そうかもしれない / エイミーさんが家に来てくれて / 入りました / ようにして

Hiya,

1.
エイミー: 日本の習慣なんでしょうね。私にはまだよくわからない けれど。
母: そうかもしれないわね。ねえ、エイミーさん、お茶でも飲まない。
エイミー: じゃあ、いただきます。

a) What's the best way to translate そうかもしれないわね here? Does it mean something like "Maybe that's true..."?

b) Does お茶でも飲まない mean something like "Won't you have some tea or something"?


2. Amy is upset because she thinks her Japanese friends are only interested in her in order to practice their English conversation. Her Japanese host mother is trying to reassure her:

私達は、エイミーさんが家に来てくれてとても喜んでいるのよ。エイミーさんのお友達だって、本当にあなたのことが好きなんだ と思うんだけど。

My translation: "We're very happy that you've come to stay in our home, Amy. And I think your friends really do like you."

a) I'm not certain who is the subject of 喜んでいる. It seems like it should be 私達, but how does the grammar that connects 来てくれて (subject Amy) with 喜んでいる (subject 私達) work? Shouldn't there be some linking word(s) beyond just とても?

b) I seem to be permanently incapable of understanding だって. What meaning does it have here?


3. お母さんが「お茶が入りましたよ。」と言った。

Does お茶が入りました mean something like "the tea has been poured"?


4. 人の波に押されるようにして鳥居をくぐった後で、一行 は手水やで手を清めた。

I understand this is something to do with being pushed by waves (crowds) of people, and that after the party passed through the gate of the shrine, they cleansed their hands in the water basin.

However, I don't understand the function of ようにして. What does it mean here?

eeky said:

1.
エイミー: 日本の習慣なんでしょうね。私にはまだよくわからない けれど。
母: そうかもしれないわね。ねえ、エイミーさん、お茶でも飲まない。
エイミー: じゃあ、いただきます。
a) What's the best way to translate そうかもしれないわね here? Does it mean something like "Maybe that's true..."?

Click to expand...

Yes.

eeky said:

b) Does お茶でも飲まない mean something like "Won't you have some tea or something"?

Click to expand...

Right. This sentence is said with rising intonation as an invitation.

eeky said:

2. Amy is upset because she thinks her Japanese friends are only interested in her in order to practice their English conversation. Her Japanese host mother is trying to reassure her:
私達は、エイミーさんが家に来てくれてとても喜んでいるのよ。エイミーさんのお友達だって、本当にあなたのことが好きなんだ と思うんだけど。
My translation: "We're very happy that you've come to stay in our home, Amy. And I think your friends really do like you."
a) I'm not certain who is the subject of 喜んでいる. It seems like it should be 私達, but how does the grammar that connects 来てくれて (subject Amy) with 喜んでいる (subject 私達) work? Shouldn't there be some linking word(s) beyond just とても?

Click to expand...

Yes, your interpretation about the subject is correct.
The clause エイミーさんが家に来てくれて indicates the reason why we are happy. This is from a function of the -te form, as same as the one in 寒くて風邪を引きそうだ, 彼女がいなくて寂しい, or like that.

eeky said:

b) I seem to be permanently incapable of understanding だって. What meaning does it have here?

Click to expand...

That's the same meaning to も or "too/also".

［係助］《断定の助動詞「だ」に係助詞「とて」の付い た「だとて」の音変化という》名詞・副詞、一部の助詞 に付く。「でも」に似るが、語調がより強い。
１ ある事柄を例示し、それが他と同類、または、同様であ るという意を表す。…もやはり。…でも。「鯨―人間の 仲間だ」「ここから―見える」

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だって［接助係助終助］の意味 - goo国語辞書

eeky said:

3. お母さんが「お茶が入りましたよ。」と言った。
Does お茶が入りました mean something like "the tea has been poured"?

Click to expand...

Yes.

eeky said:

4. 人の波に押されるようにして鳥居をくぐった後で、一行 は手水やで手を清めた。
I understand this is something to do with being pushed by waves (crowds) of people, and that after the party passed through the gate of the shrine, they cleansed their hands in the water basin.
However, I don't understand the function of ようにして. What does it mean here?

Click to expand...

押されるように(simile) + 押されて(reason/~, then...)

Toritoribe said:

押されるように(simile) + 押されて(reason/~, then...)

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Hi Toritoribe, thanks for your help. Sorry, I am still a bit confused about this one. Is it

人の波に押されるようにして = "It was like they were being pushed by waves of people..."

with "like" clarifying that "waves" is being used figuratively?

Who/what is the subject of して? Is it the people who were being pushed?

It's more likely that よう modifies the whole clause 人の波に押される.

This して doesn't express an actual action, thus, it has another function/meaning than the ones in 使えるようにする, 戸締りするようにする, etc. It can be interpreted 押されるように(like being pushed) + 押されて(they passed through the gate by being pushed...), as I wrote above.

OK, thanks.