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in about ? about in ?

nakayama_kun

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2 Apr 2006
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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
 
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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.
 
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?
 
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.
 
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 :p).

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