How do you say "for X (amount of time) I will do (something)"
- Thread starter -悪魔-
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David Hallgren
New comer
- 2 Mar 2004
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滞在【たいざい】(n,vs) stay, sojourn, (P)
- 15 Mar 2002
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東京に一週間いる。
But that is sort of vague, in that the "go" part is assumed. There is a lack of surrounding context. In the middle of a conversation, this would do the trick, but just by itself.....no. It could mean that one will go to Tokyo and be there a week. Or it could be used when one is already in Tokyo, and wishes to state the duration of the stay.
If jump-starting a conversation with that, and if it weren't clear that the speaker is not currently in Tokyo, then something like これから東京に行って、そちらに一週間いる
and on the end of that tack something like:
つもりです。
予定です。
でしょう。
滞在する (たいざい) means to be in a location.
I believe that would come out meaning something more like that at the end of a week you will be in Tokyo, although 着く or 到着する would perhaps be a more clear ending in that case.
But that is sort of vague, in that the "go" part is assumed. There is a lack of surrounding context. In the middle of a conversation, this would do the trick, but just by itself.....no. It could mean that one will go to Tokyo and be there a week. Or it could be used when one is already in Tokyo, and wishes to state the duration of the stay.
If jump-starting a conversation with that, and if it weren't clear that the speaker is not currently in Tokyo, then something like これから東京に行って、そちらに一週間いる
and on the end of that tack something like:
つもりです。
予定です。
でしょう。
滞在する (たいざい) means to be in a location.
Glenn said:
I believe that would come out meaning something more like that at the end of a week you will be in Tokyo, although 着く or 到着する would perhaps be a more clear ending in that case.
- 15 Mar 2002
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Elizabeth said:
First, you need to have it 一週間, not 週間. And then you would only want to use the も to emphasize the amount of time if there was really some reason for emphasizing the time....as in "Wow! A whole damned week!", in such case as where a shorter visit would seem the norm, you see.
Constructed the way you have it, the 週間 modifies the act of going itself, not the fact of being there. Compare:
一週間（も）勉強するつもりです。
The action continues throughout the week, and the time expression has nothing to do with what comes after that period.
一月くらいやり続ける。
Same as above. The action continues throughout the period indicated. Furthermore, it implies that the action will cease at the end of the period, so we can see that the time expression has no relation to the action following its end.
So if we're going to indicate a period of stay, we're going to need to have a verb that's indicative of the action/state that exists after the going, if we must indicate the going.
Fortunately, if context lets all parties involved know that the speaker is not currently in Tokyo, but will be going, then there is no need whatsoever to indicate the going action in the Japanese sentence. It's redundant, and the only reason we so desperately feel the need to cram it in there somewhere is because we have the "I'm going..." thing in the English counterpart. By saying 東京に一週間いる we have conveyed all the essential information (the location and the period of the stay). If context makes it clear that the destination is Tokyo, we can leave that part out and just make it 一週間いる.
And thanks to whoever gave me the rep points for my uncharacteristic participation in a language thread.
Elizabeth
先輩
- 22 Apr 2003
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Yes, I understand if the context indicates the speaker will be going, "I will be there" is sufficient. Similarly, if the context indicates the speaker is already there "I will be here/be staying here a week" does the trick. If there's no context, as in the initial inquiry "I will go to Tokyo for a week,"一週間いる" is liable to misinterpretation. Of course I'm aware you need the ichi. This was the middle of the night, alright....
- 15 Mar 2002
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Elizabeth said:
The benefits of having a native speaker help you.
Notice though, that both of those more strongly focus on the absence from one's present location than on the being in Tokyo, even though it very clearly does state that one will be in Tokyo for a week.
