すぐ / なれません / なって / もてる

Hiya,

1. 下手なくせにすぐやりたがる人はいやだ。

Translation given: "A person who is poor at doing something but loves doing it is a big pain."

I'm assuming やりたがる = やる ("do") + たがる, right?

Can anyone advise the meaning of すぐ here? Does it emphasise the readiness with which the person likes to do the activity, or something like that?


2. 昨日の試験では、１点の差で１番になれませんでした。

Translation given: " was only one point from being first on yesterday's exam."

Is なれません the negative potential form of なる (成る), so literally it means "(I) was not able to achieve (first place) ..."?


3. 大切な仕事なら続けるべきじゃないかなって思うんです けど。

My translation: "If it's important work then I think / wonder if (she) should continue with it."

I'm assuming じゃないかなって is じゃ + ない + か + なって, but what is なって adding?


4. 三人ずつの小グループに使って、自分たちの国では、どんな男性／女性がも てるか、話し合いなっさい。

I understand this is asking the class to form groups of three people each, and then discuss something about men and women in their own country, but I can't figure out the sense in which もてる is being used.

1. すぐ goes with やりたがる: すぐやりたがる. So, 下手なくせに is a unit, then すぐやりたがる人 is a unit, and then I'm sure you get the rest.

2. You're right. "I wasn't able to be first by a point" is a strange and literal way to put it.

3. じゃない I think of as a single unit, but I also tend to think of じゃないか as a single unit when it's used like this. な is the sentence final particle, and って is the って we talked about last time that's like と (the quotation particle) here.

4. もてる means to be popular usually among the opposite sex. I've got to say, though, that 使って is really throwing me off.

eeky said:

3. 大切な仕事なら続けるべきじゃないかなって思うんですけど。
My translation: "If it's important work then I think / wonder if (she) should continue with it."
I'm assuming じゃないかなって is じゃ + ない + か + なって, but what is なって adding?

Click to expand...

じゃ/ない/かな/って

same to here

eeky said:

4. 三人ずつの小グループに使って、自分たちの国では、どんな男性／女性がもてるか、話し合いなっさい。
I understand this is asking the class to form groups of three people each, and then discuss something about men and women in their own country, but I can't figure out the sense in which もてる is being used.

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「もてる」の検索結果 - Yahoo!辞書

三人ずつの小グループに使って doesn't make sense. Are there any typos?

You beat me, Glenn-san, as always.

Glenn said:

1. すぐ goes with やりたがる: すぐやりたがる. So, 下手なくせに is a unit, then すぐやりたがる人 is a unit, and then I'm sure you get the rest.

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Sorry Glenn, I don't see this yet. I am parsing すぐやりたがる人 as

すぐ + やり-たがる + 人 = "person who likes to do" + adverbial すぐ

In this interpretation I am not very clear what sense すぐ has, though I understand it to be adverbially describing the way in which the person does, or likes to do, the activity. Am I parsing it wrongly?

Glenn said:

な is the sentence final particle, and って is the って we talked about last time that's like と (the quotation particle) here.

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Damn, I seem to be unable to remember this one. I just look at なって and automatically think なる.

Glenn said:

もてる means to be popular usually among the opposite sex. I've got to say, though, that 使って is really throwing me off.

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Sorry, that is my typo. It should be 作って not 使って. I mistyped the hiragana and then accepted the kanji conversion without looking properly!

So, does the whole thing mean "discuss how men and (or?) women are popular among the opposite sex"? It seems a bit weird...? How would you translate it?

eeky said:

Sorry Glenn, I don't see this yet. I am parsing すぐやりたがる人 as
すぐ + やり-たがる + 人 = "person who likes to do" + adverbial すぐ
In this interpretation I am not very clear what sense すぐ has, though I understand it to be adverbially describing the way in which the person does, or likes to do, the activity. Am I parsing it wrongly?

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No, you've got it right. It's "people who want to do (it) soon" or too soon, before they're any good at it. I guess this person is saying they should practice more before doing something.

eeky said:

So, does the whole thing mean "discuss how men and (or?) women are popular among the opposite sex"? It seems a bit weird...? How would you translate it?

Click to expand...

If it's 作って, shouldn't the particle be を?

I'd translate it as "break up into small groups of three, and discuss what kind of men and women are considered attractive in your respective countries." Or something along those lines.

Toritoribe said:

You beat me, Glenn-san, as always.

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Haha, not always.

Glenn said:

If it's 作って, shouldn't the particle be を?

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Yes, you're right, it's を. I'm afraid I had some finger trouble with that sentence...

Glenn said:

I'd translate it as "break up into small groups of three, and discuss what kind of men and women are considered attractive in your respective countries." Or something along those lines.

Click to expand...

Oh yes, of course. I was confusing どんな with どんなに, I think. Thanks!