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formal -> informal

Tomii515

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I was just wondering:

You know how to ask someone out, or something, (I'm really tired right now so i'm like )... uh likw this:

土曜日に映画を見ませんか？
Would you like to see a movie on Saturday?

... would it be like the same for informal, like...

土曜日に映画見ないの？ or 土曜日に映画見ない？
Wanna see a movie Saturday?

Something like that...

Thanks!!!



-Tommy
 
Hi,

Just curious, what is that "no" after "minai"?
 
the level of formality depends on your relationship with the person to whom you speak. Chances are if you are thinking of asking someone out, you are close enough to speak informally.

putting の after a question seems a bit feminine, I'd leave it out.
 
Wouldn't you normally use "go to a movie"? Unless this is like a home theatre or made for TV movie... I'm not saying this is necessarily most natural, but just to edit what you already have :

土曜日、映画見に行かない? (Have met this person before...)
 
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This one doesn't seem like English manufactured to fit known Japanese--I too would be more likely to say 'see a movie' or 'go see a movie' than 'go to a movie.'
 
Charles Barkley said:
This one doesn't seem like English manufactured to fit known Japanese--I too would be more likely to say 'see a movie' or 'go see a movie' than 'go to a movie.'
Click to expand...

Well, the Japanese in my example is "do you wanna go see a movie" so if there was an error of omission it was clearly on the English side.

Unless we were walking and talking past the row of theatres as this came up where "Do you want to go to a movie?" sounds more natural, all I can say now is that I personally would not phrase it to a potential date as "Do you want to see a movie on Saturday?"
 
I have no quarrel with the Japanese in your post. When you said 'Wouldn't you normally use "go to a movie"?,' I assumed, and am still operating under the assumption, that you meant 'Wouldn't you normally use "go to a movie" when speaking normal English to other native English speakers?.' My point was that there's nothing unnatural about saying 'Hey, wanna see a movie tonight?' when asking out someone in English, and that that phrasing does not preclude (or add any nuance about) the possibility of going out to see the movie.

Since my point has no bearing on learning japanese, is largely pedantic, and was only made in case non-native English speakers are reading the thread, I will now slowly retreat to the shadows...
 
Charles Barkley said:
My point was that there's nothing unnatural about saying 'Hey, wanna see a movie tonight?' when asking out someone in English, and that that phrasing does not preclude (or add any nuance about) the possibility of going out to see the movie.
Click to expand...
If I were asked what I wanted to do that night, then I agree. The sentiment comes off as relatively spontaneous from a guy most likely looking for an easy, relaxed outlet for his evening entertainment needs.

When it all looks more set up and heavily prepared, as in asking someone out "to see a movie" days in advance, it would without a doubt cross my mind...Are you talking about a theater ? Is there a movie on tv you're interested in watching ? Rental ? What's with all the ambiguity ???

So I guess you could say my reading depends on mostly on the timing (and delivery) in English....


Just as in Japanese it is a matter of pre-existing intimacy, as there are never ending occasions for adults who are not yet on friendly terms or even students meeting for the first time...土曜日、もし暇だったら映画でも行きませんか？

Hi,

Just curious, what is that "no" after "minai"?
Click to expand...
In this sentence it isn't feminine or polite but it said in a tone of surprise or urging to mean more like "You aren't coming?! Why not ??"
 
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By the way, I'm just curious did you try this out on anyone for real yet or was it all about the language ?

Basically what I was saying was don't use の unless she says she's coming and then doesn't...

Or if you're ready to resort to begging... (必死になって、デートの相手を探す時には。。）
ぼくと土曜日、映画見に行ってくれない？」（笑い
 

I thought I replied to this already. . . ?

It's just for the language ! XD I don't know anyone in real life that can speak Japanese, so I wouldn't be able to ask someone out even if I wanted to XD haha

and as for the english thing, where i live, ive never heard "to go to a movie" before... I don't think, anyways. I usually say "Wanna see a movie?" or "Wanna go see a movie?".

Anyways... I'm just worried about what you would say in Japanese. In Genki, it gives the example for the formal:

"Would you like to go see a movie on Saturday?"
土曜日に映画を見ませんか？

So, would the informal be:

"Wanna see a movie Saturday?"
土曜日、映画見ない？
 

見ませんか？ (formal)
見ない？(informal)
The above is good.

But if you're going to ask someone out to see a movie, you usually say
映画を見に行きませんか？
映画を見に行かない？
This sounds more natural.
 
I think the problem is simply that your Genki lessons have not reached the point of these longer but purely natural forms.

Just like in English, of course there are less direct ways to get at the more correct, formal "Do you want to go to a movie ?" There are several other ways in fact that are more advanced. For instance, you can also say 土曜日（に）、映画（を）見に行きたいけど。。。一緒にどう？(I want to go to a movie, how about together ?"

or 土曜日、映画見に行こうよ (very casual for men) etc...
 
yeah, that makes sense ^_^
Thanks~~
 
Ok, very sorry, I don't think anyone posted this yet. I don't know how old this thread is, and it may be long abandoned; I really want to point this out though.
some people incorporated it into their sample sentences, but it wasn't really pointed out directly.

when writing "let's go (to a movie)" you CAN'T write 「映画（を）見よう」 because that will literally translate into "let's look at a movie"

you have to say 「映画（を）見に行こう」 (let's go to see a movie)

OK?
 

What are you talking about?
 
Not really. But that depends what you're trying to tell me I HAVE to do. So when literally writing/translating "let's go to a movie" you CANNOT say 映画に行かない？or 映画に行こう？?? Is that the point?
 
"let's go to" would just be 「行こう」
"let's go to do (ACTION)" would be the verb stem +に 行こう。

"let's go to eat" = 「食べに行こう」
"let's go to see" = 「見に行こう」
"let's go to do (something)" = 「(something)しに行こう」

but if you simply wanted to say "hey, let's go to a movie!" just 「行きます」 would be fine.

In the case of a movie, however, i'm just trying to say 「映画を見よう」 would translate to "let's LOOK AT a movie" which wouldn't work unless you were actually in front of a movie or TV screen.

asking someone out to a movie, I'd assume that you're someone else, such as your house or at a mall, and not actually.. right there at the movie. therefore, you'd have to suggest to go somewhere to see a movie.
 
Yukomi said:
asking someone out to a movie, I'd assume that you're someone else, such as your house or at a mall, and not actually.. right there at the movie. therefore, you'd have to suggest to go somewhere to see a movie.
Click to expand...
Listen, I don't mean to be rude about this but my point apparently did not come across clearly so let me repeat very succinctly : You do not HAVE to say ANYTHING !!! Alright ?

Especially in Japanese !!! Hey, what fun we can have now !!! And how unbelievably surprising !!!


Some other possibilities, OK ?

映画に行かない？
映画に行こう？
映画でも行く？
 
In the case of a movie, however, i'm just trying to say 「映画を見よう」 would translate to "let's LOOK AT a movie" which wouldn't work unless you were actually in front of a movie or TV screen.
Click to expand...

That's not true.
映画をみよう works fine as a suggestion.
 
Konnichiwa Mina-san!

an invitation(or suggestion) to a movie in Japanese. "formal -> informal"

formal and polite
もしよろしければ、土曜日に映画などご一緒していただ けると大変うれしいのですが、いかがでしょうか？
もし土曜日が空いていらっしゃるなら、映画をご一緒し ていただけないでしょうか？
土曜日に、一緒に映画を見に行っていただけないでしょ うか？

normal
土曜日に、一緒に映画を見に行きませんか？

informal and frank
土曜日に、映画を見に行かない？
土曜日、映画を見に行こうよ？
土曜、映画行かない？
土曜、映画行こうよ？

simple and easy
土曜、映画、行く？


NANGI
 
Yukomi said:
In the case of a movie, however, i'm just trying to say 「映画を見よう」 would translate to "let's LOOK AT a movie" which wouldn't work unless you were actually in front of a movie or TV screen.
Click to expand...
Just FYI "Let's look at a movie" is not proper English. It translates either to "Let's watch a movie" or "Let's see a movie." Not all movies are shown in theaters of course either which makes this work equally well as a general invitation.


「今日何する？」という質問に対する答えとしては「じゃあ、映画（でも）行く？」「映画に行かない・いこう（よ）？」。。。「映画見よう」がよいでしょうね。


友達と「今日何する？」という話になったとき。。。などという風に誘えますね。
 
Charles Barkley said:
This one doesn't seem like English manufactured to fit known Japanese--I too would be more likely to say 'see a movie' or 'go see a movie' than 'go to a movie.'
Click to expand...


My experience is limited but I'd have to agree here, certain noun/verb associations are natural for every language and in Japanese my experience has been my friends/gf use miru with movies or TV or anything like that. The casual nature of English allows for 'go' as a proper fill-in even when discussin the act of enjoying a movie, but I don't know that it works in Japanese, maybe it does, I just hear miru more often than not. 'Go' as associated with the movie is usually used when figuring out when we'll go, how we'll go, etc., the planning stage where going is the focus. But then eiga becomes eigakan.

Closest approximation off the top of my head would be the 'mi ni iku' combination, used with the volitional in a casualw way: 見に行こう
 

南木さんがいったとおり、意味にはあんまり違いがないと思うけど、「丁寧さ」に差があるような感じがするだけだよね。

あまり親しくない人にも、「もし暇だったら映画でも行きませんか？」などはよくつかわれるけど。。。
 
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