減らせる / どうだろうか / ３つのＲ / 一度でいい / まさか

[eeky]

Hi,


1. 別の用途に使うことでもゴミは減らせる。

My translation: "We can also reduce rubbish by reusing things for new purposes."

Is 減らせる the potential form of 減らす or the causative form of 減る? How can you tell?


2. 果たして日本ではどうだろうか。

(果たして refers to reducing waste.)

Is this asking how Japan will achieve those aims, or asking what Japan would be like if the aims were achieved?


3. 日本では３つのＲへの取り組みはどうですか。

Is it asking how people are tackling the 3 R's in Japan, in terms of education policy or similar?


4. 私も一度でいいから、あんなぜいたくな生活がしてみた いものだ。

I guess the last part means "that kind of life of luxury is something I'd like to try". Could the first part mean, approximately, "I'll try anything once"?


5. 「まさかうちの子に限って」と思っている親は多い。現 実を知って驚く。

What does まさかうちの子に限って mean? Especially, I cannot figure out the combination of まさか and 限って.

 

[Toritoribe]

1)
In the sentence ゴミが減る, ゴミ is the subject and doesn't have its will, plus, 減る is a non-volitinal intransitive verb. We can make people reduce rubbish(減らさせる, i.e. the causative of 減らす), but CAN'T make rubbish reduce itself. That's the reason why 減らせる can't be the causative of 減る.

2)
Both are possible. If the latter case, the description of the recent situation of Japan follows that sentence.

3)
Yes.

4)
That もの is not a pronoun "thing". It's an emphasizing structure in the same meaning as あんなぜいたくな生活がしてみたい.

感動する気持ちを強調して示す。「二人とも大きくなった―だ」「悪いことはできない―だ」

もの【物】の意味 - 国語辞書 - goo辞書

一度でいいから is an expression for an impossible dream/desire; "I wish I could ~".

5)
まさかうちの子に限ってそんなことをするはずがない makes sense?

 

[eeky]

Thanks Toritoribe.

I think I get all that, except I am not very sure what 二人とも大きくなったものだ is referring to. Is it talking about children growing up?

 

[Toritoribe]

Yes, that's right.