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Reading Comprehension Check Please

WonkoTheSane

先輩
12 May 2013
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I'm reading the Volume 1 Japanese Graded Readers by Ask Publishing and I'm just making sure I understand some sentences:
[context: the story starts by talking about the girl living in a big house with lots of things but she doesn't speak or laugh]
女の子の家には、お父さんもいます。
お母さんもいます。
でも、女の子は、いつも一人です。
[context: it goes on to say her parents are fighting outside the room]

The bold part I think means 'But she always feels alone/lonely.' based on context and the general feeling of the way language has been used in the story (ex. でも、一つだけありません。それは、「言葉」。女の子は「言葉」を言いません。そして、笑いません。).

If I go from really trying to translate it I get 'But at this time she is alone/lonely.'

Is either one close or am I way off on both? The いつも confuses me most, and the 一人 part is secondary (I'd think it's 'alone' or 'lonely' but maybe I'm totally off on that too).

Thanks!
 
いつも is "always". It can't be "this time". Not sure why this is confusing you - did you see a dictionary entry or other source that made you think otherwise?

I would treat it as a simple statement:
"But the girl is always alone."

Nothing is explicitly said bout how she "feels". (It is implicit from context in both the Japanese and English, of course). If it's a big house, she can easily be alone even if other people are in the house (e.g. parents fighting or in their separate rooms, not interacting with the child).
 
いつも is "always". It can't be "this time". Not sure why this is confusing you - did you see a dictionary entry or other source that made you think otherwise?

I would treat it as a simple statement:
"But the girl is always alone."

Nothing is explicitly said bout how she "feels". (It is implicit from context in both the Japanese and English, of course). If it's a big house, she can easily be alone even if other people are in the house (e.g. parents fighting or in their separate rooms, not interacting with the child).

I'd just not yet encountered いつも. You're entirely right that I should have looked it up before asking.
Thanks much!
 
Have you come across いつ? Basically a lot of "question words" then join with も like this:

いつ・どこ・何 (when, where, what)
いつも・どこも・何も (always, everywhere, everything - with positive verbs - often become never, anywhere/nowhere, nothing with negatives)
 
As an extension, you can also append でも: いつでも (anytime), どこでも (anywhere), なんでも (anything), だれでも (anyone) etc., as in "stop by any time", "anything will do", "anyone could've done it" and so on.
 
Nekojita, only as いつに. Thanks for the clarification, it opens a whole class of words for me.

Lanthas, much appreciated, extremely useful extension!
 
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