Hello,
1. 春の花見は言うまでもなく、夏から秋にかけては日本中 でいろいろな祭りが見られます。
Translation given: "Not to mention the flower viewing in spring, many festivals can be seen all over Japan from summer through fall."
A perennial question of mine regarding these cases that seem to readily translate to "can be ~ed" (a kind of "passive potential"), and where the Japanese verb form could be either passive or potential. Here 見られます is potential, right? (I remember that passive verbs usually ought to have animate subjects.)
2. 日本では、二十五日は国に祝日ではないのですが、西洋 の影響を受けて人々は宗教に関係なくプレゼントを交換したり、パーティーをしたりして楽しみます。
My translation: "In Japan, the 25th [of December] is not a national holiday, but, influenced by the West, people (still) enjoy themselves holding parties and exchanging non-religious presents."
I guess 人々 must be the subject of 受けて? Would 西洋の影響を受けた人々は... also make sense?
3. そのほか、年末には一緒に働いている人々や友達と忘年 会と呼ばれるパーティーもします。
My translation: "In addition, at the end of the year, workmates and friends also hold parties called 忘年会."
Who or what is the subject of します? Is it "people in general"? (This is part of a general description of Japanese festivities.)
4. そばは長いので、長く生きられるようにという意味で食 べるのです。
My translation: "Because the noodles are long, it's said that eating them will make one live long."
a) What is the meaning of で? Does it mean that one eats them "with" the stated meaning? Or is it the copula?
b) Is のです just explanatory, or is の a pronoun providing the meaning "(noodles are a) thing/item (that one eats)".
1. 春の花見は言うまでもなく、夏から秋にかけては日本中 でいろいろな祭りが見られます。
Translation given: "Not to mention the flower viewing in spring, many festivals can be seen all over Japan from summer through fall."
A perennial question of mine regarding these cases that seem to readily translate to "can be ~ed" (a kind of "passive potential"), and where the Japanese verb form could be either passive or potential. Here 見られます is potential, right? (I remember that passive verbs usually ought to have animate subjects.)
2. 日本では、二十五日は国に祝日ではないのですが、西洋 の影響を受けて人々は宗教に関係なくプレゼントを交換したり、パーティーをしたりして楽しみます。
My translation: "In Japan, the 25th [of December] is not a national holiday, but, influenced by the West, people (still) enjoy themselves holding parties and exchanging non-religious presents."
I guess 人々 must be the subject of 受けて? Would 西洋の影響を受けた人々は... also make sense?
3. そのほか、年末には一緒に働いている人々や友達と忘年 会と呼ばれるパーティーもします。
My translation: "In addition, at the end of the year, workmates and friends also hold parties called 忘年会."
Who or what is the subject of します? Is it "people in general"? (This is part of a general description of Japanese festivities.)
4. そばは長いので、長く生きられるようにという意味で食 べるのです。
My translation: "Because the noodles are long, it's said that eating them will make one live long."
a) What is the meaning of で? Does it mean that one eats them "with" the stated meaning? Or is it the copula?
b) Is のです just explanatory, or is の a pronoun providing the meaning "(noodles are a) thing/item (that one eats)".
