Hi there,
1. 長いようで、短く思われたホームステイ。
This is the introductory sentence of a text in which a Japanese girl describes the experience of having a foreign student stay with the family. I can recognise the words, but I don't understand what it actually means. Could anyone translate?
2. 時々私達が日本語だけで話していると、「何を話してい るのか」と尋ねてきたりする時もあった。
My translation: "Sometimes when we were talking only in Japanese, she would start asking 'What are you talking about?'"
Is きたりする = きたり (from くる) + する? Does it have the meaning "start (asking) things like ..."?
3. 「これこれするように」というとすぐに「Why?」という 単語が常に返ってきた。
I get the general idea that the American girl was always questioning things with the word "Why?". However, I don't understand 「これこれするように」. Are these the actual spoken words that prompt the question "Why?"? What do they mean?
4. もちろん相手が納得するまで説明したが、しまいには、こちらから先手を 打って、理由を言ったものだった。
My translation: "Of course, I would explain until she understood, but eventually I began to preempt her questions and give her the reason before she asked."
Am I right that こちらから means "from me", and so the following actions (先手を打つ and 理由を言う were carried out by the speaker?
5. こういう点では、異文化圏の人間だということを身を以 て感じさせられた。
a) Here I don't get the relationship between こういう点 and 異文化圏の人間. Is the speaker saying that she felt these things were the result of cultural differences? Or is she saying that because of these things she felt there were cultural differences? Or something else?
b) I am not sure about 感じさせられた. Is this passive-causative? Does it mean something like "I was made to feel that..."?
1. 長いようで、短く思われたホームステイ。
This is the introductory sentence of a text in which a Japanese girl describes the experience of having a foreign student stay with the family. I can recognise the words, but I don't understand what it actually means. Could anyone translate?
2. 時々私達が日本語だけで話していると、「何を話してい るのか」と尋ねてきたりする時もあった。
My translation: "Sometimes when we were talking only in Japanese, she would start asking 'What are you talking about?'"
Is きたりする = きたり (from くる) + する? Does it have the meaning "start (asking) things like ..."?
3. 「これこれするように」というとすぐに「Why?」という 単語が常に返ってきた。
I get the general idea that the American girl was always questioning things with the word "Why?". However, I don't understand 「これこれするように」. Are these the actual spoken words that prompt the question "Why?"? What do they mean?
4. もちろん相手が納得するまで説明したが、しまいには、こちらから先手を 打って、理由を言ったものだった。
My translation: "Of course, I would explain until she understood, but eventually I began to preempt her questions and give her the reason before she asked."
Am I right that こちらから means "from me", and so the following actions (先手を打つ and 理由を言う were carried out by the speaker?
5. こういう点では、異文化圏の人間だということを身を以 て感じさせられた。
a) Here I don't get the relationship between こういう点 and 異文化圏の人間. Is the speaker saying that she felt these things were the result of cultural differences? Or is she saying that because of these things she felt there were cultural differences? Or something else?
b) I am not sure about 感じさせられた. Is this passive-causative? Does it mean something like "I was made to feel that..."?