small, smaller, smallest

[Tomii515]

Hello everyone~

I was just wondering how you would do this.

like:

The book is small.

The book is smaller/more small.

The book is smallest/most small.

I know the last two sound a bit odd, but I just wanna get the point across or whatever...

Then, how would you say:

This book is smaller than that book.

This book is smallest out of the three books.

...or something like that.

I looked up 'more' and 'most', and I don't knwo if they're correct, bu I tried ot make some of these sentence, but I doubt they're correct.

本は小さいです。
本はもっと小さいです。
本は最も小さいです。



I don't know how to say the other two...

But, i got 'motto' for 'more' and 'mottomo' from most.... so i don't know


thanks to whomever helps~

 

[Haruspex]

Well, you know that im no pro, but instinctively these are my answers:

The book is small.
Well this one's obvious.
The book is smaller/more small.
I would try to use motto, just as you stated.
The book is smallest/most small.
Mottomo ran through my mind too at first, but probably you could try ichiban too.

For the other two, I would do it like this:

この本はその本より小さいだ。

この本のなかで一番小さいのはこれだ。/この本だ。

 

[Toritoribe]

This book is smaller than that book.
この本のほうがその本より(もっと)小さいです。
この本はその本より(もっと)小さいです。

This book is smallest out of the three books.
その三冊の(本の)中でこれが一番/最も小さいです。
その三冊の(本の)中で一番/最も小さいのはこれです。

Generally, 一番 is more colloquial than 最も.

 

[Tomii515]

Thank you all~ ^^

And do you mind explaining how to come up with the sentence This book is smallest out of the three books. You both had a different answer, but still i dont understand how to come up with the answer ...

Thnks~

 

[Toritoribe]

冊 is a counter suffix(助数詞) for books/notebooks/magazines... So the term 三冊 itself connotes 「三冊の本(のようなもの)」; "three books/objects like books". That's why 本 is sometimes omitted in the sentence (depending on context, of course). In the situation that the number of the books is not specified, like "out of these books", the translation is the same as Derfel's.

 

[Tomii515]

okie. Yeah, I understood that (well, I mean I knew it was a counter, I just didn't knwo what for).

What I didn't undertsand was where the "naka" came from?


その三冊の本の中でこれが一番小さいです。 <--- like I get it, sorta. I just don't understand the 'naka' part... .-.

Ohh, also. why is it "その三冊の本"? like, maybe it's because there's no verb here...

But yeah, im just a bit comfused ><

like, i thought the number comes after the word? like in 私は切手を三枚買いました。 or 私のクラスには日本人の学生が一人います。

anyways, thanks 8D

 

[nice gaijin]

the "三冊の中で" part is like "among the three books." This is used when comparing more than two things that fall under the same category, and I believe it's outlined somewhere in the Genki books.

 

[Tomii515]

the "三冊の中で" part is like "among the three books." This is used when comparing more than two things that fall under the same category, and I believe it's outlined somewhere in the Genki books.

Ahh, thanks. That clears things up. And right now , I only have Genki 1 and I looked and I'm not sure if it's in this one...

But, s the sentence literally means like "Among these three books, this is the smallest.", right?

 

[Toritoribe]

私は切手を三枚買いました。 ＝ 私は三枚の切手を買いました。

私のクラスには日本人の学生が一人います。 ＝ 私のクラスには一人の日本人(の)学生がいます。
of course also equals
私のクラスの中には日本人の学生が一人います。

 

[Tomii515]

私は切手を三枚買いました。 ＝ 私は三枚の切手を買いました。
私のクラスには日本人の学生が一人います。 ＝ 私のクラスには一人の日本人(の)学生がいます。
of course also equalls
私のクラスの中には日本人の学生が一人います。

Ahhhh, makes sence :3

So..................
僕は晩御飯を五つ食べました。 = 僕は五つの 晩御飯を食べました。 = I ate five dinners.

??? xD

Or maybe 十の晩御飯の中では、五つ食べました。 Would that work? XD

I have no idea

 

[Elizabeth]

私は三枚の切手を買いました。

私のクラスには一人の日本人(の)学生がいます.


Just FYI, the above are not used nearly as much as :

私は切手を三枚買いました。 私のクラスには日本人の学生が一人います。

Please ask the most natural way of speaking next time.

 

[Toritoribe]

所有格助詞「の」の用例として出したけど、確かに実生 活での使用頻度は通常の文体ほど多くはないでしょうね 。ニュアンスとしては、力点が変わります。「三枚」と 「一人」が若干強調される。「君は四枚切手買ったけど 、私は三枚」、「隣のクラスには二人いるけど、私のク ラスには一人」くらいの感じでしょうね。
英語で説明しなきゃ意味ないかな


using a countable one, like おにぎり,

僕はおにぎりを五個食べました。
僕は五個のおにぎりを食べました。
十個のおにぎりのうち/の中から、五個(を)食べました。


その十個の中では五個 - だけがおいしかった/しか食べられなかった…
その十個の中から五個 - を選んだ/をもらった…
その十個のうち五個 - を食べた/を捨てた/は腐っていた…

The form depends on verbs and contexts. It might be a bit similar to the relationship between verbs and prepositions in English.

 

[Tomii515]

私は三枚の切手を買いました。
私のクラスには一人の日本人(の)学生がいます.
Just FYI, the above are not used nearly as much as :
私は切手を三枚買いました。 私のクラスには日本人の学生が一人います。
Please ask the most natural way of speaking next time.

Those are the ones they have in the book. That's why I didn't get why it came before the word being counted before in this forum

 

[Elizabeth]

Those are the ones they have in the book. That's why I didn't get why it came before the word being counted before in this forum

他に、「の」を抜いたら、「私は三枚、切手を買った。」も良く使いますね。

Also, drop the の with a little pause and you're still very normal. It's just the kind of thing that doesn't come out in a beginning textbook unfortunately for you -- even Genki.


教科書に出てくるようなお手本のような文ではなくもう少し口語のような感じですね。。。