What's new

と言われました / 何人も / 間に合うといい / に / を中心に

eeky

先輩
8 Jun 2010
2,431
22
48
Hello,


1. 田中さんに電話したかったけれど、だれに聞いても電話 番号を知らないと言われました。

At first I read this as meaning: "I wanted to call Mr Tanaka, but everyone I asked told me that they didn't know his number (lit. I asked everyone, but was told...)." In other words, と言われました refers to 電話番号を知らない.

Then I wondered if it could mean "I was told that (someone) wanted to call Mr Tanaka, but no one (that person) asked knew his number." In other words, と言われました refers to the whole of the rest of the sentence.

Are both these interpretations possible?


2.
スミスさんは何年も日本に住んでいる。
今日は、かぜでクラスを休んだ学生が何人もいた。

My translations:

"Mr Smith has lived in Japan for many years."
"Today, many students were absent from class with colds."

Is this correct? In the second sentence, does 何人も means "all the students" or "many students"? I'm a bit confused because the dictionary says 何人も means "everyone; all", yet 何年も apparently means "many years" not "all years". Why would there be a difference?


3. あと10分で映画が始まります。間に合うといいんです が。

I understand "The film starts in ten minutes". I don't exactly understand the purpose of the second sentence. Could it possibly be expressing hope? "I hope we'll be in time"?


4. 妹に部屋を片付けてほしいです。

In this sentence I am unsure of the purpose of に. Does it just mean "My sister wants to clean up her/the room"? Or could it be "I want my sister to clean up her/the room"?


5. 人々は、八月十五日を中心に一週間ぐらい盆休みをとっ て、いかなに帰ります。

Does 八月十五日を中心に一週間 mean "a week centred around the 15th August"?
 
1)
For the latter case, 田中さんに電話したかったけれど、だれに聞いても電話番号がわからなかったと言われました。 is used, because it's natural that the subject of the last half of the indirect quotation is also the person. Or, using a direct quotation, 「田中さんに電話したかったけれど、だれに聞いても電話番号を知らないんだ」と言われました。 is OK, too (of course).

2)
Your translations are correct. When 何人も means "everyone/all", it's pronounced なんびとも/なにびとも. The word is usually put at the beginning of the sentence, and is often used in negative sentences.
e.g.
何人も法を犯してはならない。

3)
Yes, that's right. Although the subject of 間に合う could be someone else.

4)
The latter. に indicates the person whom I want to let clean up.

5)
なかに帰ります

Yes.
 
1 and 4

Consider how they would be different with the presence of the ~がる construction. Consider what implications the presence or absence has in figuring out the possible interpretations.
 
Consider how they would be different with the presence of the ~がる construction. Consider what implications the presence or absence has in figuring out the possible interpretations.
Oh, you mean that ~たい and ほしい always express the speaker's wishes, otherwise we would need to add ~がる, right? I think I had forgotten that. Is it a cast-iron rule or more of a guideline?
 
Back
Top Bottom