How to indicate length of time?

northsider1983

先輩

14 May 2007

60

0

• 31 Aug 2007

• #1

How would I say, or what would the phase/particle be to indicate a length of time? For example: I have been studying Japanese for 3 months.

Japanese: 日本語を
I: 私
3 months: ３か月？
have been studying: ?

 

Charles Barkley

TNT Basketball Analyst

14 Jun 2007

560

12

• 31 Aug 2007

• #2

Continuous past (something you have been doing for some time and are still doing) is ～しています。

So: （私は）三ヶ月日本語を勉強しています。

 

tanhql

日本語の学生

3 Jun 2006

189

2

• 31 Aug 2007

• #3

you can also use ばかり.

http://www.adammil.net/japanese/esog/v49_bakari_.html
read sentence 6.

 

M

masaegu

先輩

16 Aug 2007

247

27

• 31 Aug 2007

• #4

I would not use 'bakari' in that sentence unless I wanted to sound unusually casual. The word would give the sentence a highly Japanese-like character that the native speaker would not expect to come from someone who has been studying Japanese only for three months.

 

Elizabeth

先輩

22 Apr 2003

9,839

135

• 31 Aug 2007

• #5

tanhql said:

you can also use ばかり.
ばかり (bakari) - Adam Milazzo's Personal Site
read sentence 6.

Click to expand...

Bakari with counters refers to a rough extent or approximate amount and is therefore equivalent to "about." It has nothing whatsoever to do with the core grammar involved in indicating a specific amount of time.

If it's necessary to imply a guess is being made "三ヶ月くらい" can be used much more normally.

 

northsider1983

先輩

14 May 2007

60

0

• 1 Sep 2007

• Thread starter
• #6

ありがとう！ Thanks for the help