My attempt at writing Japanese

Jericho Desu · 1 Mar 2009

Elizabeth said:
私の趣味の１つはカンフーをすることです。 One of my hobbies is kung-fu.

それは、心身共に強くするから。 Possibly ?? Because it strengthens both mind and body. Or changing this to "I like it because it makes my mind and body strong" may give a better flow.

そして、日本語も勉強しています。 And I'm also studying Japanese.

Yeah that makes more sense, thank you Elizabeth-san!

Elizabeth · 1 Mar 2009

Jericho Desu said:
Yeah that makes more sense, thank you Elizabeth-san!

You're welcome !

The main thing to be on the watch for, just for your reference, comes in a sentence like "My hobby is..." which can be structured one of 2 ways :

1. 私のしゅみはカンフ（だ・です） = "A (My hobby) wa B (kung fu) desu. (A IS B)"

OR

2. 私のしゅみはカンフ（を）することです。= A (My hobby) wa B (koto) desu. Literally My hobby is the thing of doing kung fu. (A DOES THE THING THAT IS B).

NOT 私のしゅみはカンフ（を）する Because what this ends up as is "A (My hobby) wa B (kung fu) wo shimasu. (A DOES B)."

In other words, your hobby is not the THING of doing kung fu -- it IS actually doing kung fu as the misplaced subject, taking over from you, Jericho Desu. Pretty fun, but I'm sure not what you intended...

Basically the above example started as an A is B type and ended up incorrectly as an A does B (my hobby does...) construction. Does that make it any clearer ??

Jericho Desu · 1 Mar 2009

Kind of, I believe I'm looking for number 2 in terms of your examples. I was thinking in english again, my teachers always tell me I need to think in Japanese, but I keep telling them I don't get it yet

Anyway thank you again.

Elizabeth · 1 Mar 2009

Jericho Desu said:
Kind of, I believe I'm looking for number 2 in terms of your examples. I was thinking in english again, my teachers always tell me I need to think in Japanese, but I keep telling them I don't get it yet

Anyway thank you again.

I don't think it's so much an issue of thinking in English as the Japanese you're attempting is a little ahead of your actual abilities. In these examples, for instance, an "X is Y" statement like "My hobby is kung fu," the first thing that should come to mind without even thinking about it is #1. "X wa Y desu." Even if that later needs to be refined to "X ga Y (da/desu)" or whatever -- "Naninani wa Naninani desu" is for sure the most basic grammar structure in Japanese. Practice translations that can fit that construction over and over and over -- until it's absolutely second nature. If that isn't imprinted comfortably in the learner's brain, these same frustrating higher level mistakes are going to keep cropping up. Then move on to the koto and wo suru forms.

I guess what I'm and the others are saying is to first break down your speaking and writing into the simplest possible phrases, listen to textbook level audio instead of anime for a while, get as much chances for feedback as possible, and see if that doesn't start giving you a more confidence foothold in the language.

Jericho Desu · 2 Mar 2009

Elizabeth said:
I don't think it's so much an issue of thinking in English as the Japanese you're attempting is a little ahead of your actual abilities. In these examples, for instance, an "X is Y" statement like "My hobby is kung fu," the first thing that should come to mind without even thinking about it is #1. "X wa Y desu." Even if that later needs to be refined to "X ga Y (da/desu)" or whatever -- "Naninani wa Naninani desu" is for sure the most basic grammar structure in Japanese. Practice translations that can fit that construction over and over and over -- until it's absolutely second nature. If that isn't imprinted comfortably in the learner's brain, these same frustrating higher level mistakes are going to keep cropping up. Then move on to the koto and wo suru forms.
I guess what I'm and the others are saying is to first break down your speaking and writing into the simplest possible phrases, listen to textbook level audio instead of anime for a while, get as much chances for feedback as possible, and see if that doesn't start giving you a more confidence foothold in the language.

I understand what you mean, I'm not very experienced in the 'koto' type phrases and honestly I wouldn't be using it so much if my University didn't push us to use it for assignments and such.

It's weird, I take private Japanese lessons outside of Uni also and they're far more of the basic kind, but then in Uni its like jumped to a higher level too quickly, because it was a free choice module so its not taught as seriously. Oh well, I guess I'll have to survive through and once Uni Japanese is finished in a few months I can concentrate more on my private schooling.

Elizabeth · 2 Mar 2009

Jericho Desu said:
I understand what you mean, I'm not very experienced in the 'koto' type phrases and honestly I wouldn't be using it so much if my University didn't push us to use it for assignments and such.
It's weird, I take private Japanese lessons outside of Uni also and they're far more of the basic kind, but then in Uni its like jumped to a higher level too quickly, because it was a free choice module so its not taught as seriously. Oh well, I guess I'll have to survive through and once Uni Japanese is finished in a few months I can concentrate more on my private schooling.

Wow ! That's too bad about Uni classes, my experience listening to Japanese language majors in the US has been that they go too slow. But if it has to be...*sigh* without getting too explanatory, at least you can observe and review from these examples how to use end of sentence こと correctly.

私は日本で日本人と日本語をペラペラ話す。
I talk to/will talk to people in Japan in fluent Japanese.

私のゆめは日本で日本人と日本語をペラペラはなす。
My dream talks to/will talk to people in Japan in fluent Japanese.

私のゆめは日本で日本人と日本語をペラペラはなすことです。
My dream is to talk to (is talking to) people in Japan in fluent Japanese.

私はカンフーをする。
I do/will do kung fu.

私の趣味はカンフーをする。
My hobby does/will do kung fu.

私の趣味はカンフーをすることです。
One of my hobbies is doing kung fu.

See why you need it now ? HTH!

Jericho Desu · 3 Mar 2009

Elizabeth said:
Wow ! That's too bad about Uni classes, my experience listening to Japanese language majors in the US has been that they go too slow. But if it has to be...*sigh* without getting too explanatory, at least you can observe and review from these examples how to use end of sentence こと correctly.

私は日本で日本人と日本語をペラペラ話す。
I talk to/will talk to people in Japan in fluent Japanese.

私のゆめは日本で日本人と日本語をペラペラはなす。
My dream talks to/will talk to people in Japan in fluent Japanese.

私のゆめは日本で日本人と日本語をペラペラはなすことです。
My dream is to talk to (is talking to) people in Japan in fluent Japanese.

私はカンフーをする。
I do/will do kung fu.

私の趣味はカンフーをする。
My hobby does/will do kung fu.

私の趣味はカンフーをすることです。
One of my hobbies is doing kung fu.

Wow awesome, thanks loads Elizabeth-san

I know I got a long way to go and even though I think I know a lot of this stuff it just doesn't click right or come out the way I want it to. This the journey of learning a language eh?

Jericho Desu · 16 Mar 2009

Bwahahahaha, I have returned! (To this thread anyway lol...)

Ok, well I've started to make up sentences in my head with whatever Japanese I know, this is not for any courseworks or whatever, just seeing how much understanding I have of the language. I'm going to make up a couple sentences so could someone please correct/advise me on these.

Btw as these are just thrown together type sentences they have no context really, so imagine what you will of them...

でも、むずかしいのに、べんっきょうすることにいいかもしれませんね。
But even though it may be difficult, it might be good for studying don't you think?

こんばんそのあたらしいレストラんにいきましょうか？
たべものはおいしいらしい。
Tonight why don't we go to that new restaurant? I hear their food is really good.

Thanks

undrentide · 16 Mar 2009

Jericho Desu said:
でも、むずかしいのに、べんっきょうすることにいいかもしれませんね。
But even though it may be difficult, it might be good for studying don't you think?

こんばんそのあたらしいレストラんにいきましょうか？
たべものはおいしいらしい。
Tonight why don't we go to that new restaurant? I hear their food is really good.

がんばっていますね。

I would say "even though it may be difficult"
むずかしいかもしれないけれど
むずかしいのに sounds more like "despite that it is difficult"

why don't we go to...
You can also say 行きませんか？

Elizabeth · 16 Mar 2009

Jericho Desu said:
Bwahahahaha, I have returned! (To this thread anyway lol...)
Ok, well I've started to make up sentences in my head with whatever Japanese I know, this is not for any courseworks or whatever, just seeing how much understanding I have of the language. I'm going to make up a couple sentences so could someone please correct/advise me on these.
Btw as these are just thrown together type sentences they have no context really, so imagine what you will of them...
でも、むずかしいのに、べんっきょうすることにいいかもしれませんね。
But even though it may be difficult, it might be good for studying don't you think?

How about simply べんきょうにいいかもしれませんね。or いいべんきょうになるかもしれませんね。べんっきょうすることに is awfully formal.

Jericho Desu · 17 Mar 2009

Thanks to both of you

Endecha · 21 Mar 2009

as a present

Hi!

I have a big "3 in 1" problem. An old friend of mine has moved to Japan. He has birthday on 4. April. I want to give him a personal gift. I want to embroider a poem on a big pillow. It's his favourite hungarian poem, I have already translated it into English.
1.: But I can't speak Japanese. But I want to embroider it in Japanese. Please, someone translate it to me into Japanese!
2.: If someone translates it, please do it in big size punctuation marks, because I'm not acquainted with Japanese punctuation mark, but I don't want to embroider the poem erroneously.
3.: I'm not acquainted with Japanese poems.. So.. I don't know, how I have to embroider the poem's lines: vertically or horizontally?

Please, help me!
This is the poem:

I'm groveling here:
the still alive treasure of summer,
sins and scores of evil omen are assaulting,
haunting my luscious flesh.

For good and all I'm waiting for you truly,
crawl here in ragged tulle
bruise and leave me here in perpetuity
in my autumn-crocus wreath.

end.

My attempt at writing Japanese

Jericho Desu

七転八起

Elizabeth

先輩

Jericho Desu

七転八起

Elizabeth

先輩

Jericho Desu

七転八起

Elizabeth

先輩

Jericho Desu

七転八起

Jericho Desu

七転八起

undrentide

Japa'n vagyok

Elizabeth

先輩

Jericho Desu

七転八起

Endecha

後輩

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