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Do you speak English?

espen180

先輩
1 Mar 2009
49
1
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I don't have access to any sentence structure teaching material, so I am wondering whether or not this is correct:

あなた は えいご で はなす か?

Please correct my sentence.

ありがとう
 
I don't have access to any sentence structure teaching material, so I am wondering whether or not this is correct:

あなた は えいご で はなす か?

Please correct my sentence.

ありがとう
Close! But:

あなた は えいご はなせますか?

The first one is use of wrong particle.
The second is change from sentence that is quite rude to say to a stranger to the standard polite form.
 
Ok, so I tried to take this to the next level by writing it into a conversation. :)

This is actually the most advanced text I've written in Japanese thus far.

- こんにちわ。 わたし の なまえ は えすぺん です。
- こんにちわ。 タぬか さん です. おげんき です か?
- げんき です. すいません, あなた は えいご を はなせます か?
- えいご か?
- はい。 わたし は がいじん です。
- はい, そ です。

Quite a bit of です in there, but that's because it is one of the three or so verbs I know so far. I tried to play a little with English written with katakana symbols, but I couldn't find the correct symbols to spell 'try'. 😊

How does it look?
 
がいじん

You may possibly want to change that into がいこくじん. Gaijin is sorta pejorative, so yeah.

I would also like to ask a question, since im already here. Are 異人 and 異国人 words that are still in contemporary use?
 
Ok, so I tried to take this to the next level by writing it into a conversation. :)

This is actually the most advanced text I've written in Japanese thus far.

- こんにちわ。 わたし の なまえ は えすぺん です。
- こんにちわ。 タぬか さん です. おげんき です か?
- げんき です. すいません(すみません), あなた は(タぬかさんは ) えいご を はなせます か?
- えいご(です) か?
- はい。 わたし は がいじん です。
- はい, そ(う)です。(はなせます)

Quite a bit of です in there, but that's because it is one of the three or so verbs I know so far. I tried to play a little with English written with katakana symbols, but I couldn't find the correct symbols to spell 'try'. 😊

How does it look?
Pretty good. 👍 At least I could understand all but the last line. It sounds like タぬかさん is confirming "Ahh, yes you really are" (a foreigner). Did you want him to agree that he can speak English ? 😌
 
You may possibly want to change that into がいこくじん. Gaijin is sorta pejorative, so yeah.

I would also like to ask a question, since im already here. Are 異人 and 異国人 words that are still in contemporary use?
Not that I've ever had the fortune to hear.

Is the use of more or less on par with Jap=日本人野郎 or よそ者

as 歓迎や尊敬や友好の気持ちが感じられないですか?:p 😌
 
You may possibly want to change that into がいこくじん. Gaijin is sorta pejorative, so yeah.

I would also like to ask a question, since im already here. Are 異人 and 異国人 words that are still in contemporary use?

異人 : Now obsolete; used only in samurai period drama
異国人 : Obsolete in modern Japanese, but used on occasion to add a touch of romanticism, such as in poetry.
 
Close! But:
あなた は えいご はなせますか?
The first one is use of wrong particle.
The second is change from sentence that is quite rude to say to a stranger to the standard polite form.


sorry epigene I just wanna ask you question >>><<<
what's the difference between はなせます and はなします。
and I hope to give me the answer and I'll be thankful 🙂
 
- こんにちわ。 わたし の なまえ は えすぺん です。
- こんにちわ。 タぬか さん です. おげんき です か?
- げんき です. すいません, あなた は えいご を はなせます か?
- えいご か?
- はい。 わたし は がいじん です。
- はい, そ です。

How does it look?

I think that こんにちは is the right ... it reads like connichiwa and write like ha は...
 
sorry epigene I just wanna ask you question >>><<<
what's the difference between はなせます and はなします。
and I hope to give me the answer and I'll be thankful :)
はなせます expresses your ability to speak: I can speak.
はなします simply states the fact that you speak: I speak.

I think that こんにちは is the right ... it reads like connichiwa and write like ha は...
Yes, you're right. The use of "ha" instead of "wa" in the word is standard.
But, there are many young Japanese use わ instead of は in "konnichiwa."

FYI, I subscribed to a Japanese website titled "Committee Against the Use of わ Instead of は in Konnichiwa"... 😅
 
Thanks for all your comments, everyone! :)

Pretty good. 👍 At least I could understand all but the last line. It sounds like タぬかさん is confirming "Ahh, yes you really are" (a foreigner). Did you want him to agree that he can speak English ?

On the last line, I wanted him to say something along the lines of 'Ah, I see.', and I have frequently heard Japanese people say something like 'so desu' when they express agreement or understanding.
 
Thanks for all your comments, everyone! 🙂
On the last line, I wanted him to say something along the lines of 'Ah, I see.', and I have frequently heard Japanese people say something like 'so desu' when they express agreement or understanding.
"Ah, I see" is more like わかりました or なるほど。 そうですか? maybe is more what you were referring to (Oh really ? Is that right ?), which the foreigner would then confirm with はい、そうです。


So そうです。(Yes, that's it. That's right.) comes in response to a statement the speaker would say about themselves or a fact that they have independent knowledge of being true. My attempt...

- はい。 わたし は がいじん です。
- ほんとう?がいじん(がいこくじん)ですか?
ーはい。そうです。
 
sorry epigene I just wanna ask you question >>><<<
what's the difference between はなせます and はなします。
and I hope to give me the answer and I'll be thankful 🙂
In addition to what epigene mentioned, with はなせます you have the option of が or を as particle markers.
~えいごをはなせますか?
~えいごがはなせますか?


はなします takes を only。

~えいごをはなしますか
 
- こんにちわ。 わたし の なまえ は えすぺん です。
- こんにちわ。 タぬか さん です. おげんき です か?
- げんき です. すいません, あなた は えいご を はなせます か?
- えいご か?
- はい。 わたし は がいじん です。
- はい, そ です。

Attempting to write the next reply from *me*:

- ば, わたし は えいご を あなた に かもしれない はなし か?
Then, may I speak English to you?

I am unsure about the grammar for this sentence. Am I far off?
 
Attempting to write the next reply from *me*:
- ば, わたし は えいご を あなた に かもしれない はなし か?
Then, may I speak English to you?
I am usure about the grammar for this sentence. Am I far off?
Not to be too harsh or anything, but honestly you're either going to need a good text or web site since without knowing where these incomplete and totally mistaken assumptions about grammar are coming from it is impossible for them to be fully made right.

But as I explained earlier, the はい、そうです。 is the first point of correction and maybe we can get somewhere after that is straightened out. Has タぬか さん even acknowledged being able to speak English ? Or is this coming in place of being asked first ? And lastly, to reiterate, it would also be considered incomprehensibly rude for a Japanese person to persist in using あなた after the other party has just been introduced with their name (why that got changed in the earlier post....). 😊
 
Okay.

Should I replace あなた with タぬか さん, or is there another polite form of あなた?
 
Okay.

Should I replace あなた with タぬか さん, or is there another polite form of あなた?

If you know already the person's name whom you're going to talk to, it's better to use his/her name. XXXさん。
(It really depends on the context but sometimes あなた can sound rude even though the word あなた itself is a polite word.)
 
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