなに高い山に登るのは初めてなので、そこから見える景色を想像しただけでわくわくしてきます。

My translation: "It's the first time I've climbed such a high mountain, so I'm getting very excited just imagining the views from the top."

a) Is my translation of だけ as "just" reasonable? (i.e. the mere imagining of it makes him excited).

b) I'm a bit unsure about the tense combination 想像した ... してきます. What's the best way to convey this in English?


3. 東京では、イヌとネコしか見られないからつまらない。

Is 見られない passive ("only cats and dogs are seen") or potential ("one can only see cats and dogs")? How can you tell? I seem to have this problem a lot...


4. その部屋は装飾を凝らしている。

Translation given: "The room is richly ornamented."

What is the meaning of 凝らす here, and who/what is the subject of the verb?


5. 山田さんは想像していたよりずっとすばらしい人だった。

My translation: "Mr Yamada was a more wonderful man than I had imagined."

Is this correct?

1), 2) a)
Yes.

2) b)
present tense
1.想像しただけでわくわくします
2.想像するだけでわくわくします

past tense
3.想像しただけでわくわくしました
4.想像するだけでわくわくしました

future thense
5.想像しただけでわくわくするでしょう
6.想像するだけでわくわくするでしょう

In the examples above, only #5, i.e. した + future tense, sounds odd to me. 想像した would be more close to the perfect tense, whereas 想像する would refer to the act "to imagine", I think. In fact, we can say using the noun form (景色の想像だけでわくわくします/しました/するでしょう) without changing the meaning.

3)
It's the potential.
In Japanese, the subjects of passive sentences are basically people, or at least the things that have emotions/feelings. The sentence like 家が建てられた is made in order to translate Western languages after Meiji Period. If イヌとネコが見られた is used as a passive sentence, the real subject would be interpreted as "I" who is the owner of the dog and cat. (In addition, this passive sentence has a sense of "the passive of adversity". Although イヌとネコを見られた would be more common.)

4)

２ 一心に考えをめぐらす。「工夫を―・す」「意匠を―・ す」

Click to expand...

http://dictionary.goo.ne.jp/leaf/jn2/82584/m0u/凝らす/

In this case, it means "to put rich decorations into the design (of the room)" or like that. The subject would be the designer, but I think we do not much care about who the subject is. 装飾を凝らしている/装飾を凝らした is used adjectively as a set.

5)
Yes.

Thanks Toritoribe.

Toritoribe said:

If イヌとネコが見られた is used as a passive sentence, the real subject would be interpreted as "I" who is the owner of the dog and cat. (In addition, this passive sentence has a sense of "the passive of adversity". Although イヌとネコを見られた would be more common.)

Click to expand...

So, interpreted as passive, would イヌとネコが/を見られた mean "(someone) saw (my) cat and dog, and I was somehow affected as a result"?

アパートはペット禁止なので大変です

nekojita said:

アパートはペット禁止なので大変です

Click to expand...

Yeah, that's exactly the example that came into my head when I wrote my previous post.

We are not allowed to have pets in our apartment. Nevertheless, I have a dog and cat in secret. One day, 大家さんにイヌとネコを見られた/見られてしまった。。。

Got it, thanks.

Toritoribe said:

1), 2) a)
Yes.
2) b)
present tense
1.想像しただけでわくわくします
2.想像するだけでわくわくします
past tense
3.想像しただけでわくわくしました
4.想像するだけでわくわくしました
future thense
5.想像しただけでわくわくするでしょう
6.想像するだけでわくわくするでしょう
In the examples above, only #5, i.e. した + future tense, sounds odd to me. 想像した would be more close to the perfect tense, whereas 想像する would refer to the act "to imagine", I think. In fact, we can say using the noun form (景色の想像だけでわくわくします/しました/するでしょう) without changing the meaning.

Click to expand...

It isn't difficult to carry out "have imagined" in English as an action in the past that is in some sense ongoing to the present. What would be slightly strange is to emphasize with "only have" no other cognition or thought process outside of continually imagining the event.

I used "the perfect tense" as "completed/finished the action 'imagining' and then get excited". 想像した has not the sense of "ongoing to the present" in Japanese.