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大人になってからも ... / 聞かなかった / 筆者は今でも... /どうかしましたか

eeky

先輩
8 Jun 2010
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Hello,

1. The author has said that when he was young he used to make decisions by reciting the phrase 「どれにしようかな。神様と天神様の言うとおり。」, whose purpose I assume is a bit like "Eeny, meeny, miny, moe". Then:

大人になってからもこんなやり方ですべてうまくいった らいいのだが。

I am failing to grasp the overall sense and purpose of this sentence. I get something like "But even since I've become an adult, it's good if I always say (such words) in this way." That's assuming いったら = 言ったら. Also, I don't understand in what sense うまく is used ... What does it all mean?


2. おまわりさんに聞かなかったんですか。

Does this mean "Didn't you hear the policeman?" or "Didn't you listen to the policeman?" or "Didn't you ask the policeman?"


3. 筆者は今でも「重大な選択」について、「どれにしよう かな・・・」と言って決めているでしょうか。

My translation: "Has the writer decided, even now (i.e. even now he's an adult), to say 「どれにしようかな・・・」 when faced with important decisions?"

The doubt I have about this translation is that positioning of the question in the textbook suggests that it ought to have a fairly expansive answer -- like maybe a paragraph or two -- whereas my translation only needs a yes/no answer. Therefore, I feel that I may be missing something.


4.

A: 「どうかしましたか」
B: 「いいえ、何でもないです」

Out of this I get "Did you somehow do (it)? / No, it's nothing", which makes zero sense. What does it actually mean?


5. 物理も生物もあまりできませんが、物理のほうが生物よ りましです。

My translation: "I'm not much good at either physics or biology, but I prefer physics."

Is this OK? Does it mean "I prefer physics" or "I'm better at physics"?
 
1. 大人になってからもこんなやり方ですべてうまくいったらいいのだが。
うまくいったら=上手く行ったら
I would be great if things goes well/one can get on by doing that (i.e. choosing what to do by "eeny, meeny, miny, moe".)

2. おまわりさんに聞かなかったんですか。
~に聞く: ask someone

3. 筆者は今でも「重大な選択」について、「どれにしようかな・・・」と言って決めているでしょうか。

Your translation is correct.
The question is asking simply for yes/no and from the sentence 1, it is obvious that "no" is expected as an answer.

4. A: 「どうかしましたか」

"What's wrong?"
"What is the matter?"
etc.

どうしたの?どうかした? are often used in less formal situation.

5. 物理も生物もあまりできませんが、物理のほうが生物よりましです。
Does it mean "I prefer physics" or "I'm better at physics"?

It's the latter. "Better", or "less poor".
 
4)
In addition to undrentide-san's

"Did you somehow do (it)?" is どうかしましたか/やりましたか?. どうかする/どうかしている means "Something is wrong with~", and the example sentence is an interrogative form of it, i.e., "Has something been wrong with you?"
 
Hi undrentide*, thanks for your help. I should have considered 行ったら for (1)!

どうしたの?どうかした? are often used in less formal situation.

Is どうしましたか also essentially the same? That's the one I think I've learnt before.

*and Toritoribe
 
Is どうしましたか also essentially the same?
Yes. As you know, どうしましたか? is a polite form of どうした?/どうしたの?;-)
(I think どうしました? would be more commonly used, though.)
 
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