Adjective inflection

[Mirage]

Hey all,

I've been working on verb and adjective inflection. I have a basic question (I think its basic)

The adjective osoi (遅い)

I came across two sentences :

Kaeru jikan osokute mo ii daro

and

Ikura osokute mo denwa-shite kudasai.

I think osokute is the adverbial form correct? Like "Being Late" (or slow I guess)

So in the case of Kaeru jikan osokute mo ii daro
literally : Return time being late its also good?
It's fine if we are returning late

would that be correct?

I'm a little more confused on this one, I don't think i understand the use of mo here.

Ikura osokute mo denwa-shite kudasai.
How much being late also making a telephone call please

Basicually I'm trying to understand the use of osokute, does the adverbial form also mean 'ing like being late, or being something.

 

[Elizabeth]

Originally posted by Mirage
Hey all,
Ikura osokute mo denwa-shite kudasai.

I think osokute is the adverbial form correct? Like "Being Late" (or slow I guess)

Yes, slowly or late, which as an adverb is probably more accurately continuing/doing something after the usual or expected time. As a verb, (okureta), would more often be after the set or prescribed time -- such as being late to class or for an appointment.

So in the case of Kaeru jikan osokute mo ii daro
literally : Return time being late its also good?
Its fine if we are returning late

would that be correct?

I'm a little more confused on this one, I don't think i understand the use of mo here.

Yes, even if the return time (probably in the context of transportation scheduling) is late, that is OK.

Ikura osokute mo denwa-shite kudasai.
How much being late also making a telephone call please

Ikura in this case being closer to "as much as," or "however much" though, so my interpretation would be "however late it is, please call."

 

[Mirage]

Ahh, thank you Elizabeth for the reply

So, in the second sentence mo is just used to mean however much?

Also, on the subject of conjugations; I've found plenty of good resources and sites on thw web to show how to conjugate etc... but no real good ones showing examples, or use of each type of conjugation.

Are there any such places out there?

 

[Elizabeth]

Originally posted by Mirage
Ahh, thank you Elizabeth for the reply

So, in the second sentence mo is just used to mean however much?

It's actually a very common construction meaning simply "even if/though/ although," which adverbs like "ikura" or "donna ni" then amplify or give an emotional salience to indicating that something has been exhausted or gone beyond a reasonable threshold. For instance, Ikura hon wo yonde mo ima ga yoku wakaranai desu yo. However much I read of that book, I tell you I still don't understand it very well.

 

[mdchachi]

> I think osokute is the adverbial form correct?

I don't think it's useful to think of this as the adverbial form.

osoi is the adjective, osoku is the adverb. Though I'm sure there is a more grammatical word, I was taught to call osokute the "te-form". This form serves to conjugate sentences or predicates.

For example, to say "hot and heavy" you'd say "atsukute omoi".

As Elizabeth already explained the -te mo ii form means "although" or "even if." This form is commonly used for asking permission.

itte mo ii desu ka? --> Is it okay even if I go?