Need a word or phrase translated?

[Niedy]

Erm, I'm trying to say, I did not go for the test, because I did not finished studying.
Sorry, I'm still not sure what is the correct way to express that...

勉強を終わってなかったから、テストに行かなかった。

 

[Elizabeth]

what I found:
仕事をおわってから -> wrong particle

が終わって is fine.

赤いワインを一本買たいでした。/一本の赤いワインを買いたかったので。

私は赤いワインを一本が（を）買いたかったのです。しかし、そのスーパーの赤いワインはすきじゃなかったので、 買いませんでした。

午後6時15ふん前に外に出ました。--> できる = be able to do / 出る (deru) = leave
ワインが買ってから、 会社にいきした。 -> ~てから = after (you used it correctly before)

午後6時15ふん前に出かけました。ワインを買ってから、 会社にいきした。

勉強を終わってなかったから、テストに行かなかった。

まだ、教科書を読み終わっていないので、テストを受けませんでした。 (This means you haven't finished reading the book yet, are still continuing it but didn't finish in time for the test).

 

[Clarity]

Wow, thanks to both Niedy and Elizabeth =) Thanks I need some time to digest all these! Thanks for the help =)

 

[Libre]

仕事が終わり、会社を出ました(*1)。家に帰る前にスーパーへ行きました。赤ワインを買いたかったのですが、その(*2)スーパーの赤ワインは気に入らなかったので買いませんでした。

家に帰り朝食を食べて寝ました。16時半(*3)に起き、18時15分前に家を出ました。赤ワインを買ってから会社へ向かいました。19時に到着し、夕食を食べました。プレゼントを交換し、写真を撮りました。21時から会議があり、23時に終わりました。会議の後は全員帰宅しました。

*1 会社に出掛ける means "go to the office".
*2 In this case, その is needed. If you don't use it, it seems as if you don't like red wines in every supermarket.
*3 午後4時半 is right, but I like to use short version.

 

[Elizabeth]

Wow, thanks to both Neidy and Elizabeth =) Thk I need some time to digest all these! Thanks for the help =)

Libre-san's version is of course perfect, and formal, as well. Although with even more new forms/vocabs. So feel free to ask us about it anytime. .
And yeah there really are like 20~30 or more variations on what you were trying to say...☝

 

[Clarity]

Ha... Im feeling quite overwhelmed at the moment, however, I definitely dun understand this part

赤ワインを買いたかったのですが Erm, this sentence structure is something I haven seen. I thk 買いたかった should be the past tense of 買いたい? what is のですが I have absolutely no idea...

しかし、そのスーパーの赤いワインはすきじゃなかったの で
しかし means however... I understand the part abt その. Thanks Libre-San and Elizabeth-San
すきじゃなかったの で means Because I dun like, right? Erm Im wondering why cant から be used? It also means "because", right?

ワインを買ってから、 会社にいきした。 Understood where my mistake was for the てから part. (thanks Niedy-San )
ELizabeth-San, I thought that が could be used since ワイン is the subject? Sori, Im kinda confused >.<

会議がおわってから、私達は家に帰りました。 Understood! Thanks!

Libre-San's were really too hard for me to understand.. Apologies as I dun really know much advanced language structures. Haha, but Im trying hard to get there... Thank you all for ur patience

 

[Elizabeth]

Ha... Im feeling quite overwhelmed at the moment, however, I definitely dun understand this part
赤ワインを買いたかったのですが Erm, this sentence structure is something I haven seen. I thk 買いたかった should be the past tense of 買いたい? what is のですが I have absolutely no idea...

It's が as "but" and の because something has to come between the end of a past tense verb and です。

しかし、そのスーパーの赤いワインはすきじゃなかったの で
しかし means however... I understand the part abt その. Thanks Libre-San and Elizabeth-San
すきじゃなかったの で means Because I dun like, right? Erm Im wondering why cant から be used? It also means "because", right?

The meaning is the same. It's just that generally ので has a smoother, more neutral nuance which means it is required in polite company. And some other places that can't take から。

Here から also emphasizes a personal/subjective opinion and may even be seen as roughly (childishly) blaming the wine for not being unlikeable enough.

ワインを買ってから、 会社にいきした。 Understood where my mistake was for the てから part. (thanks Niedy-San )
ELizabeth-San, I thought that が could be used since ワイン is the subject? Sori, Im kinda confused >.<

If ワイン was the subject, the it would be the one buying and you would be going to work. Never is it possible が買う, only が買いたい is OK, and even then only in certain peculiar contexts...

 

[Clarity]

It's が as "but" and の because something has to come between the end of a past tense verb and です。

Ha... so が also means "but"...

The meaning is the same. It's just that generally ので has a smoother, more neutral nuance which means it is required in polite company. And some other places that can't take から。

Here から also emphasizes a personal/subjective opinion and may even be seen as roughly (childishly) blaming the wine for not being unlikable enough.

Hmm, in that case, can I safely say that by sticking to using "ので" , I should be able to use for all instances when I need to express "because"?

If ワイン was the subject, the it would be the one buying and you would be going to work. Never is it possible が買う, only が買いたい is OK, and even then only in certain peculiar contexts...

Hmm, thanks!

 

[Elizabeth]

Hmm, in that case, can I safely say that by sticking to using "ので" , I should be able to use for all instances when I need to express "because"?

With what you are writing -- probably. But it's one of those things where the rules are contradictory and besides everyone has their own preferance. So unless it's exactly like the wine sentence better post it here first just to be a little more sure.

 

[Niedy]

With what you are writing -- probably. But it's one of those things where the rules are contradictory and besides everyone has their own preferance. So unless it's exactly like the wine sentence better post it here first just to be a little more sure.

according to my grammar book it's safer to use kara than node if you're not sure... node shouldn't be used if personal feelings or subjectiveﾂ statements are involved, but kara can always be substituted for node...

 

[Elizabeth]

according to my grammar book it's safer to use kara than node if you're not sure... node shouldn't be used if personal feelings or subjectiveﾂ statements are involved, but kara can always be substituted for node...

What book is that ? I've read a lot of different things on them but never that kara is universally more acceptable.

 

[Niedy]

What book is that ? I've read a lot of different things on them but never that kara is universally more acceptable.

Japanese - A comprehensive grammar (Routledge)

and a less extensive (german) one also limits node to only objective statements. To say where subjetivity ends and objectivity starts is imo quite difficult (at least some of the example sentences aren't that clear to me). Therefore, as kara seems to have more uses it's probably safer to go with kara than node if in doubt... and that's actually also the way I was taught at university... node came quite late and was rarely used even by the native teachers... but that could of course have other reasons

it's safer to use kara than node if you're not sure...

oh and that was actually my assumption... coming from the book saying that kara can be used instead of node...

 

[IxoRose]

Hey~ Just a random question, but how would you say I want to eat your foot in Japanese?



Thanks~​

 

[Libre]

あなたの足を食べたい
But what situation?

 

[Elizabeth]

oh and that was actually my assumption... coming from the book saying that kara can be used instead of node...

I think in some cases it's safer to use the て form instead of から if you're not sure, which is how ので functions and I believe where it origniated (from the て of のだ).

But I can't answer well without an example, so for instance in this below sentence do you think that から sounds OK or that it feels like it is strangely emphasizing the cause of the delay being the train's fault ?? I don't recall where but remember reading somewhere a construction like this should be considered awkward and therefore used sparingly if at all.

電車が遅れたから、三時間ぐらい待たされた。 NG

電車が遅れて（遅れたので）、三時間ぐらい待たされた。 OK

 

[82riceballs]

How do you say "If only summer vacation were a bit longer"?
I looked up "if only" on alc.co.jp, and tried to concoct a sentence from that:
夏休みはもう少し長いであればいいんだけど。
Does it make sense?

 

[epigene]

How do you say "If only summer vacation were a bit longer"?
I looked up "if only" on alc.co.jp, and tried to concoct a sentence from that:
夏休みはもう少し長いであればいいんだけど。
Does it make sense?

This should do:
夏休みがもう少し長ければいいんだけど。

 

[Niedy]

電車が遅れたから、三時間ぐらい待たされた。 NG

電車が遅れて（遅れたので）、三時間ぐらい待たされた。 OK

Ah... yes... I see your point... good point actually... but that's something (in my opinion) that comes with time and practice... when one gets a "feeling" for the language...


and I got a question actually too...

I found ちょっせー [ちょっせーよりいいだろ?] in a manga... I googled and somewhere it said it has the same meaning as とろくさい... is that correct? so "stupid; dull; slow; weak" would be correct meanings?

 

[Lotorie]

パリでは、ティーンエージャー、学生、自由業の人にジーンズをはく層がみられ、ジーンズが2本あればほんどの用は足りるという合埋主義的な考え方から、かれらの根強い支持をかちえています。

I try to translate but have difficulties with the "ジーンズが2本あればほんどの用は足りるという合埋主義的な考え方から"

A Paris, on peut voir que tout le monde porte des jeans : adolescents, ﾃｩtudiants, employﾃｩs libﾃｩraux, comme la faﾃｧon de pense rationnelle disant que l'utilisation de jeans 2本(ほん)あればほとんどのest suffisante, il gagne un soutien important.

In Paris, we can see that everybody wear jeans: teenagers, students, self-employed profession persons, as the rational thinking says that use of jeans ............ is suffucient, he gains an important support.

 

[Sasquatch]

How would you say something like" We found out Mikey has diabetes on Christmas."???

Maiki wa tounyoubyou choudai?? ni kuriisumasu?

I'm sorry, I don't really know how to put it.

 

[Libre]

We found out Mikey has diabetes on Christmas.
マイキーは糖尿病だということがクリスマスに分かりました。
私達はマイキーが糖尿病だということをクリスマスに知った。

 

[Sasquatch]

Thanks!

Do you have romagi translation too?


Or katakana?

Is maiki how you would spell the name mikey?

 

[Libre]

マイキーは糖尿病だということがクリスマスに分かりました。
Mikey wa tounyoubyou dato iukoto ga kurisumasu ni wakarimasita.
私達はマイキーが糖尿病だということをクリスマスに知った。
Watashi-tachi wa Mikey ga tounyoubyou dato iukoto wo kurisumasu ni shitta.

 

[Sasquatch]

マイキーは糖尿病だということがクリスマスに分かりました。
Mikey wa tounyoubyou dato iukoto ga kurisumasu ni wakarimasita.
私達はマイキーが糖尿病だということをクリスマスに知った。
Watashi-tachi wa Mikey ga tounyoubyou dato iukoto wo kurisumasu ni shitta.

Do I use both of them or only one of them?

 

[Libre]

@Sasquatch

You should use either one of the two at one time.
Wakarimashita is polite way, and you can change the latter one to polite version using "知りました(shirimashita)"