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miscellaneous questions 2008/7/26 18:22
1. I notice that sometimes a word is 'stressed'. Don't really know how to explain, it's easier if i give an example:
a. 友+たち −> 友だち
b. そら+青 −> 青ぞら
c. 歌+こえ −> 歌ごえ

Can you explain in what circumstances should i do this?

2.As 補助動詞, what is the difference between 〜出す and 〜始める?

3. For numbers, when should I use 訓読み or 音読み?

4. Why is it that there are variable pronunciations when the okurigana and the meaning are the same?
Eg: 止める [ とめる or やめる]
行く [ いく or ゆく]

5. Finally, can you translate this sentence for me?
- I give her a cake.

Thank you very much.
by zyzzyva  

An attempt 2008/7/27 01:38
1. It is not "stressed," but it's a clear (unvoiced) sound being changed to a voiced sound, from "t" to "d," "s" to "z," and from "k" to "g," because the words are strung up together - to make it easier to pronounce. There are certain words where you do this, just as convention, and over time you will notice where those happen :)

2. They do have an overlap in meaning - one distinction I can tell right off is that ".. dasu" is more for something that happens naturally, and "...hajimeru" is where you feel someone's intention (a persion starting to do something of his own will).

4. It's simply that different words are written with the same kanji, because they share to an extent the same meaning/concept (in the case of "yameru" and "tomeru"). For "iku" and "yuku," those are two different variations of the same word.

5,- I give her a cake. Literally: Watashi wa kanojo ni keeki wo ageru. How would you want to use this sentence?
by AK rate this post as useful

Trying to clear some question marks... 2008/7/28 08:58
Oh I see. Actually, in question 5, I am just confused because there are two objects in the statement. Direct and indirect. That means the particle for a direct object is を and for the indirect, に.Is that right? Allow me to clarify by another example:

僕は昨日不思議なことを先生に言います
Am I right?
(6) Actually, about the numbers, I read somewhere that we use 音読み when the numbers are used adjectivally, and 訓読み when the numbers are used predicatively. (Sorry if there is any grammatical error in these sentences.)

Eg: 私は二友達がいます   (I have two friends)

今あなたできるのことは一つ  (lit. Now the things you can do is only one.)

Hope you can shed some light on this issue that has been bugging me for quite some time.

Can I ask some additional questions?

(7) The potential form of する, when should I use せるand when should I use できる?

(8) What is the potential form of 五段 verbs which are similar to 一段 verbs?
Eg: 入る and 帰る

お願いします
by Zyzzyva rate this post as useful

... 2008/7/28 09:10
(5) 僕は昨日不思議なことを先生に言います[

"Yesterday I say strange thing to my teacher" is what you have here.

"I give her a cake" can be written as "I give a cake to her," right? with "the cake" being the direct object, and "(to) her" being the indirect object. "を" is for a direct object, and "に" is for an indirect object. に often points to some direction of movement or direction of other actions - you go TO school 学校にいきます and you give something TO a person 彼女に(何かを)あげます.

(6) Actually, about the numbers, I read somewhere that we use 音読み when the numbers are used adjectivally, and 訓読み when the numbers are used predicatively.

Something does not sound right with this one... "I have two friends" should be "Watashi (ni) wa futari tomodachi ga imasu." It's not "ni" tomodachi. May I ask where you read that description?

(7) The potential form of する, when should I use せるand when should I use できる?

The potential form of する IS できる.

(8) What is the potential form of 五段 verbs which are similar to 一段 verbs?
入る (はいる), potential form: はいれる

帰る  (かえる), potential form: かえれる

by AK rate this post as useful

? 2008/7/28 10:57
Hehe. Guess I gave a very erroneous example in question 6. Sorry, but I can’t remember where I got that idea from, because I self-learn from lots of websites. Anyway, let’s leave it as it is.
Referring to q (7), I got the idea through Wikipedia {Japanese Verb Conjugations, URL: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_verb_conjugations ]
In the Potential section, it is written that the potential form for –suru is dekiru AND seru (in compounds). Or is it wrong?

Oh yeah, thanks a lot for your help. Really appreciate it. =p
by zyzzyva rate this post as useful

... 2008/7/28 11:05
I see what you mean by "seru" now. I personally would not consider 愛する as する verb, but one that belongs to the "Regular Verbs" - if you look under "su" example, with 示す, it has exactly the same conjugation.

... It might be useful to find a systematic textbook that caters to non-Japanese learners of the Japanese language; the classification/grouping of verbs is different between "Japanese for Japanese learners (for schools in Japan," and "Japanese for non-Japanese learners." And grammar terms such as 一段活用 is definitely the term mostly used when teaching Japanese grammar to Japanese students.
by AK rate this post as useful

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