How to translate this sentence?

Ashirogi

Registered

11 Aug 2015

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0

• 15 Aug 2015

• #1

This sentence:
ある日 くまの せなかに のって 山道を 行くと 川のところで 動 物たちが こまって いました。

I couldn't make head or tail of this. せなか means back of body, so how does this fit?
My translation:
One day, the bear to get on the (back of his body) went by a mountain road to the river site (with the) animals.
No idea what こまって いました means. Does it mean "went with the"?
I'm doing something wrong -_-...

 

Toritoribe

松葉解禁

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Fifteen-year veteran

22 Feb 2008

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• 15 Aug 2015

• #2

The subject is not the bear. Someone/Something is riding on the bear's back.
Look up 困る in the dictionary.

 

Ashirogi

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11 Aug 2015

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• 16 Aug 2015

• Thread starter
• #3

Ohh, "One day, he went on the bear's back with the other animals via the mountain route to the river site but got troubled." Is that accurate?

 

VarickT

後輩

16 Aug 2015

8

1

• 16 Aug 2015

• #4

Sounds more like, "One day, riding on the bear's back (I/he/she/they) went up the mountain path. At the river, the animals were troubled."

 

Toritoribe

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• 16 Aug 2015

• #5

@ The OP, you don't seem to understand the functions of the -te form "のって" and conditional clause "いくと" yet. Have you learned them?

 

Ashirogi

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11 Aug 2015

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• 18 Aug 2015

• Thread starter
• #6

Seems I haven't. I'll go read up on those.

 

Toritoribe

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• 18 Aug 2015

• #7

Well, it's better to do so before starting translating a text. Those are very basic structures learners must understand.

 

Mike Cash

骨も命も皆此の土地に埋めよう

Twenty-year veteran

15 Mar 2002

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• 19 Aug 2015

• #8

Ashirogi said:

Seems I haven't. I'll go read up on those.

Click to expand...

You would do well to go through at least a couple of beginner/intermediate textbooks thoroughly before attempting to translate. There is more to it than just looking stuff up in a dictionary and guessing.