Renewing a fortune

[billadler]

I have a question about this sentence -- actually a couple of questions. I'm trying to write, "I need to renew my charm (おまもり) at the temple," and wrote:

お寺に私はのおまもりをこうかんしなければなりません 。

I'm not sure about writing "私のおももり". Should I leave out わたし because it's implied that this is my おまもり? Also, should I start the sentence with 私, writing 私お寺に私はのおまもりをこうかんしなければなりませ ん?

Finally (but possibly not the last of my mistakes), there's the perennial を versus が question. Should I have を or が with おまもり?

Thanks.

Bill

 

[Glenn]

Leave out わたし altogether. I think your first sentence without 私 is fine. There is a に vs. で question here, but I feel like they are both grammatical, but say slightly different things.

As for を vs. が, it's not the noun you need to look at -- they're determined by the verb. 交換する (こうかん) is a transitive verb, so its objects take を. が would mark the subject, i.e., the one doing the exchanging.

 

[billadler]

Thanks. As they say with many things, and especially language, the devil is in the details. There's a lot of grammar in お寺におまもりをこうかんしなければなりませ (to me)、and it's nice to get it right.

Bill

 

[Toritoribe]

It should be で, not に. こうかんする is an action. The particle to indicate the location of action is で. に is for existence such like ある or いる. お寺におまもりをこうかんしにいかなければなりません is correct. This に indicates the destination.

 

[Glenn]

Should have gone with my first thought. Alright, so motion verbs have to be stated, and can't be insinuated, then.