Hiya,
1. どんな人にでもあげてしまうというのが、贈り物好きの 日本人らしいところである。
Out of this I get something like "Any person to whom you end up giving (a gift) seems to be a Japanese person who likes gifts", but I think I have it all wrong. What does it actually mean?
2. 留学生も日本で贈り物をもらうことが多いと思うが、そ んな時には、ホストファミリーや大学の留学生係や日本人の友達によく聞いて、どうし たらいいかを決めるのがいいだろう。
My translation: "There will probably be many occasions on which (you) too (as a) visiting foreign student in Japan will receive gifts. At these times, it is probably a good idea to ask your host family, student officer or Japanese friends so that you can decide what is best to do."
a) Is this correct? If so, then do you think "decide what is best to do" refers to the correct etiquette of how to thank them, whether you should give something in return, etc.?
b) In よく聞いて, what is よく adding?
c) I'm never very sure how to interpret と思う in situations like this (this is a text describing gift-giving customs in Japan). Does と思う explicitly express the author's opinion, or does it mean something vaguer like "probably" or "an average person would think..."?
3. A foreign student has given a gift to the father of the family he is staying with.
ホストファミリーのお父さんがそれを開けようとしないので、留学生はそ れを開けさせて、そのプレゼントについていろいろ説明する。
Out of this I get: "The father of the host family does not try to open it (the present), so the foreign student causes(?) him to open it, and explains various things about the present."
Is this right? I am unsure, especially, about 開けようとしない and 開けさせた. 開けよう is the volitional form of 開ける, right?
4. Part of the instructions for a writing composition exercise:
１の例をよく読んでから書くとよい。
I assume this means something like "It would be a good idea if you read example 1 again before you write (your composition)".
a) Does と here have the sense of "if"?
b) What is the exact sense of よく here?
1. どんな人にでもあげてしまうというのが、贈り物好きの 日本人らしいところである。
Out of this I get something like "Any person to whom you end up giving (a gift) seems to be a Japanese person who likes gifts", but I think I have it all wrong. What does it actually mean?
2. 留学生も日本で贈り物をもらうことが多いと思うが、そ んな時には、ホストファミリーや大学の留学生係や日本人の友達によく聞いて、どうし たらいいかを決めるのがいいだろう。
My translation: "There will probably be many occasions on which (you) too (as a) visiting foreign student in Japan will receive gifts. At these times, it is probably a good idea to ask your host family, student officer or Japanese friends so that you can decide what is best to do."
a) Is this correct? If so, then do you think "decide what is best to do" refers to the correct etiquette of how to thank them, whether you should give something in return, etc.?
b) In よく聞いて, what is よく adding?
c) I'm never very sure how to interpret と思う in situations like this (this is a text describing gift-giving customs in Japan). Does と思う explicitly express the author's opinion, or does it mean something vaguer like "probably" or "an average person would think..."?
3. A foreign student has given a gift to the father of the family he is staying with.
ホストファミリーのお父さんがそれを開けようとしないので、留学生はそ れを開けさせて、そのプレゼントについていろいろ説明する。
Out of this I get: "The father of the host family does not try to open it (the present), so the foreign student causes(?) him to open it, and explains various things about the present."
Is this right? I am unsure, especially, about 開けようとしない and 開けさせた. 開けよう is the volitional form of 開ける, right?
4. Part of the instructions for a writing composition exercise:
１の例をよく読んでから書くとよい。
I assume this means something like "It would be a good idea if you read example 1 again before you write (your composition)".
a) Does と here have the sense of "if"?
b) What is the exact sense of よく here?