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Need a word or phrase translated?

I need the sentence translated. I don't get the latter bit of the sentence.
How can を be in front of いいです？ いい is not a verb. がんばった分だけ返ってきます? What does it mean?
 

I suggest you double-check the sentence in your book. Could it possibly say モノをいいます instead of モノをいいです？ "~~がモノをいう" is an expression that means "What is important is/What makes the difference is/What really counts is~~".

がんばった分だけ返ってきます The reward/result will be as big as the amount of effort you put in. or more simply, The bigger the effort, the better the result.
 
Is there a good word for the English term "train wreck?" I don't mean like 列車(電車）事故. I'm talking about a person who is just a mess. 例えば、Amy Winehouse のような人。

Does such an expression exist? 英語で "train wreck" と "mess" と "hot mess" と言いますが、その語に相当するような日本語を知っていますか？
 
Oh my bad, it is いいます。Is the モノ same as 物？
I would never have worked the last part out.
 
モノって。。。何でカタカナで書いている？
 
warakawa said:
Is the モノ same as 物？
Click to expand...
Yes.

Ryan- said:
モノって。。。何でカタカナで書いている？
Click to expand...
To emphasize it.
Katakana - Wikipedia

How about めちゃくちゃ(な人)？
 
Last edited:
Hi, can anybody explain the form of おうとする。As in 勝とうとしても。
 
warakawa said:
Hi, can anybody explain the form of おうとする。As in 勝とうとしても。
Click to expand...
"The volitional form of verbs + とする" means "to be about to do something" or "to try to do something." And "the te-form of verbs/adjectives + も" is a conditional, adversative conjunction.

Thus, 勝とうとしても means "even if (the subject) try to win."
 
Thanks tori, I don't know if you use "A dictionary of basic/intermediate Japanese grammar" if you do can you please indicate to me on which page does it explain おうとする form, I can't seem to find it.

So is it similar to 勝ってみても？
 
warakawa said:
Thanks tori, I don't know if you use "A dictionary of basic/intermediate Japanese grammar" if you do can you please indicate to me on which page does it explain おうとする form, I can't seem to find it.
Click to expand...
Sorry, I've NEVER used any kind of ENGLISH dictionaries/textbooks of Japanese grammar.:emoji_blush:

warakawa said:
So is it similar to 勝ってみても？
Click to expand...
No. ～てみる is more likely "to try doing." 勝とうとする expresses a dicision to win, whereas 勝ってみる is used for "win and see how things go." So, 勝ってみても is more close to 勝っても/勝ったとしても "even if (the subject) win"
e.g.
勝とうとしても、彼には勝てない。
Even if I try to win against him, I can't.

この試合に勝ってみても、決勝戦には進めない。
Even if I win this game, I can't go into the final.
 
warakawa said:
Really, are you native speaker of Japanese?
Click to expand...

I assure you that Toritoribe san is a native Japanese speaker.
(I don't see why a native speaker needs to use a Japanese grammar dictionary in English which are apparently written for the non-native??)

He replied and made explanations very patiently and kindly to many of your questions, I think he deserves a polite "thank you" to say the least...
 
Hey, I am currently using Rosetta Stone as a language learning method and have come across a problem here. Can anyone help me correctly interpret and break down these phrases:

UMA YORIMO HITO NO HOO GA TAKUSAN IMASU

UMA NO KAZU YORIMO HITO NO KAZU NO HOO GA SUKUNAI DESU

Thank you in advance,

Seyz
 

What exactly are you having problems with? Are there any certain words that you are not sure about?
 
Hi. Yes it's my first post, and yes it's a dumb question probably asked because I'm planning to make some stupid jokes. Well here it goes.
How can I say "Sorry, I only talk Japanese." in japanese?
Using that sentence and "Nani" all the time, I'll be able to govern the world.
 
Are you sure this is really the best strategy for learning japanese? Wouldn't it be better to have some grounding in the basic grammar or perhaps learn a few phrases or something like that? Besides, I think if you study the language a bit more you'll that this isn't necessarily the best route to take. Also, before I go ahead and just tell you the phrase, try to come up with it on your own.
 
ASHIKAGA said:
What exactly are you having problems with? Are there any certain words that you are not sure about?
Click to expand...

I just dont understand the sentences.

UMA YORIMO HITO NO HOO GA TAKUSAN IMASU

UMA NO KAZU YORIMO HITO NO KAZU NO HOO GA SUKUNAI DESU

I get Uma, hito, and that is about it.
 
I don't understand the sentence form either, isn't hou ga supposed to come before yorimo? Consulting the dictionary of basic japanese grammar (which I highly recommend), seems to show the same thing.

But yeah, uma is horse, hito, people, takusan, a lot, and imasu functions like desu here.

so

There are more mountains than people (the A no hou ga B yori [predicate, in this case takusan imasu] is used to compare things where A is the "more" of the two)

But if yori comes first, does that change the meaning?

Looking back at examples under yori I got

僕はステーキより魚の方が好きだ(Boku ha SUTEEKI yori sakana no hou ga suki da)
"I prefer fish to steak"

Yori seems to take the place of no hou ga or is it the subtle difference between "I prefer steak TO fish" or "I like steak BETTER THAN fish"?

I'd actually like to hear this too.
 

I'm not trying to learn japanese, and I don't know any word of it. The only thing I want to learn is that sentence. Anyway, somebody directed me to that forum saying I could get good translations. That's the only thing I'm looking for.
 
Sumimasen, Nihongo shika hanasemasen. Sorry, I can only speak Japanese

(to substitute English, insert Eigo for Nihongo).

...or whatever...
 
I'm just curious what you really want this phrase for? I'm all for the learn-little and immerse style, but this is an awful little.
 
Hello!
I was hoping someone could verify that i got the gist of this message from my meru pal.

> よくできるってわけじゃないけど、ちょっとならできるよ
Its not that i can do it well (I asked her eigo ga dekimasu ka?)
then the chotto nara dekiru yo, i dont get.. what is nara doing there?
なら ive been defining as "if, supposing that" so, if -a little -can do?
> 毎日学校で勉強してるからね＾＾
(its because) I study at school every day.

yoroshiku ne
 
Not very well, but I can do it a little.

なら is a conditional conjunction, as you can get, but ちょっとなら/少しなら is used kind of a set phrase.

roughly means
ちょっとならできる/ちょっとはできる: can do a little
ちょっとしかできない/ほとんどできない: can do little
The degree of the level is different.

LukeSettle said:
> 毎日学校で勉強してるからね＾＾
(its because) I study at school every day.
Click to expand...
 
ああ、そうだな
ありがとうございましたＴｏｒｉｔｏｒｉｂｅさん！
One more question, how do you express that you are not entirely sure, ie
I think I understand (分かったと思います)?
I think he heard you.

I thought it would be to omou, but I'm not sure. And ka mo(shiremasen/nai) didn't seem quite right for the first example.
Sorry if its kinda hard to understand what I'm asking.
 
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