This is a mobile optimized page that loads fast, if you want to load the real page, click this text.

Question words?

Tomii515

やった～！
Joined
16 Feb 2006
Messages
1,206
Reaction score
21
こんにちは皆さん！お元気ですか？
I haven't posted in a while, and I'm just trying to learn as much as I can until I get a book
But, I was reading something, and then a question just went across my mind, "How would you say that in Japanese?"

So. I was wondering about question words, sort of. Like, in these sentences:

I am the person who swam across the ocean.
I saw what you were doing.
I want to know where you're going!
I like eating food when it's hot.
He told me why you were mad at me.
Do you know how to sing?

Something like that... I'm in a rush, and I couldn't really come up with good examples...

If anyone speaks French, if this helps, the "what" part is "ce qui/ce que" i think. Maybe it's just "ce que". I don't know.

But anyways, thanks for whomever helps!
どうもありがとうございます！



-Tommy
 
Je ne sais pas!!
Um...For the first one you'd just say 'watashi wa' or if it is informal add yo for emphasis...
Actually I'm kinna confused. The main question words are:
Dare
Nan(i)
Doko (Docchira(polite))
Itsu
And I think how in this sense would be dekiru form....I think..
 
For your first sentence i would use no: umi o oyoida no wa boku da
When you add no the first part becomes "The one who swam through..."
As for the rest ka: nani o shita ita ka mita
Use the ka particle for an embedded question.

Hmm thats how i would do it, opinions might differ.
 
You're thinking in English again. Most of these are relative clauses. Look at this sentence:

I want to eat the cake that Bob is eating.
ボブが食べているケーキ = the cake that Bob is eating. Notice how in between 食べている and ケーキ there is no word that might represent our English "that" or "which" (the "question" words is what you were calling them). Japanese does't use these types of words. In a literal translation ボブが食べているケーキ would be something like 'the "Bob is eating" cake'. Funnily enough, I have actually heard Japanese speak English in this way.

So now you know that "the cake that Bob is eating" is ボブが食べているケーキ, you can go further...

Here's how to say, "I want to eat cake"
私はケーキを食べたい
And here's how to say "I want to eat the cake that Bob is eating" (i.e. 'I want to eat the "Bob is eating" cake')
私はボブが食べているケーキを食べたい

Here's another one:

The English sentence "I want to know what you are eating" actually consists of two sentences. The sentence "what are you eating?" is embeded in the sentence "I want to know".

What are you eating? = 何を食べているか?
I want to know what you are eating = 私はあなたが何を食べているかを知りたい。

These sentences probably seem quite stiff and bookish to the average Japanese, but it should give you an insite into how Japanese relative clauses an embeded sentences work.
 
Tomii515 said:
I am the person who swam across the ocean.
I saw what you were doing.
I want to know where you're going!
I like eating food when it's hot.
He told me why you were mad at me.
Do you know how to sing?
-Tommy
Click to expand...

I agree with below, don't try to go from English to Japanese and expect french particles to help you understand how to do it! Just learn Japanese and use the japanese--other languages will just interfere.

Now my japanese isn't great but I'll give translating these a go:

太陽を泳いで渡ったのは俺だ。
（たいようをおよいでわたったのはおれだ）

見たよ！

どこに行くの？

料理は温かい内に食べた方がおいしいものだ。
（りょうりはあたたかいうちにたべたほうがおいしいよ）

何であなたが怒ったのか彼に教えてもらった。
（なんであなたがおこったのかかれにおしえてもらった）

歌えるの？


Its important that you realize the flaw in your approach. For example 'I want to know where you are going'--although the English want can be applied to this sentence, the japanese want cannot; it would not sound natural. What the English sentence means is 'where are you going?'--the 'I want to know' is largely idiomatic, and as a result, you should expect that it will not translate into other languages.

One of the most important things about learning a language is being able to simplify ones thoughts. My students really struggle with this, as do a number of the other ALTs around me. Its very natural when you do not have enough practice, or when you feel like the stuff you've learned is very basic, and you'd rather express things you already know using more interesting/advanced language.

For example, the last sentence 'Do you know how to sing?': if you are translating from English and want to say that specific wording, you might get stuck and not be able to utter anything. But if you just stop trying to do that and think of what you do know, you could create a number of sentences that get your point across:

歌、上手なの？
歌えるの？
よく歌うの？
歌うのが好きなの？

These kind of sentences will all do exactly what you want: namely the other person will describe whether or not he likes to/is good at singing.

On the other hand, 反面教師 (はんめんきょうし） would maybe word a (bad) sentence like this:

あなたはどのように歌ったらいいか知っていますか？ OR
あなたは良い歌い方を知っていますか？
 
I don't know French but once you're comfortable with the basic points of Bucko and Charles Barkley-san's explanations on embedded sentences, relatives clauses, etc. I think you'll see that these are all very natural in Japanese. :=) Of course within a context where certain information is known to everyone, things can be left out. These are for use anytime and as examples of complete, standard grammar.


私は海洋を泳いで渡った人です。

あなたが何をしてた（やってた）か見たよ。

あなたがどこに行くかを知りたい

温かいうちに 物を食べるのが好きです。
>
> 彼は、どうしてあなたが私に（を、）怒った（怒ってた）か私に伝えてくれた。

上手に歌えるの？


Of course you can talk about things on the level of "wanting to know" in Japanese. "I want to know where you are going" is a general statement of
interest that can be applied across situations and expresses a level of desire, concern, etc not generally conveyed with a simple "Where are you going?" (on this particular outing).
 
Last edited:
Bucko

Thanks! That really cleared up things for me. I haven't studied in a while, which is really my fault... But, soon I shall be getting back into it, and I'm just trying to learn little things until then. Thanks!

Charles Barkley & Elizabeth

Thanks for explaining, and for the examples

---

If it's not to trouble for someone, you don't have to, but if you're bored or something, could you give me English sentences like these for me to traslate, to see if I actually do understand? Please and thank you :]

-Tommy
 

OK! These sentences really helped me, a lot! Thanks! But, I think it would be better for me to just make sure I understand all of this, and ask all the questions going through my head... Let's see.

1. I understand this :]

2. Got it.

3. Got it, except for, is there a way for you to explain why you put 「を」?

4. OK, so I have a problem here. Uhm. So, what is 「うちに」. I understand the "I like eating the hot thing" which is talking about hot food, right? 「温かい物」. Please explain this o_o thanks you :'D

5. OK. I think I get this, but I have a couple questions. Umm. OK. I'm guessing the 「に」 after 「私」 is meaning like, directly to me. Like, "he told (to) me" and "got mad at me" and such... right? Please correct me if I'm wrong. And lastly, in 「伝えてくれた」 what is the 「~くれた」?

6. Got it!

---

Thank again soo much
 
it seems that the focus of the thread has gone from question words (the list skullcrushergirl posted is fine, except "docchi/dochira" is more like "which way" than "where") to noun-modifying clauses, because most of your examples aren't actually questions themselves. It seems that in translating your samples, new grammar structures are arising. I'll do my best to just address your most recent questions:

3: を is there because 知る takes a direct object, "where you are going" is the thing I want to know.

4: The key here is your sample sentence said "when it's hot," which is more like "while it's still hot." 温かいうちに=while it's still warm; 帰ってないうちに=before [subject] comes home. See how the exact wording varies by the context? It's not so clear-cut as you might think.

5: 怒る can take a direct object and use the particle を, but it can also take に. You're right about the use of に; it implies the direction of the verb. Your last question about くれる is a bigger question than you think, and I think it's been covered in other threads before, and will be in your textbook for sure. For now, just know that it means that by telling me, he was doing me a favor/he did it for me.
 
I just figured he most likely didn't only like hot food or like to eat when the weather was hot...
 
Elizabeth said:
I just figured he most likely didn't only like hot food or like to eat when the weather was hot...
Click to expand...

O_O...? I meant like:

I like eating food when the food's hot.

...? lol >_>
 
Alright, Tomii, give these a go:

1 I don't know where I lost my wallet.

2 Do you know where I can get a map?

3 Do you know what time the bus leaves?


If possible, try to write two sentences for each one--a really good translation that you feel captures the whole meaning of the sentence, and one that is really simple but gets the same message across. I think practicing that is a very important skill...

Tomii515 said:
O_O...? I meant like:
I like eating food when the food's hot.
...? lol >_>
Click to expand...


Just remeber that 窶ｰﾂｷ窶堋ｩ窶堋｢窶愿?窶堙 is probably the best way to express that same sentiment in Japanese. Oh, try to use that grammar point to express the following sentence too, add it to the 3 above:

4. Please come home before it gets dark.
 
Last edited:
Tomii515 said:
O_O...? I meant like:
I like eating food when the food's hot.
...? lol >_>
Click to expand...
I'm just giving you a hard time. Cause we usually say "when it's still hot" or
"while it's hot"...but I honestly did get it the first reading.

5. OK. I think I get this, but I have a couple questions. Umm. OK. I'm guessing the 「に」 after 「私」 is meaning like, directly to me. Like, "he told (to) me" and "got mad at me" and such... right?
Click to expand...
It's like in English we can phrase it as "mad/angry at" or "angry with." It doesn't mean either に or を is less "directed" at the person in Japanese either.

3. Got it, except for, is there a way for you to explain why you put 「を」
Click to expand...
It's actually left out a lot informally in real speech...but because these are real exercises for understanding as many important parts of grammar as possible....


1. I understand this :]
Click to expand...
Something about it is still nagging at me that I can't quite put my finger on or get a feel for in English translation...Maybe 私が would be slightly more natural here ???
 
Charles Barkley said:
Alright, Tomii, give these a go:
1 I don't know where I lost my wallet.
2 Do you know where I can get a map?
3 Do you know what time the bus leaves?
4 Please come home before it gets dark.
Click to expand...

OK... i'll tyr O_O hmm haha

---

A. 私は札入れをどこになくしましたかを知りません。(I'm not sure...)
1B. 私は札入れがありますか？ (maybe not...? I wasn't sure )
2A. 私が地図をどこに買えますかを知りますか？
2B. 私は地図をどこに買えますか？/ 地図はどこですか？

&& ill do the other 2 later. i have to go!
 
For the second, in Japanese you normally wouldn't add the "do you know" part on the end. Too forceful or direct. Try saying simply "Where can I buy a map?" or "Could you tell me where I can buy a map?"

The first I can tell you're on the right track although there are still a few mistakes. As I have time, corrections forthcoming.
 

Ahh, ok!

Uhmm, I'll try do the last two, or even attemp to correct the first two soon
 
Tomii515 said:
Ahh, ok!
Uhmm, I'll try do the last two, or even attemp to correct the first two soon
Click to expand...
OK, well, to keep your wasted time to a minimum, here's the answer!

どこで財布をなくしたのか本当にわからない（覚えてい ない
 
Elizabeth said:
OK, well, to keep your wasted time to a minimum, here's the answer!
どこで財布をなくしたのか本当にわからない（覚えてい ない
Click to expand...



...lol



haha. Uhmmm, is that supposed to be the correct #1? If so, wow, i was wayy of :[ lol.

'where' always confuses me. Like, I wasn't sure where to put it or what particle, if any, to put with it and stuff. But thanks! think I got it.

So, it's like:

where [de] wallet [wo] lost [no ka] truley understand-not/remember-not

if that makes sence... hm. That just helped me. hehXD lol
Thanks.

oh. what does the "no ka" mean? why is it there?
 
のか is basically the same as saying か--it just sounds a bit smoother/softer in some cases.

One important thing to understand before you try the next ones is about the ます form of verb endings. ます, almost exclusively, goes only at the end of complete sentences (i.e., before a period). It does not go before relative phrases, and it does not go before these kind of 'question phrases) that are shown above. Instead, use the plain form.
 

Oh, ok. thanks :]
 

はい！
はい、分かる。
 
Tomii515 said:
はい！
はい、分かる。
Click to expand...
へへ ？？。。。びっくりしたが、嬉しかったよね。

教科書を見ないで、耳から聞いて会話から勉強している人はきちんとした基本ができてなかったりする場合が多いと思うからね。
 


俺は馬鹿じゃないが、アメリカ人だょ！ははは
でも俺も嬉しかったよ・・・！

あぁ！その文はとても大きいだよね！！
わかると思う・・・

ええええ・・・

textbook didn't see, ear from hear, conversation from studying person precisly [sp? lol] did basis haven't-done [???] benifit-from situation more think because, right?

ゎぁぃ... ☝

その文は・・・とてもとてもとても難しかったよー!＞：０
えぇ。分かって、分からなくて、・・・Ｏ＿ｏ 俺は馬鹿?はい？うん



へへ

ところで、その文は英語を言えて下さい? <-- 正しい？

 
Last edited:

It says that people who learn by listening to conversations/other audio sources without looking at textbooks often neglect the basics.


~ないで、何々をする = to do 何々 without having done ~
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

Let's play a Shiritori Game - Japanese word game
78 79 80
Replies
2K
Views
305K
thomas
K
Correct word for milk
Replies
14
Views
85K
aaron
A
S
Need translation of the word "omoide"
Replies
6
Views
38K
shibuyarocktransform
S
S
Wondering about the word "corrida"
Replies
19
Views
35K
Seito
S
W
Question about a proverb's meaning.
Replies
11
Views
45K
Rese
Menu
Log in
Register
Cookies are required to use this site. You must accept them to continue using the site. Learn more…