Register  Login  Active Topics  Maps  

Japanese question

  Tags: Japanese
 Language Learning Forum : Questions About Your Target Languages Post Reply
stelingo
Hexaglot
Senior Member
United Kingdom
Joined 5831 days ago

722 posts - 1076 votes 
Speaks: English*, Spanish, Portuguese, French, German, Italian
Studies: Russian, Czech, Polish, Greek, Mandarin

 
 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。
1 person has voted this message useful



ericspinelli
Diglot
Senior Member
Japan
Joined 5782 days ago

249 posts - 493 votes 
Speaks: English*, Japanese
Studies: Korean, Italian

 
 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.

2 persons have voted this message useful



nescafe
Senior Member
Japan
Joined 5408 days ago

137 posts - 227 votes 

 
 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

1 person has voted this message useful



stelingo
Hexaglot
Senior Member
United Kingdom
Joined 5831 days ago

722 posts - 1076 votes 
Speaks: English*, Spanish, Portuguese, French, German, Italian
Studies: Russian, Czech, Polish, Greek, Mandarin

 
 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).
1 person has voted this message useful



Captain Haddock
Diglot
Senior Member
Japan
kanjicabinet.tumblr.
Joined 6767 days ago

2282 posts - 2814 votes 
Speaks: English*, Japanese
Studies: French, Korean, Ancient Greek

 
 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

1 person has voted this message useful



stelingo
Hexaglot
Senior Member
United Kingdom
Joined 5831 days ago

722 posts - 1076 votes 
Speaks: English*, Spanish, Portuguese, French, German, Italian
Studies: Russian, Czech, Polish, Greek, Mandarin

 
 Message 6 of 7
09 March 2010 at 12:24am | IP Logged 
Thanks for clearing that up, Captain.
1 person has voted this message useful



Monox D. I-Fly
Senior Member
Indonesia
monoxdifly.iopc.us
Joined 5134 days ago

762 posts - 664 votes 
Speaks: Indonesian*

 
 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"?


1 person has voted this message useful



If you wish to post a reply to this topic you must first login. If you are not already registered you must first register


Post ReplyPost New Topic Printable version Printable version

You cannot post new topics in this forum - You cannot reply to topics in this forum - You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum - You cannot create polls in this forum - You cannot vote in polls in this forum


This page was generated in 0.5625 seconds.


DHTML Menu By Milonic JavaScript
Copyright 2024 FX Micheloud - All rights reserved
No part of this website may be copied by any means without my written authorization.