Issues with conditionals

M

miffypop

後輩

8 Nov 2012

2

0

• 8 Nov 2012

• #1

I self study japanese in my free time and right now I'm trying to understand conditionals, but I am having issues trying to make sense with this kind of sentence: If I buy circle lenses I will look like an alien, this is how I would write it:

サークルレンズ 買えばと私わ 宇宙人 みたい だね 。。。

And of course I have the feeling that it is very wrong -__-
I hope someone can help me with this

Thank you!

 

Angel Valis

黒川

15 Jul 2010

290

27

• 8 Nov 2012

• #2

The only problems I personally see in your sentence are:

You don't need と after 買えば.
The topic marker "wa" is written with the character は not わ.

 

M

miffypop

後輩

8 Nov 2012

2

0

• 9 Nov 2012

• Thread starter
• #3

Thankyou very much

 

Mike Cash

骨も命も皆此の土地に埋めよう

Twenty-year veteran

15 Mar 2002

16,758

2,298

• 9 Nov 2012

• #4

Also consider:

丸いレンズにすれば私は宇宙人にみえる。

丸いレンズだと私は宇宙人にみえる。

 

Angel Valis

黒川

15 Jul 2010

290

27

• 9 Nov 2012

• #5

Which (out of all three) do you think sounds most natural, Mike?

 

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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• 9 Nov 2012

• #6

The use of 買う seems least likely.

 

Angel Valis

黒川

15 Jul 2010

290

27

• 9 Nov 2012

• #7

Ahh, perhaps because it equates looking like an alien to the actual act of buying rather than wearing? That makes sense. I just now remembered that する can mean "to wear" as well.

How does に見える change the meaning of the sentence as opposed to using みたい? I'll admit, that I have a bit of trouble understanding 見える (and 聞こえる) sometimes.

 

Toritoribe

松葉解禁

Moderator

Fifteen-year veteran

22 Feb 2008

18,266

4,926

• 9 Nov 2012

• #8

another option (a young woman colloquial form)
カラコンつけたら、私エイリアンみたいになるかも/なっちゃうかも。

 

Mike Cash

骨も命も皆此の土地に埋めよう

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15 Mar 2002

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2,298

• 9 Nov 2012

• #9

I used するin the sense of "choose", not "wear". The reason being that the situation (at least as I assume it to be) is not one of deciding to buy round lenses or no lenses at all, but deciding whether to choose round lenses or some other shape.

I wish one of our native speaking friends would address both that and your other question.

The difference between みたい and みえる in this case seems to me to be small and not that important. みたい can be used to refer to things that "seem" to be like something else, whether that is determined visually or not. みえる is limited to visual appearance.

 

Toritoribe

松葉解禁

Moderator

Fifteen-year veteran

22 Feb 2008

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• 9 Nov 2012

• #10

Yeah, circle lensesにしたら/すれば might fit to the situation better. I believe つける is also acceptable, though.
みたい can be used here, but the form ～たら･･･みたいになる would be more common for the case.

BTW, I think "circle lenses" refers to "circle (color) contact lenses" here.
Circle contact lens - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
circle lenses - Google 検索

 

Mike Cash

骨も命も皆此の土地に埋めよう

Twenty-year veteran

15 Mar 2002

16,758

2,298

• 9 Nov 2012

• #11

That makes sense. I wondered why Harry Potter glasses would make anyone look like an alien.