in about ? about in ?

N

nakayama_kun

Registered

2 Apr 2006

1

0

• 2 Apr 2006

• #1

Hi all
Sorry if this question has been posted before. I would like ask this to
for native English speaker.
I understand that 二週間後に会いましょう is "See you in two weeks" not "See you two weeks later",
but if it's "だいたい二週間後にあいましょう" I wanna express the word
だいたい(about), would it be " see you in about two weeks" ? or " see you about in two weeks" or you don't use the word " about" ?


I am a little confused, please help me out. big thanks!
Nakayama_kun

 

Last edited: 2 Apr 2006

Glenn

一切皆苦

8 Jan 2004

7,842

200

• 8 Apr 2006

• #2

I would say "see you in about two weeks." I've never heard "see you about in two weeks."

I think since "about" modifies the head of the prepositional phrase it has to come after the preposition. At least that's my initial reaction.

 

E

euske

先輩

8 Apr 2006

45

0

• 8 Apr 2006

• #3

I'm a Japanese but I agree with Glenn. If you say "see you about in two weeks"
it would translate like "窶愿ｱﾂ週ﾅ?ﾃ版津｣窶堙俄?堋ｾ窶堋｢窶堋ｽ窶堋｢窶ｰﾃｯ窶堋｢窶堙懌?堋ｵ窶堙･窶堋､", which sounds weird, right?

 

Glenn

一切皆苦

8 Jan 2004

7,842

200

• 8 Apr 2006

• #4

Yeah, after I thought about it it seems like it could work grammatically, but I think any native English speaker you say that (that = "about in two weeks") to would find it strange. I'm sure they'd understand it, though.

 

Elizabeth

先輩

22 Apr 2003

9,839

135

• 8 Apr 2006

• #5

I've had this whole thing explained before, but it's still very confusing for me as well (the English is clearly wrong....so in Japanese that is ).

窶堋?窶堙?、窶愿ｱﾂ週ﾅ?ﾃ披?堙??ｰﾃｯ窶堋｢窶堙懌?堋ｵ窶堙･窶堋､窶堋ｩ or 窶堋ｲ窶愿ｱﾂ週ﾅ?ﾃ披?堙??堋?窶堋｢窶堙懌?堋ｵ窶堙･窶堋､窶堋ｩﾂ（ﾂ？ﾂ）窶堙債、
ﾂ ﾂ「Shall we meet two weeks laterﾂ」窶堙≫?堙??堋ｱ窶堙??堙??堋ｷ窶堋ｩﾂ？ﾂ？

 

E

euske

先輩

8 Apr 2006

45

0

• 9 Apr 2006

• #6

Elizabeth said:

窶堋?窶堙?、窶愿ｱﾂ週ﾅ?ﾃ披?堙??ｰﾃｯ窶堋｢窶堙懌?堋ｵ窶堙･窶堋､窶堋ｩ or 窶堋ｲ窶愿ｱﾂ週ﾅ?ﾃ披?堙??堋?窶堋｢窶堙懌?堋ｵ窶堙･窶堋､窶堋ｩﾂ（ﾂ？ﾂ）窶堙債、
ﾂ ﾂ「Shall we meet two weeks laterﾂ」窶堙≫?堙??堋ｱ窶堙??堙??堋ｷ窶堋ｩﾂ？ﾂ？

Click to expand...

窶堙坂?堋｢ﾂ。
ﾂ「窶愿ｱﾂ週ﾅ?ﾃ版津｣窶堙俄?ｰﾃｯ窶堋｢窶堙懌?堋ｵ窶堙･窶堋､ﾂ」 sounds more natural.
窶堙 can be used for locations, but not for dates or times.
But you can use 窶堙 when you make an appointment ﾂ「窶愿ｱﾂ週ﾅ?ﾃ版津｣窶堙??堋ｨﾅ?ﾃｨ窶堋｢窶堋ｵ窶堙懌?堋ｷﾂ」ﾂ「窶堋ｶ窶堙｡窶堋?ﾂ、窶愿ｱﾂ週ﾅ?ﾃ版津｣窶堙?」.
In this case 窶堙 is instrumental, not locative.

BTW, Japanese people (including me) tend to take "in" as strictly "within".
So when I first heard "it'll be finished in two weeks", I thought it shouldn't take two weeks,
which turned to be wrong.

 

Last edited: 9 Apr 2006

Elizabeth

先輩

22 Apr 2003

9,839

135

• 9 Apr 2006

• #7

euske said:

窶堙坂?堋｢ﾂ。
ﾂ「窶愿ｱﾂ週ﾅ?ﾃ版津｣窶堙俄?ｰﾃｯ窶堋｢窶堙懌?堋ｵ窶堙･窶堋､ﾂ」 sounds more natural.
窶堙 can be used for locations, but not for dates or times.
But you can use 窶堙 when you make an appointment ﾂ「窶愿ｱﾂ週ﾅ?ﾃ版津｣窶堙??堋ｨﾅ?ﾃｨ窶堋｢窶堋ｵ窶堙懌?堋ｷﾂ」ﾂ「窶堋ｶ窶堙｡窶堋?ﾂ、窶愿ｱﾂ週ﾅ?ﾃ版津｣窶堙?」.

Click to expand...

窶堋?窶堙ｨ窶堋ｪ窶堙??堋､ﾂ。窶徭ﾂ坂?｡窶堋ｪﾋ?ｫ窶堋｢ﾅｽﾅｾ窶堙俄?彭ﾋ彙窶堋ｵ窶堋ｽ窶堙ｧﾂ、ﾂ『窶啀ﾂ，窶啣窶｢ﾂｪﾅ津｣窶堙俄?彭ﾋ彙窶堙ｰﾅ?|窶堋ｯ窶卍ｼ窶堋ｵ窶堙??堙?窶堋｢窶堋｢ﾂ。ﾂ」
窶堙??｢ﾂｷ窶堋ｭ窶堋ｱ窶堙??堙?窶堋?窶堙ｨ窶堙懌?堋ｷﾂ。窶堋ｻ窶堙固陳ｾ窶堋｢窶｢ﾃｻ窶堙娯?堙吮?堋､窶堋ｪﾅｽﾂｩ窶漏窶堙??堋ｷ窶堋ｩﾂ？

ﾆ停?ｹﾂーﾆ停?ｹ窶堋ｪ窶堙ｦ窶堋ｭ窶｢ﾂｪ窶堋ｩ窶堙ｧ窶堙遺?堋ｭ窶堙≫?堙??堙?ﾂ、窶堋ｻ窶堙ｪ窶堙ｧ窶堙才???ｹL窶堋ｷ窶堙ｩ窶堋ｱ窶堙??堙俄?堙ｦ窶堙≫?堙??o窶堋ｦ窶堙懌?堋ｷﾂ。

ﾂ「窶啀ﾂ，窶啣窶｢ﾂｪ窶堋ｵ窶堋ｽ窶堙ｧ窶堙懌?堋ｽ窶彭ﾋ彙窶堋ｵ窶堙懌?堋ｷﾂ」窶堙遺?堙??堙娯?堙吮?堋､窶堋ｪ窶｢ﾂｶ窶邸窶廬窶堙俄?｢ﾂｪ窶堋ｩ窶堙ｨ窶堙｢窶堋ｷ窶堋｢窶堙??堋ｵ窶堙･窶堋､ﾂ。☝

 

Tomii515

やった～！

16 Feb 2006

1,206

21

• 14 Apr 2006

• #8

... al i know, is that in English i would say "See you in two weeks."

 

Mars Man

先輩

Rest in Peace

28 Jul 2005

5,238

172

• 15 Apr 2006

• #9

Hello there nakayama_kun and all !! I don't think I've ever posted here because after once checking it out, I noticed that everyone answers well enough that there is really no need for me to add anything.

Anyway, just to add my thoughts here.

Glenn got it right; 'in about two weeks' would be most correct because 'about' modifies 'two weeks'. However the orally spoken sentence could be correct if we assume it were more of a phrasal verb-like thing. This would be 'see you about in two weeks' which would be the same as 'see you around in two weeks.' That understanding would basically equal the 2ﾂ週ﾅ?ﾃ版津｣窶堙俄?ｰﾃｯ窶堋｢窶堙懌?堋ｵ窶堙･窶堋､, without any need for 窶堋ｾ窶堋｢窶堋ｽ窶堋｢.

At the same time, it could be said that 'see you about in two weeks' could be allowable as far as actual usage goes--again, in oral communication. The speaker would be thinking as they were speaking and it may come out as, 'see you,....uh...about in two weeks?' as the actual time is uncertain and the statement may have a bit of rise at the end, as though asking for verification of that time period.

 

Glenn

一切皆苦

8 Jan 2004

7,842

200

• 15 Apr 2006

• #10

Nice catch with the "see you about." That hadn't even occurred to me (as you may have surmised).

 

Mars Man

先輩

Rest in Peace

28 Jul 2005

5,238

172

• 16 Apr 2006

• #11

Thanks Glenn, I try to look at things from as many angles as I can, when I can.

ps Honolulu, huh? I may end up 'round 'bout there some sunny day.....