夫は以前、私は働いている大学の学生で、よく図書館を使っていました。それがきっかけで知り合いました

Truzen · 23 Aug 2015

Hi. I couldn't figure out the meaning of the sentence "それがきっかけで知り合いました". I think it means motivation to learn". But if it's like this, then the subject "それ" would be who make the action "learn" what does not make sense as "それ" is not an animated subject.

Toritoribe · 23 Aug 2015

きっかけ means "opportunity/chance". それ refers to what is expressed in the preceding sentence.

Truzen · 23 Aug 2015

I think that "それ" refers to the fact that she often used the library when she was an student. So i think "それ" cant perform the action "learn".

That sentence is is meaning that something is giving opportunity to the speaker even without a verb to indicate this?

lanthas · 23 Aug 2015

知り合う is not "to learn" but "to get to know someone" (in this case, the person who is now her 夫).
夫 is the subject of both the で and the 使っていました in the first sentence.

Truzen · 23 Aug 2015

Right, I got that part now. But as I can read from the second sentence, "それ" is performing the action of "get to know". Is it possible?

lanthas · 23 Aug 2015

No. You (almost) had it right the previous time:

Truzen said:
I think that "それ" refers to the fact that she often used the library when she was an student.

Indeed それ refers to the use of the library, but it's the narrator's *husband* that was using the library when *he* was a student, not the narrator herself. The narrator (私) is working for the 大学, not studying in it.

nekojita · 23 Aug 2015

Also, 私は彼と is implied in the final sentence.
それ does not connect to 知り合う

Toritoribe · 23 Aug 2015

I'm sure it's a typo of 私が働いている大学の学生で.
夫 is the subject of 学生で（す） and 使っていました, and 私 is the subject of 働いている, as already pointed out.

Truzen said:
"それ" is performing the action of "get to know". Is it possible?

I already gave you the answer.

Toritoribe said:
それ refers to what is expressed in the preceding sentence.

I mean "the entire preceding sentence".

butarox · 25 Aug 2015

No one really translated the entire sentence, so I'll take a crack:
夫は以前、私は働いている大学の学生で、よく図書館を使っていました。それがきっかけで知り合いました
My husband [otto ha] was a student at the university where I worked [watashi ha hataraite iru...], and he frequently used the library there [yoku toshokan wo tsukatte...]. That was how [sore ga kikkake] we first came to know each other [shiriau = became acquainted].

(BTW. I agree that the watashi ha should probably be watashi ga)

Toritoribe · 25 Aug 2015

Thanks for your following up. We often leave it for the questioner in this forum so that they can do it by themselves. (And if they ask whether their new translation is correct or not, we will reply again.)

Mike Cash · 25 Aug 2015

butarox said:
No one really translated the entire sentence, so I'll take a crack:
夫は以前、私は働いている大学の学生で、よく図書館を使っていました。それがきっかけで知り合いました
My husband [otto ha] was a student at the university where I worked [watashi ha hataraite iru...], and he frequently used the library there [yoku toshokan wo tsukatte...]. That was how [sore ga kikkake] we first came to know each other [shiriau = became acquainted].

(BTW. I agree that the watashi ha should probably be watashi ga)

You need to look again at one of the verb tenses.

butarox · 25 Aug 2015

Mike...you're thinking "where I worked" instead of "where I am working/where I work?" Interesting point. I'm inferring from the "izen" and the past tense structure of the entire sentence ("tsukatte ita" and "shiriamashita") that she (the speaker) used to work there, but doesn't any more.I think you're correct, though.

butarox · 25 Aug 2015

Toritoribe said:
Thanks for your following up. We often leave it for the questioner in this forum so that they can do it by themselves. (And if they ask whether their new translation is correct or not, we will reply again.)

...I see. Of course. Thank you.

Toritoribe · 25 Aug 2015

butarox said:
Mike...you're thinking "where I worked" instead of "where I am working/where I work?" Interesting point. I'm inferring from the "izen" and the past tense structure of the entire sentence ("tsukatte ita" and "shiriamashita") that she (the speaker) used to work there, but doesn't any more.I think you're correct, though.

以前 only modifies 学生で and 使っていました, and not 働いている. If the speaker doesn't work there now, 働いていた is used instead, probably as you already realized. (In addition, if 以前 modifies 働く, the order of the words should be 夫は、私が以前働いていた大学の学生で, or the comma should be put before 以前; 夫は、以前私が働いていた大学の学生で.)

夫は以前、私は働いている大学の学生で、よく図書館を使っていました。それがきっかけで知り合いました

Truzen

Kouhai

Toritoribe

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lanthas

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夫は以前、私は働いている大学の学生で、よく図書館を使っていました。 それがきっかけで知り合いました

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夫は以前、私は働いている大学の学生で、よく図書館を使っていました。それがきっかけで知り合いました