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Is this correct...?

Tomii515

やった~!
16 Feb 2006
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i trying to teach myself japanese...is this sentence right?:

I'm going to Japan because my mother told me to.

Watashi wa nihon ni ikimashou dakara watashi no okasan ga watashi o imashta.

I reall dont think it's right...(tell me if there is spellign mistakes!)

watashi wa=I
nihon=japan
ni=(particle simalar to 'to')
ikimashou=going
dakara=because
watashi no=my
okasan=mother
ga=(particle that tell the subject, not main topic)
watashi o=me
imashta=told,tell(past tense)




am i right???i think i have 1 or 2 mistakes...

i got most words out of the dictionary, and used the knowledge i have so far and tried to put it together...if wrong please point out the problems!
 
Ikimashou should be ikimasu, ikimashou measn "let's go."
watashi WA okaasan NI
Oshiemasu
__
To make it smooth:
Watashi wa nihon ni ikimasu kara, okaasan ni oshiete okimasu
 
It's nowhere near being right.

Unfortunately, the method you're trying (looking up words and tacking them together) does not yield Japanese sentences.

If you really want to learn Japanese, you need to ask around for recommendations on good textbooks (or other similar, structured learning materials). A dictionary and a book of the "Learn Japanese in 3 Minutes" variety will not provide what you need in order to progress or to construct anything beyond the set phrases the glorified phrasebook introduces.
 
Gaijinian said:
Ikimashou should be ikimasu, ikimashou measn "let's go."
watashi WA okaasan NI
Oshiemasu
__
To make it smooth:
Watashi wa nihon ni ikimasu kara, okaasan ni oshiete okimasu
This sounds to me like I told my mother because I was going to Japan.

I agree with Mike Cash. It isn't like we're saying the poster is a bad person -- just that it is too complex a thought for someone that doesn't yet understand basic particle use or verb tenses. 😌
 
Elizabeth said:
This sounds to me like I told my mother because I was going to Japan.
Whoops, did not see the English.
Yes, that is what I was trying to write

Well, considering what he/she wanted to say, it was pretty far off.
 
Gaijinian said:
I would not go that far.
Hey, so he/she gave Japanese a shot, why scold him/her for it?

I'm not scolding him. He asked how it was; I told him. Knowing from talking with him in chat, I know what sort of book he is using and know that it isn't conducive to learning to generate your own sentences, which is what I assume he wishes to do and is why I suggested he ask current serious learners for recommendations.

Your rendition of it was really no closer than his, by the way.
 
MikeCash said:
Your rendition of it was really no closer than his, by the way.

Just wanted to point out that Gaijinian said that he didn't see the english so his rendition was without knowing the intended meaning. He was just trying to clean up the japanese. I'm sure he could construct a better sentence than that if he knew what it was supposed to mean.
 
I stand corrected. In that case, it is a better rendition.

Gaijinian, have you learned yet about the different words for things like "mother, father, brother, sister" depending on whether they are somebody else's or one's own?
 
...lol. its ok, i have a book, and you can't learn it in 3 minutes...but I also got some basic info from a site, i wanted to give it a shot...i got most of thew words right, just put them in the wrong order...lol...I'm gonna try to get more books and when I'm older get a tutor or take a class
 
Gaijinian said:
McCrutch67 beat me to it...
I should also have said 'will inform' as opposed to told....my only excuse is having had too much wine tonight. And Mike is right, if you're going to be consistent with the polite form use "haha" in this case.
 
Mike Cash said:
I stand corrected. In that case, it is a better rendition.
Gaijinian, have you learned yet about the different words for things like "mother, father, brother, sister" depending on whether they are somebody else's or one's own?
I have, way back when, but have never actually used it (for some reason it feels unnatural to me).
And Mike is right, if you're going to be consistent with the polite form use "haha" in this case.
I guess I thought this was too polite, meh.
It seems this aspect of the language is pretty inconsistent; I'm sure I have seen people refer to their own family with okaasan, otousan, oneesan nado, rather than haha, chichi, ane...

What if I used "Watashi no okaasan?"
 
Gaijinian said:
I have, way back when, but have never actually used it (for some reason it feels unnatural to me).
I guess I thought this was too polite, meh.
It seems this aspect of the language is pretty inconsistent; I'm sure I have seen people refer to their own family with okaasan, otousan, oneesan nado, rather than haha, chichi, ane...
What if I used "Watashi no okaasan?"
It all depends really....who is the unnamed person you are telling this to ? (That you will inform your mother that you're going to Japan.)
 
Gaijinian said:
It seems this aspect of the language is pretty inconsistent; I'm sure I have seen people refer to their own family with okaasan, otousan, oneesan nado, rather than haha, chichi, ane...
I think you only use okaasan when talking to your own mother, or referring to someone else's mother. If you are talking to someone else about your mother, then you need to use "haha". At least this is what I was taught...
 
Tomii515 said:
...lol. its ok, i have a book, and you cant learn it in 3 minutes...but i also got some basic info froma site, i wanted to give it a shot...i got most of thew words right, just put them in the wrong order...lol...im gunna try to get more books and when im older get a tutor or take a class

I admire your spirit and your wisdom in recognizing that it's a long-term proposition.
 
kumo said:
I think you only use okaasan when talking to your own mother, or referring to someone else's mother. If you are talking to someone else about your mother, then you need to use "haha". At least this is what I was taught...
Except if it is a close friend, then okaasan is commonly used. Haha is just when you need to be polite, to your boss or customer or whoever.
 
Elizabeth said:
Except if it is a close friend, then okaasan is commonly used. Haha is just when you need to be polite, to your boss or customer or whoever.

Except "okaasan" (or some variant) is also commonly used to refer to one's own wife, while "haha" never is. So sometimes the use of "haha" serves the added function of removing ambiguity.
 
How about this for the original sentence?
日本に行くのは、母にそうに言われたからです。
 
Mike Cash said:
Except "okaasan" (or some variant) is also commonly used to refer to one's own wife, while "haha" never is. So sometimes the use of "haha" serves the added function of removing ambiguity.
Well, I'm 16.... 結婚していないんだからそういう意味をしちゃう心配や っぱり要らないですね、今。
 
KrazyKat said:
How about this for the original sentence?
日本に行くのは、母にそうに言われたからです。
I don't know if that is clear enough or not...although I don't think you need
the に after そう。Depending on the situation, 母をそう言わせましたから would also work perhaps ? ;)

Anyway, there are several ways and this is my attempt....
日本に行くのは、母にそうするように言われた(頼まれた)からです。。。 😅
 
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Gaijinian said:
Well, I'm 16.... 結婚していないんだからそういう意味をしちゃう心配やっぱり要らないですね、今。
それと、自分の奥さんのことをあまり親しくない人に話すときに、彼女を『お母さん』と呼ぶことはほとんどないでしょうか。 😅
 
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