What's the difference between ...

[maji]

... the following way to ask something. like:

この 本 は どこ に あります か。
compared to
この 本 は どこ です か。

I know that you cant place joshis before です so I have to take あります in the upper version.
but, in matters of meaning, what is the difference of those sentences?
thx for any reply

 

[samuraitora]

この 本 は どこ に あります か。
where does this book exist?

この 本 は どこ です か。
Where is this book? (located)

They mean the same thing, basically. The difference, as far as I can tell is that they use different words. です=is あります=exist

That is the extent of what I can think. Someone else might be able to shed more light than I.

 

[Elizabeth]

I think Ni arimasu just sounds more formal, but I rarely use it so it isn't something to worry too much about unless you want to embed a question within the main sentence like "kono hon wa doko ni aru ka shitte imasuka?" Do you know where the book is? in which case it becomes necessary.

 

[samuraitora]

Excellent point, thank you Elizabeth. I didn't even think of that.

 

[MtoM]

Originally posted by Elizabeth
unless you want to embed a question within the main sentence like "kono hon wa doko ni aru ka shitte imasuka?"

I think that we can drob desu and say:
Kono hon wa doko ka shitte imasu ka?

Itsu ka shitte imasu ka dou ka oshiete kudasai.

 

[Elizabeth]

Sou deshoukane. In that case probably "Kono hon wa doko ka shittemasu ka?" or "shitterun desuka?" though.


Itsu ka shitte imasu ka dou ka oshiete kudasai.

Sometime please tell me if I/you know or not?

 

[MtoM]

Itsu ka shitte imasu ka dou ka oshiete kudasai.=tell me whether or not you know when().

isn't this right?

 

[Elizabeth]

It sounds funny. More natural is something like "Shitte ireba oshiete kudasai." If you know, please tell me.

 

[MtoM]

ireba?

Is this a ba form of iru/imasu?
I haven't study the ba form yet
Tell me about it Please..how to form it and when to use it..

 

[Elizabeth]

Here's a site on expressing conditionals which explains it much better than I can. And yes "reba" is an extremely common form of iru.

If, When, and Other Uncertainties

 

[MtoM]

Oh the site looks interesting
Arigatou gozaimasu

 

[mdchachi]

> I think that we can drob desu and say:
> Kono hon wa doko ka shitte imasu ka?

This might be ambiguous (if not incorrect) because "doko ka" means "somewhere". I think it sounds better to say:
Kono hon wa doko da ka shitte imasu ka?

Though I like the use of "aru" better for this case. If we were talking about a place, I would be more likely to use the above form:

koko ha doko da ka shitte imasu ka?

 

[Elizabeth]

Originally posted by mdchachi
Though I like the use of "aru" better for this case. If we were talking about a place, I would be more likely to use the above form:

koko ha doko da ka shitte imasu ka?

It may be ambiguous with just "doko ka" but even in my limited experience I have seen it fairly frequently, especially in asking or giving directions for a specific place or other cases where "somewhere" wouldn't really make any sense. It's probably something akin to "do you know if that something is somewhere around here?" in English, in reality meaning do you know where it actually is.

 

[samuraitora]

Thank you for that link Elizabeth-san...is that your site?

 

[MtoM]

I asked about these sentences :
Boku no hon wa doko ka shitte iru ka?
Itsu ka shitte iru ka dou ka oshiete kudasai

And the answer was:

>Boku no hon wa doko ka shitte iru ka?
This means:
Do you know where my book/books is/are?

This is pretty good, but I prefer to say,
"Boku no hon doko ka shitte ru?" or "Boku no hon doko ni aru ka shitte iru?"
We often omit words when we speak with ease.


>Itsu ka shitte iru ka dou ka oshiete kudasai
This sounds strange. And the meaning is ambiguous and not clear. But I try.
This means:
1. Would you tell me whether you know when?
2. Someday, will you tell me whether you know it?
Japanese:
1. Itsu nano ka o shitte iru ka dou ka oshiete kudasai.
2. Shitte iru ka dou ka o itsu ka oshiete kudasai.

I hope you could understand my explanation. Because my English is not very well.

 

[Elizabeth]

Originally posted by MtoM
Itsu ka shitte iru ka dou ka oshiete kudasai
This sounds strange. And the meaning is ambiguous and not clear. But I try.
This means:
1. Would you tell me whether you know when?
2. Someday, will you tell me whether you know it?
Japanese:
1. Itsu nano ka o shitte iru ka dou ka oshiete kudasai.
2. Shitte iru ka dou ka o itsu ka oshiete kudasai.

I hope you could understand my explanation. Because my English is not very well.

I can't understand the sentence "would you tell me whether you know when" but I don't think "itsu no no ka" is exactly what you're looking for. What is the context you're trying to learn this in?

 

[MtoM]

Originally posted by Elizabeth
I can't understand the sentence "would you tell me whether you know when" but I don't think "itsu no no ka" is exactly what you're looking for. What is the context you're trying to learn this in?

I ment something like "Would you tell me whther you know when the match starts?">>>"sakkaa no shiai wa itsu (nano) ka shitte iru ka dou ka oshiete kudasai."

I still don't anderstand the (nano)

 

[Elizabeth]

OK--it still sounds odd, but I think I understand a little better now. To say please tell me if you know when the soccer game starts you could say something to the effect : "Nanji kara sakkaa no shiai ga hajimaru ka shitte iru ka dou ka itte kudasai."

 

[Elizabeth]

Originally posted by MtoM
I still don't anderstand the (nano)

It means very different things depending on the context. I'll try to think of an example later.

 

[Elizabeth]

The closest I can translate いつなのか is something like "when it is/was" referring to a time that something in particular happened or will happen. Which is why it is not found in most dictionaries and may seem completely nonsensical to non-native English speakers. Or why someone else may be able to help you here more, MtoM .

 

[beluga]

I was taught that nano and nan is:
1) to show more concern in a question
example, dou shimashita ka sounds emotionless as compared to dou shitano desu ka?
2) it's a pretext that both person in the conversation knows what they are refering to.

Or am I barking at the wrong tree here?

 

[Elizabeth]

Originally posted by beluga
I was taught that nano and nan is:
1) to show more concern in a question
example, dou shimashita ka sounds emotionless as compared to dou shitano desu ka?
2) it's a pretext that both person in the conversation knows what they are refering to.

Or am I barking at the wrong tree here?

Yeah, I'm not sure about "when is/was it" as the best translation for "itsunanoka" but to me anyway it has that same sense of immediacy and urgency I think in English compared to simply "when."

 

[Elizabeth]

OK--finally for some straight advise on the use of "itsunanoka"....I just don't have time for a translation at the moment .

「いつ」と、「いつか（いつなのか）」 の違いですが、たとえば、「いつ仕事が始まるか知っていますか？」という言い方と「仕事が始まるのがいつか（いつなのか）しっていますか？」と言う言い方が・ります。いつなのかは、単にいつかと言うより、少し"いつ"が強調されていると思いますが、細かいニュアンスの違いです。わかりましたか？

 

[MtoM]

ooo I don't anderstand anything what are these kanji?
仕事
違
単
強調
細
when you have time please write it in romaji

*I have to study Japanese MORE!

*I have to study Japanese MORE!