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Need a word or phrase translated?


Hm, so 'ni' as well as 'de' can indicate a location where an action took place? I thought (up until now) that 'de' had exclusive usage for 'an action being done somewhere'. My thinking has always been that 'ni' meant 'on something' and 'de' as 'at (somewhere/something). I suppose the problem of mine stems from me trying to see everything as it would be in English.

More importantly, thanks for taking your time to explain my questions undrentide-san. I know what your schedule these days is like, but yet you continue to help everyone here.
 
Isn't it more an action occuring to the the bud that happens to be on the top of the stalk、which presents a slightly different emphasis than the top being the "stage" for the opening of the flower ?

What about にいる as a modifying phrase to indicate place ? Does it work as follows ? すらりと揺ぐ茎の頂にいる(心持ち首を傾けてい た細長い一輪の)蕾が。。。
 
Good point!
I'm now trying to think hard why it is "ni", not "de".
When the action (??) by plants is described, it is almost always "ni" not "de".
We say
野に咲く花
but not
野で咲く花
この植物は水辺に生える
but not
この植物は水辺で生える
Maybe your interpretation (ni = on) is valid, as these "activities" are not moving within the "place" but seems to be done on one point...
But I'm not really sure.
 
Answered one of my questions on my own, but am going to repost the other two, and add a third. As for the long passage--please ignore! Going to post it in my mixi diary for my own records in a minute.

Anyway, questions:

1) How would I say something like 'Everyone felt very awkward/uncomfortable'? For example, imagine you're out with a group of people and two of them get in a big fight, but both remain with the whole group. The rest of the night would then become very awkward/uncomfortable. What Japanese word fits here? 気まずい seemed the best out of the dictionary entries, but I have no idea.

2) Is 言うた widely used as a slang equivalent for 言った? Or would I sound strange/wrong if I used it in casual conversation?

3) I was just talking with a couple teachers about the adidas slogan 'impossible is nothing' which someone had put on the cover of the undoukai brochure. One person was lamenting its use because of its incorrectness, and at the end of a long [discussion] I said, 'でも、相談の種ね、これは。' This very much confused them, and enventually it became clear that I should have said 論議の種 or 話し合いの種. What exactly was the issue with 相談? Does it always carry the conotation that one person is doing something for another person? (ie one person is an expert on something and gives advice)?
 
Charles, I think your writing is quite good.
Just some minor mistakes which I pointed out below.
Please note that the sentences I wrote is just as one of many possible way to express the same thing, they are certainly not "the one and only correct answer" - everyone has his/her own taste and style. I'm sure other members would write differently.


You can say 英語教師 but with the word 先生 you need to use の.
気の合う means compatible, go along well, etc. and is used to describe about people, but not a good word to modify 関係.
"How to (verb)" can be translated ~の仕方 but it is noun that comes before の.
To use a verb, 連体形+仕方。 いい関係を作る→いい関係の作り方.
Using verb instead of noun would make the sentence sound more natural, though.
べき is more like "should" "must" than "supposed to be".
I would use ~はず instead.

My attempt:
日本人の先生方と良好な関係を築くにはどうすべきかについてのはずだったけれど、

英語の授業で日本語のしゃれを言うなら、生徒たちが前より先生にもっと注意をすることですが、

注意をする means to warn. "To pay attention" in this context (students pay attention to the lesson) would be 集中する or ちゃんと聞く.
I would drop the word "purpuse"and "presentation" as it is obvious you're talking about the lesson, so I might say:
英語の授業で日本語の駄洒落を言えば、生徒たちはもっと先生の授業に集中するというのですが、
or
英語の授業で日本語の駄洒落を言えば、生徒たちはもっとちゃんと先生の話を聞くということですが、
(with というのです・ということです, I'm implying "according to them, it is... but I think it's a stupid idea.")

しかも、日本語のしゃれが分かる会議に来た英語の先生はいませんから、発表中(三時間!)みんなはそわそわ座って気まずくなってきました。

This sentence is a bit confusing, it is difficult to understand which part modifies which part.
しかも、会議に来た英語の先生で日本語の洒落がわかる人はいなかったので、三時間(!)もの会議の間、みんな(は)落ち着かず、次第に気まずい雰囲気になっていきました。


Right answer is 正解, 解 is equivalent to 答, and it is something one 言う, not する. (Or one "answers" i.e. 答える.)
発表者 is a correct word but somehow it sounds awkward. If I were you, I'd knock it off. Even without it, it is still understandable that you're quoting what you were taught at the horrible class.

とにかく、覚えた駄洒落はたったひとつでした。(一番分かりやすかったから。)
「例えばアメリカの地理を教えたいというとき、ネバダ州の隣りの州を指して生徒に「これは何州?」と質問する。生徒が正解(ユタ州)を言ったら、クラスに向かって「誰が言(ゆ)うた?」と言う。そうすればみんな間違いなく笑うから」


これは駄洒落の中でも一番ましだったものですが、それでもゴミ同然と思います。
ですが、文句を言うためにこの文章を書いているのではありません。書いた理由は「言うた」についての質問に答えてもらいたいからです。最近友だちが「言った」の代わりに「言うた」を使うことに気がつきました。でもそれが普通なのかどうか分かりません。(or それがOKなのかどうか分かりません。)教えてください!

2) Is 言うた widely used as a slang equivalent for 言った? Or would I sound strange/wrong if I used it in casual conversation?
言うた is quite undrestandable and you can use it in casual conversation if you feel like to, but it would sounds strange. To me it sounds like a part of old man's speech. Something like;
あんたがそう言うたからここで待っとったんじゃが、いくらたっても誰も来んかった。
(あなたがそう言ったからここで待っていたんだが、いくらたっても誰も来なかった)
for example. ;-)


As 種 means the cause or the material on which something is based on, you can say 頭痛の種、癪の種、心配の種、話の種、噂の種、etc.
To me 相談 (something between consultation and discussion?) does not fit in.
 
Wow, thanks a million undrentide. I know the only reason you posted such a great response was to get reputation points, so don't worry, I gave you one nice shiny one.

In the future, I'll focus on writing one good paragraph instead of three messier ones. Thanks again.
 
A link with some attempted translations for that teacher on 'Impossible is Nothing,' the Adidas Japan marketing slogan. :.
Reaching the impossible is quite easy, is no big deal, any problems are all in your mind....この感じじゃないかな。。

英語が良くわかってない先生がそう言ったのでしょう?。。。:emoji_grinning:

Nothing is Impossible か Impossible is Nothing -今日テレビの丸山弁- 英語 | 教えて!goo

Also, were you trying to say "It was based on discussion/consultation" ?
種 means a cause of something.
 
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I know you're only joking, but seriously and honestly rep points is the last thing I'm seeking... I'm just interested in languages in general and replying to some questions on Japanese helps me to understand my own language, that's all.
Anyway, thank you.
 
Chin (嫻 I don't recognize as Japanese) Su or so
 
Also, were you trying to say "It was based on discussion/consultation" ?
種 means a cause of something.

I was actually trying to say something like:

But this (the incorrect slogan) led to a discussion, right?

I used said でも、相談の種、これは because my kyoto sensei, while defending the slogan's backwardness (IE 'impossible is nothing' should be 'nothing is impossible') said that in Japanese, you often say things like 美しい、あの女性は. So while trying to say that the quote at least led to a discussion, I was also trying to reference an earlier point of our discussion.

For the record, I told my kyoto sensei that I don't agree that 'impossible is nothing' and '美しい、あの女性は' are equivalent, because the latter is very common in Japanese and in a casual conversation wouldnt stand out in the slightest, whereas in English, the only reason 'impossible is nothing' works in this example is because it's an ad slogan fixed by a company, so that whether its correct or not becomes a non issue.

One more question: Ideally, I wanted to say 'At least it led to a discussion, right?'. That would have been my response in English. Looking at the possible Japanese equivalents, せめて seems like its equivalent to some uses of 'at least,' but it wouldnt work here, right? IE, I couldnt say (正しくないですけど) せめて良い論議の種ですね,このスローガンは。

What should I say to emphasize that, while it may not be right, at least the slogan had some positive effect?
 
は; Ha or Wa?

I've seen it as wa a lot but I've heard recently that this actually ha. So I would love it if you could clarify it for me. :

Thank you very much. ^_^
 
は; Ha or Wa?
I've seen it as wa a lot but I've heard recently that tis actually ha. So I would love it if you could clarify it for me.
Thank you very much. ^_^

In はなす (to talk), its hanasu, so ha.

In わたしはアメリカ人です (I am an American) itsm watashi wa amerikajin desu, so wa.

As a particle its pronounced wa.

As a part of a word (or in any context besides it being a particle), its pronounced ha.

Typed on a Japanese keyboard, its ha. Wa on a Japanese keyboard gives わ。
 
I still disagree with the basic premise that a motto of "Impossible is Nothing" is not more icky sounding/ungrammatical/confusing etc than emotionally charged or memorable in a positive way, and hence that it works even at the low level of a slogan....but anyway, back to the question. .

すくなくとも is most common I would say to mean "at least" and とにかく for "at any rate," both of which would stress the minimal benefits to what you're trying to talk up and either one makes sense to me here. せめて is likely fine as well...even if it somehow seems to be used in a more limited and slightly more negative contexts (through my limited experience).

As for the full sentence, I'm too exhausted to think of anything if my life depended on it right now but 正しくないですけど、 少なくとも (とにかく、せめて)、いい話し合う機会でした。 comes to mind and maybe isn't a half bad attempt after all.
 
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how do you say "different", as in "Does this store sell different things in Japan than America"?
 
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Thanks for explaining, I suppose as of now it's just easier to think that it merely depends on the type of object being affected. Thanks also to Elizabeth-san.
 
^ thank-you. oh I've always heard ちがう as like "that's not it!" when someone makes a mistake etc, but i see it in that context now too. how interesting~

i have one more, how do you say "have fun" like, "have fun in America!"

also what does this translate to: 日本に旅行しにきたことある??
i know travel to japan..i've never heard "きたこと" and it's not in any dictionary . D:

"ロリータファッションは日本では一定の理解が得られるようになって来たかな?
でも元々、欧米由来の衣裳だからマーゴのような子が着たほうがにあうかもね!"
^ I have no idea what's going on there, even with a translator. D: Something about Lolita fashion
 
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Ok, I need a little help trying to figure out what this says.

いなか is countryside, いなかだて of the countryside, something?

ロマン, does this mean romance? つがる?

I cant really read the kanji on the last two, but both have いなかだて at the bottom.
 

いなかだて(田舎館) is a name of a village in 青森県(あおもりけん).
つがる must have come from 津軽(つがる), a name of a region in 青森.
ロマン is not really romance (which means love between the two), it is more closer to something being romantic in broader meaning (I'd like to quote one of the definitions given by LDOCE Online "beautiful in a way that affects your emotions and makes you think of love or adventure". But,
つがるロマン is a brand name for rice they're growing in Aomori area.

守 on the first photo is a part from 守ろういのち "Let's Protect lives".
On the left of the second photo it says
稲文化のむら いなかだて
Inakadate, a village of rice culture

Some information on this event 田んぼアート (art on the rice paddle) is here.
Wayback Machine

How would you say, "It doesn't matter!" or, "That doesn't matter!"?

In what situation?
 
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i have one more, how do you say "have fun" like, "have fun in America!"

楽しむ(たのしむ) is what usually works although it may be closer to "enjoy" in dictionary terms.

also what does this translate to: 日本に旅行しにきたことある??
i know travel to japan..i've never heard "きたこと" and it's not in any dictionary . D:
Have you ever been travelled to Japan ? Plain past tense + koto (ga/wa) aru ? is the construction for "Have you ever....?" done (the verb)

I wonder if I've/you've reached the point of being able to definitively understand (have a fixed understanding of) Lolita fashion in Japan ?

But because the costumes were originally of American/European origin, maybe you will become a child like Margo (??).... ようが in hiragana I'm not sure either, is "to have the features of/to look like" ??
 
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ような? "A child like Margo" hit the nail on the head. Did you mix up ような and ほうが? It's saying that it might be more befitting for a child like Margot to wear the clothes. Looking at it like マーゴのような子が着た方が似合うかもね might help.
 
ような? "A child like Margo" hit the nail on the head. Did you mix up ような and ほうが?
そうです。ケアレスミスをしましたね。 ありがとう。

本当に、頭を悩ませていたから。。。
 
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