Corrections please

[SkaKid0911]

This is something I just wrote. I'm not great at making senteces so could someone please correct this. I'll write the English I was intending for this to mean below.

今日は！

私のなまえはマイクです。

私は１４さいとだんせいです。

私は日本語をおぼえる、そして私はあなたがおしえるえいごをできます。

あなたはあなたがEメールをくります、そして私たちははなすできますください。

ありがとうございます。

バイー！


Hello!

My name is Mike.

I am 14 years old and male.

I am learning Japanese, and I can teach you English.

Please send me an E-Mail and we can talk.

Thank you.

Bye!

 

[Elizabeth]

私のなまえはマイクです。

This is perfect.

私は１４さいとだんせいです。

私は１４さいでだんせいです。

私は日本語をおぼえる、そして私はあなたがおしえるえいごをできます。

私は日本語をおぼえています。 そしてあなたにえいごをおしえることができます.

Eメールをおくってくださいね. そして私たちははなすことができます。

 

[Glenn]

Hello!

My name is Mike.

I am 14 years old and male.

I am learning Japanese, and I can teach you English.

Please send me an E-Mail and we can talk.

Thank you.

Bye!

Here is my attempt:

こんにちは。私はマイクと言い、十四歳の男の人です。今日本語を勉強してい、英語をあなたに教えてあげられます。メールで連絡してもよろしいから、ご遠慮なく。どうぞよろしくお願いします。それでは。

Hmm, I'm not too sure about that though. I may have mixed keigo with plain polite speech too much. This is pretty formal, too. I'm not sure if that was the tone that you wanted, but somehow it seemed right to me. And I took some liberties with a few lines, opting for what seemed to be a more "Japanese" way of saying things (not that I was right -- it just seemed that way to me ).

 

[SkaKid0911]

Thank you for your reply. I just had a few questions about them.

What does the "で" in 私は１４さいでだんせいです do?

Also, do you need to add "ことが" because there are 2 verbs right next to each other?

Thanks again!

Also, thank you Glenn, but I'm trying to keep my sentences close to how they were, because I don't want to give someone the wrong impression of my japanese. It is also way to complicated for me to understand, even though i already know the meaning lol.

 

[Elizabeth]

I can't really explain it well, :sorry: and maybe there's another better sounding phrase for what you want to say, SkaKid0911, but basically と is used for an exhaustive listing of nouns (Tsukue no ue ni hon to pen ga arimasu. There is only a book and pen on the desk) and で to connect two seperate sentences (I am 14 and (de short for desu) I am male.

As for koto ga, yeah, you can't put dekimasu next to the form of the verb you're using. Just remember "koto ga dekimasu" as a phrase meaning "have the possibility of doing" or "can do."

 

[SkaKid0911]

Thank, so if I wanted to say something like "I like anime, rock, and computers" I would use to and it would be: わたしはアニメとロックとコンピュータすきです。
But "I live in America and like Japan" would be something like: わたしはアメリカにいきるでにほんをすきです。

Please show me any errors in these, too. Thank you very much!

 

[Keiichi]

The form is often:
[noun] ga suki desu.

 

[Elizabeth]

Thank, so if I wanted to say something like "I like anime, rock, and computers" I would use to and it would be: わたしはアニメとロックとコンピュータすきです。

If these are the only things you like I suppose it makes sense....only you need コンピュータがすきです to make it grammatical. Generally though if this is only a partial listing of things you like you'd use "ya" or "toka" (both much more common than to). And be aware there are others such as "ni" "oyabi" "mata wa" or "aruiwa" in formal written speech.

But "I live in America and like Japan" would be something like: わたしはアメリカにいきるでにほんをすきです。

Firstly, to say you live some place (ikiru means to exist or be alive) is "sunde iru" and to say you like is "ga" or sometimes "wa" suki desu. Never "wo" suki desu. Besides after a verb like "sunde iru" you need a "no" (similar to koto) before the desu. "De" alone as a connector only works with nouns. Finally, in this case, Japanese would normally separate these two sentences with "soshite" since there is no logical connection between them. Because you like Japanese doesn't necessarily follow simply from living in America.

 

[SkaKid0911]

Thank you, so would they be:
わたしはアニメとロックとコンピュータがすきです。
and
わたしはアメリカにいきるでにほんがすきです。
?

 

[Glenn]

Thank, so if I wanted to say something like "I like anime, rock, and computers" I would use to and it would be: わたしはアニメとロックとコンピュータすきです。

わたしはアニメとロックとコンピュータがすきです。

But "I live in America and like Japan" would be something like: わたしはアメリカにいきるでにほんをすきです。

Please show me any errors in these, too. Thank you very much!

わたしはアメリカにすんでいてにほんがすきです。

When saying where you live, it is at the least far more common to use the verb 住む(すむ). 生きる(いきる) is used to mean "to be alive." E.g.

にほんに すんでいる。 (I live in Japan.)
まだ いきていた のか。 (You're still alive?)

で meaning "and" is the -te form of だ, so it is only used when the first sentence ends in either だ or です. E.g.

わたしは がくせいです。 + わたしは アメリカ人です。 = わたしは がくせいで、 アメリカ人です。

 

[SkaKid0911]

Thank you all! So would these 2 be correct now:
わたしはアニメやロックやコンピュータがすきです。

わたしはアメリカにすんでいるのです。そしてにほんが すきです。
(does this need です or should it just be:
わたしはアメリカにすんでいる。そしてにほんがすきで す。)
?

 

[Keiichi]

You can use "watashi ha amerika ni sundeirun desu" if you want desu in there.
Else, I think sticking with "sundeimasu" would be more than fine.
(sorry, can't type Jpn on this work comp ).

 

[SkaKid0911]

Thank you very much everyone. You were all very helpful!

 

[Elizabeth]

For next time why don't you try learning "I live in America, but I like Japan."

 

[cacawate]

I second that lol

 

[SkaKid0911]

lol yeah that would have been a much better sentence . would that be:
watashi ha amerika sundeimasu. shikashi nihon ga suki desu.

Also, when separating 2 verbs what is the difference between kotoga and no?
Thanks

 

[SkaKid0911]

Hey everyone, I have some more sentences and I was wondering how I did on em this time. Any help would be great! I wrote the English below the Japanese.
はじめまして！
Eメールありがとうございます。
あなたのえいごはとてもいいです。
私の日本語はよろしいです。しかし私はおおくの漢字をしりません。
私は_______にアメリカにすんでいます。
私はまんがやアニメがすきです。アニメをナルトやるろうに剣心やエヴァンゲリオンやフリクリがすきです。
あなたはアニメやまんががすきですか？
私たちはＭＳＮとAIMにもはなすことができます。
私のＭＳＮEメールは_________でAIMなまえはSkaKid0991です。
ありがとう！ じゃあね！

えいごは下です。

Hello!
Thank you for your e-mail.
Your English is very good.
My Japanese is okay, but I don't know many kanji.
I live in ______, in America.
I like manga and anime. Anime I are is Naruto, Rurouni Kenshin, Evangelion, and FLCL.
Do you like anime and manga?
We can talk on MSN and AIM, also.
My MSN E-mail is ____________, and my AIM name is SkaKid0991.
Thanks! See ya!

 

[Elizabeth]

lol yeah that would have been a much better sentence . would that be:
watashi ha amerika sundeimasu. shikashi nihon ga suki desu.

Also, when separating 2 verbs what is the difference between kotoga and no?
Thanks

There are actually quite a few ways to make that sentence, but shikashi is a good start.

As to no (ga) and koto (ga), there are some subtle differences but all in all neither translates very sensibly in English and "desu" isn't technically a verb anyway, so just remember them as grammatical place holders as shown in the above examples. Even when they are confused, in most cases it's probably still understandable .

 

[SkaKid0911]

Thank you. Are my other sentences pretty much correct?

 

[Elizabeth]

あなたのえいごはとても（じょうず）です。

私の日本語はじょうずではありません。そして漢字をよくしらないです。(There are others as well).

Although you may have reached a relatively high level of competence, the tendancy in Japan is to complement others but be modest about your own abilities. Therefore, it's better not say your Japanese is good. And even if you did, "jouzu" is the adverb not ii (esp not yoroshii) when talking about performance or skill levels.


私はアメリカ（で）＿＿＿＿にすんでいます。(or アメリカの＿＿＿＿＿にすんでいます。

私はまんがやアニメがすきです。アニメ（（のなか）で or は？）ナルトやるろ うに剣心やエヴァンゲリオンやフリクリがすきです。

あなた（も）アニメやまんががすきですか？

私たちはＭＳＮとAIM（で）はなすことができます。

私のＭＳＮEメールは_________で（す）。Maybe this is a little clearer than having two subjects in the same sentence. AIM（の）なまえはSkaKid0991です。

 

[SkaKid0911]

Thank you very much! I did not mean to say my Japanese is good. What I meant to say is my Japanese is okay/alright (as in not good, but useable), but I chose the wrong word. For future reference, what would be the word for that? Thanks again.

 

[Elizabeth]

It pretty much all runs together as "ii" or "yoroshii" on a continuum from OK/alright to fine/pretty good. So best to be as forthright as possible.

"My Japanese is not good" (Watashi no nihongo wa jouzu de wa arimasen) or "My Japanese is poor" (Watashi no nihongo wa heta desu).

 

[Keiichi]

You probably don't want to include AIM in that also. It's not a very known program in Japan (and you can't type Japanese in it unless you have Japanese settings or what not). Stick with MSN Messenger or Yahoo Messenger (I haven't tried Yahoo for Japanese, though I think it should work since Yahoo is popular in Japan).

 

[SkaKid0911]

Thanks again everyone.