Need a little clarification on some grammar.

[Stutz]

Usually I'd go to my sensei, but since the class just ended yesterday, I won't be able to ask her my questions and they are plaguing my mind.

First one is about something that I said in our oral test last Friday. She asked us why I was gonig to take Japanese next year with which I responded with the following phrase :

日本の会社と働きたいですから。来年も日本語を勉強します。

The part of the sentence that is my reason, I intended to say "I want to work with Japanese companies." since I plan on working with Japanese clients handle all of the US tax codes. I asked one of my senseis before I used it a few days earlier and she said it was fine when I used it, but when I got back my results from the oral test yesterday, I was told that I should have said:

日本の会社で働きたいです....

But isn't that "I want to work at/in a Japanese company...."? It really was never my intention to say that.

There is also something else I stumbled upon that I cannot figure out due to the particles I'm not familiar with:

クラスの女子とかに黒崎ってヌイグルミとか持ち歩いてんの？って言われ…..

Minus the girly screams that was in the line, I know the translation ended up being something like "The girls in your class would say 'Kurosaki, you carry a stuffed animal?" I understand some of the words in there and I understand that "って" is a casual way to mark the topic or to quote. Mostly what I can't understand these things:

1. The usage of "とか". In my particle books, they have it as a way to list a few items without listing the whole group and is similar to the usage of "や". What doesn't make sense to me is what "とか" is used for in this situation?

2. I guess "ヌイグルミ" means stuffed animal, but I can't seem to locate it in my dictionary or using the WWWJDIC so I'm just curious.

I know this is probably far beyond my class level at the moment, but anytime I can learn more about particle usage and new vocab I usually try to figure it out on my own and try to learn more than what I do in class.

Last question I have is I've noticed watching some movies that the people in a casual situation will answer questions like "Do you know that person?" as something like "知らん" which is translated in the subtitles as "I don't know....." I know that I could use "知らない." to get the same effect, but is using the negative base and just "ん" after that base can create a casual negative?

Sorry about all the questions, but there are a few I've had on my mind and I'm not too sure on.

ありがとうございます

 

[GaijinPunch]

The part of the sentence that is my reason, I intended to say "I want to work with Japanese companies." since I plan on working with Japanese clients handle all of the US tax codes.

I think you were right. What you probably experienced was the Japanese uncanny ability to not think outside of the box. When I first read the sentence, I assumed it was a mistake as well. I think that said, it's probably not too common to "work with a company". You could always clarrify by saying you want to work w/ Japanese clients or something.

クラスの女子とかに黒崎ってヌイグルミとか持ち歩いてんの？って言われ…..

1. The usage of "とか". In my particle books, they have it as a way to list a few items without listing the whole group and is similar to the usage of "や". What doesn't make sense to me is what "とか" is used for in this situation?

The translation of とか means "things like" or "such as". Unfortunately, it doesn't always work out in English... as in your sentence above... at least not in the former as it does the latter. The latter is pretty easy, "carry things like stuffed animals". The first one "女子とかに" kinda works, but we wouldn't say it that way in English. A colloquial translation would probably come out like "the girls and others in the class" or really probably just "girls in the class".

2. I guess "ヌイグルミ" means stuffed animal, but I can't seem to locate it in my dictionary or using the WWWJDIC so I'm just curious.

Yes, it's a plush doll, almost always in hiragana. Even goo has it in hiragana.

I know this is probably far beyond my class level at the moment, but anytime I can learn more about particle usage and new vocab I usually try to figure it out on my own and try to learn more than what I do in class.

As you should. Even university level classes will only take you so far. I mean... 4 years and you're still barely above survival level.

"I don't know....." I know that I could use "知らない." to get the same effect, but is using the negative base and just "ん" after that base can create a casual negative?

It's just a negative. If you ever play games in Japanese, the old guys in the game often use it. 知らん、分からん、etc. You might even hear someone say すまん instead of すまない.

HTH
GP

 

[Stutz]

Thanks a lot. That's helped me out a ton.

 

[GaijinPunch]

No worries, mate.

 

[Elizabeth]

心配しないでいいよ。 Jrefの友達が面倒をみて（世話 して？）くれるから。