とで / 開きした / 恥ずかしい / ほしい / でも先生はお蔭で

Hi,


1. 三友はきれいな木とイメージと意味とで、他にも色々な時に使います。

a) Does きれいな木とイメージと意味 mean something like "a meaning that evokes an image of attractive trees"?

b) What is the grammar of とで?


2. This is about a Buddhist monk:

そしてやっと悟りを開きした。

a) What is 開きした? Is it 開き (noun) + した?

b) Is the monk the subject of 開きした?


3. でも、恥ずかしいから大きい声で読まないで下さい。それから、じゅん君のお父さんとお母さんにはまだ言わないで下さい。

My translation: "But I'm embarrassed, so please don't read it [a letter] in a loud voice. Also, don't speak to Jun's mother and father [about the letter] yet."

a) Does the subject of 恥ずかしい have to be a person, or could the subject be the letter, as in English "the letter is embarrassing"?

b) Is my interpretation of まだ as "yet" correct here?


4. 前払いしてほしいですか。

Translation given: "Do you want me to pay in advance?"

Is it possible for this to mean "Do you want to pay in advance?". I'm guessing not, but I often have problems with ほしい, knowing who is wanting and who is doing the thing that is wanted.


5. This is from an email from a teacher to a pupil. The teacher has already written a few opening pleasantries about the weather etc., and has said こちらはとても元気です. Later she says:

でも先生はお蔭で毎日元気に教えています。

Although I recognise every word in this sentence, I just can't understand it as a whole. What does it mean? And is 先生 the writer or someone else?

1)
That sentence doesn't make much sense to me. Is it saying about 松竹梅?

2) a)
That's a typo of 開きました.

b)
Yes.

3) a)
The subject must be a person, or rather, the speaker/writer. が can indicate the object, i.e., 手紙が恥ずかしい means "I'm embarrassed about the letter".

b)
Yes.

4)
The subject of ～したい is the person who wants to do. It's usually the speaker in an affirmative sentence, the addressee in an interrogative sentence. Whereas the subject of ～してほしい is the person who wants to BE DONE. Similarly, it's usually the speaker in an affirmative sentence, the addressee in an interrogative sentence. Thus, the doer is the addressee or third person in an affirmative sentence, the speaker or third person in an interrogative sentence.

したい
the person who wants to do: the speaker
the doer: the speaker

したいですか
the person who wants to do: the addressee
the doer: the addressee

してほしい
the person who wants to be done: the speaker
the doer: the addressee/third person

してほしいですか
the person who wants to be done: the addressee
the doer: the speaker/third person


5)
先生 refers to the writer. The writer basically says that he/she is doing well.

1. Yes, 三友 apparently refers to 松竹梅. Does it make any sense knowing that?

4. Thanks, that's a useful summary...

5. For some reason I was reading it as meaning 先生のお蔭で, but I suppose it must be あなたのお陰で? Is 毎日元気に教えています a set expression? I don't see how it creates a sensible meaning. How is it literally interepreted?

Edited... Oh, dammit, I was reading 元気 as 天気! I've done that before. I think was put off by the previous talk about the weather...

Anyway, that helps a bit, but I still do not understand the purpose of に教えています.

1)
I think there must be a typo, something like 三友はきれいな木のイメージと意味とで.

5)
Yes for あなたのお陰.
元気に is an adverbial phrase "in good health/well".

1) Assuming it's 三友はきれいな木のイメージと意味とで、他にも色々な時に使います, what is とで?

5) Does 教えています refer to the teacher communicating her state of health to the pupil (via letter or email, for example)? Does it refer to her teaching in class?

1)
It's the same as イメージと意味で.

5)
teach in her class in good health

1. Is で the copula? I am not clear what connection is being expressed between the two parts of the sentence by means of （と）で.

It's a particle. I think that "by" is close to it in English.

by their impression of beautiful trees and meanings