"If you meet them, tell this person they're awesome"

JStandard · 28 Dec 2011

Hello Jref!

I'd like to say casually "If you meet that guy, tell him I think he's awesome." (just so there's NOOOO confusion, by "awesome" I just mean a casual "you're awesome man" as he helped me out recently)
I've bungled out the following, but it just doesn't seem right:
彼を会ったから「素晴らしいです」彼に伝えてください

Rei Yahya · 28 Dec 2011

Don't take my word for it because I'm a novice, but I would say

彼奴を会ったら、彼に「あんたがすごいぞ」を伝えてくれる。

Toritoribe · 28 Dec 2011

彼に会ったら、君は素晴らしいって伝えといて/言っといて。

Mike Cash · 28 Dec 2011

This might be a good opportunity to ask how such a situation might be handled not only in Japanese but by Japanese.

And to learn the concept of お世話.

Toritoribe · 28 Dec 2011

Agreed. I was thinking my traslation still sounds awkward while writing it.

彼に会ったら、お世話になりましたって伝えといて。 is perfect!

JStandard · 28 Dec 2011

This is great, thanks fellows for the language + cultural notes. Many times it's so easy for me to forget even a perfect translation can sound awkward because people simply don't thank others in that matter.

MikeとToritoribeとReiに会ったら、お世話になりましたって伝えといて.

Mike Cash · 28 Dec 2011

The result, though, would not be for the friend to relay your message directly in most cases, even though that may be how you phrase the request. More natural would be for the person you asked to relay your message instead to thank the person for taking care of you. If he's close enough to you to be asked to relay such a message then he is close enough that a kindness done to you is in itself a kindness done to him.

A and B are friends. C does some act of kindness for A. It is normal, natural, and expected that B appreciated what C did for A and expresses his own thanks for it, rather than merely relaying a message of thanks from A. Does that clear it up a bit? この前(内の)A君がお世話になりました。

You've probably heard of the uchi/soto dichotomy in Japanese society. It is in situations like this where it comes into play in a linguistic sense. (Also in the verbs of giving/receiving).

JStandard · 29 Dec 2011

Interesting, I wasn't aware of the cultural affectation to thank directly rather than relaying, implying you told B about the act of kindness. Yes that makes things much more clear now, thanks.

Toritoribe · 29 Dec 2011

Mike Cash said:
The result, though, would not be for the friend to relay your message directly in most cases, even though that may be how you phrase the request. More natural would be for the person you asked to relay your message instead to thank the person for taking care of you. If he's close enough to you to be asked to relay such a message then he is close enough that a kindness done to you is in itself a kindness done to him.

A and B are friends. C does some act of kindness for A. It is normal, natural, and expected that B appreciated what C did for A and expresses his own thanks for it, rather than merely relaying a message of thanks from A. Does that clear it up a bit? この前(内の)A君がお世話になりました。

You've probably heard of the uchi/soto dichotomy in Japanese society. It is in situations like this where it comes into play in a linguistic sense. (Also in the verbs of giving/receiving).

You forgot the case where C is also close to B. B wouldn't express his/her own thanks to C for the case. Instead, B would just say "Aがお世話になりましたってお礼言ってたよ" or something like that to C.

Anyway, @ the OP, the reply 彼に会ったら、お世話になりましたって伝えといて。 works perfectly fine in either cases.

"If you meet them, tell this person they're awesome"

JStandard

後輩

Rei Yahya

ぺらぺらになりたい生徒

Toritoribe

松葉解禁

Mike Cash

骨も命も皆此の土地に埋めよう

Toritoribe

松葉解禁

JStandard

後輩

Mike Cash

骨も命も皆此の土地に埋めよう

JStandard

後輩

Toritoribe

松葉解禁

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