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Japanese question

  Tags: Japanese
 Language Learning Forum : Questions About Your Target Languages Post Reply
stelingo
Hexaglot
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 Message 1 of 7
07 March 2010 at 12:23am | IP Logged 
I'm working through an exercise in Genki on the use of んです. Is the following correct? Thanks.

どうして中国語が上手なんですか.
中国に年がたくさん住んだんです。
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ericspinelli
Diglot
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Japan
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 Message 2 of 7
07 March 2010 at 9:38am | IP Logged 
Your use of んです is correct, though 年がたくさん is not. I suggest using either 何年も or 長く for "many years" and "a long time," respectively.

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nescafe
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Japan
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 Message 3 of 7
07 March 2010 at 9:53pm | IP Logged 
中国に何年も(or 長く)住ん"でいた"んです will be better.

How different the two phrases "長く住んだんです" and "長く住んでいたんです" are (my opinion)

[1] 中国に何年も住んだんです、そうしたら、中 国語が上手くなりました。
I became fluent in Chinese language after I had lived in China for many years.

[2] 中国に何年も住んでいたんです、そうしたら 、中国語が上手 くなりました。
I am fluent in Chinese language because I have lived in China for many years.

Edited by nescafe on 07 March 2010 at 10:03pm

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stelingo
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 Message 4 of 7
08 March 2010 at 12:16am | IP Logged 
nescafe wrote:
中国に何年も(or 長く)住ん"でいた"んです will be better.

How different the two phrases "長く住んだんです" and "長く住んでいたんです" are (my opinion)

[1] 中国に何年も住んだんです、そうしたら、中 国語が上手くなりました。
I became fluent in Chinese language after I had lived in China for many years.

[2] 中国に何年も住んでいたんです、そうしたら 、中国語が上手 くなりました。
I am fluent in Chinese language because I have lived in China for many years.


What do そうしたら and くなりました mean? I know the verb なりました (I became).
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Captain Haddock
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Japan
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 Message 5 of 7
08 March 2010 at 2:04am | IP Logged 
Nescafe is simply using 上手い (うまい) instead of 上手 (じょうず). い → く in its adverbial form.

The English verb tenses in Nescafe's example seem off to me, but it's beside the point of this thread.

そうしたら means "that's why…"

Edited by Captain Haddock on 08 March 2010 at 2:05am

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stelingo
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 Message 6 of 7
09 March 2010 at 12:24am | IP Logged 
Thanks for clearing that up, Captain.
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Monox D. I-Fly
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Indonesia
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 Message 7 of 7
12 February 2018 at 3:07pm | IP Logged 
Captain Haddock wrote:

そうしたら means "that's why…"


So, it has the same meaning as "dakara"?


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