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[RangerBAD]

どうすればいい友だちができますか？

Not sure how to interpret the ば-form of どうする.

 

[AmethystEnd]

どうすればいい友だちができますか？

Not sure how to interpret the ば-form of どうする.

どうすればいい is something along the lines of "What should I do?" / "What would be good to do?"

So the sentence is something like "What should I do to make friends?"

 

[Kurita]

I don't think I've ever heard ぜひ (as "please" or "certainly") used outside of informal speech. is it actually informal or is it just coincidental as to how I've encountered it?

I think that's just a coincidence, I hear/see it formal texts, too

 

[RangerBAD]

どうすればいい is something along the lines of "What should I do?" / "What would be good to do?"

So the sentence is something like "What should I do to make friends?"

Now it makes sense. Thanks. I think it's supposed to be "What should I do to make good friends?".

 

[Kurita]

Just "What should I do to make friends?"
いい is part of the expression どうすればいい.

 

[Zoe]

It sounds awkward to me to put どうすればいい at the beginning of a phrase.

 

[Resilient]

Just "What should I do to make friends?"
いい is part of the expression どうすればいい.

Is this right?

どうすれ potential form of どうする (I thought potential form for する was just でき&#12427
ば functioning as "if" - "if I'm to make friends, what should I do?"
いい what's gooooooood

 

[Kurita]

どうすれば is the conditional form of どうする (できる is the potential form of す&#12427

 

[Resilient]

I knew that but didn't. Thanks. Shit












😢

 

[Sitrus]

どうすればいい友だちができますか？

Not sure how to interpret the ば-form of どうする.

It's important to know that there are some ways of formulating that question and small changes can change the meaning somewhat.

どうすればいい友だちができますか？
どうすれば友だちができますか？

Both of these sentences are legible and very similar, but they have each have a nuance to them.

どうすれば友だちができますか？
While this can mean: "What should I do to make friends?"

どうすればいい友だちができますか？means what should I do to make good friends?

どうすればいい is a set phrase often used, but you can omit the いい or 良い depending on situation like that above. It's clearly natural that you ask for good friends, not bad ones.

どうすればいいか - However cannot must contain the いい and it's used in sentences like:
どうすればいいかわかりません　and other derivative sentences.

And just some trivia:
Look out for どうやって, which has a similar meaning, but differs in the motive.
In どうすればいい, the subject wants some input for oneself/themselves, advice, while in どうやって, you ask for other peoples' methods.

 

[Watch Da Birdie]

As for particles, I think most people struggle with when to use は or が, as well as when to use で or に. On a basic level, they're pretty easy to learn, but the more you study, the more usages you realize they have, and they suddenly become a lot more complex than you intended. It's all just a matter of practice though.

は and が I sort of get in basis, but I admit I haven't really figured out exactly where and when each is better to be used. Is が more informal though? It sounds more direct than using は, from the sound of it.

I think I get で and に though...the explanation I got was the former implies a temporary "goal", while the latter implies a solid "goal"? Like if you say you're going to the store to pick up groceries on the way home, you'd use で, but if you say you're just going to the store and leaving it at that, you'd use に, correct? There's more nuance than that, but when using them to talk about going somewhere, that's the gist?

 

[Resilient]

は and が I sort of get in basis, but I admit I haven't really figured out exactly where and when each is better to be used. Is が more informal though? It sounds more direct than using は, from the sound of it.

I think I get で and に though...the explanation I got was the former implies a temporary "goal", while the latter implies a solid "goal"? Like if you say you're going to the store to pick up groceries on the way home, you'd use で, but if you say you're just going to the store and leaving it at that, you'd use に, correct? There's more nuance than that, but when using them to talk about going somewhere, that's the gist?

は and が have many more differences than that, but the general rule is
は - subject of the sentence
が - ability (of the person)
They will definitely overlap and it's more complicated than that, but that's the simplest place to start

で and に have too many to list, I can't think of a general rule though.

 

[AmethystEnd]

は and が I sort of get in basis, but I admit I haven't really figured out exactly where and when each is better to be used. Is が more informal though? It sounds more direct than using は, from the sound of it.

I think I get で and に though...the explanation I got was the former implies a temporary "goal", while the latter implies a solid "goal"? Like if you say you're going to the store to pick up groceries on the way home, you'd use で, but if you say you're just going to the store and leaving it at that, you'd use に, correct? There's more nuance than that, but when using them to talk about going somewhere, that's the gist?

で should never be used as a particle if the sentence is about moving from one place to another.

Ex (This is incorrect): レストランで行きます。

You should use に or へ instead of で here

Ex: レストランに行きます。

or

レストランへ行きます。

Now if you were talking about what you were going to do at the restaurant, then you'd use で.

Ex: レストランでケーキを食べます。 At the restaurant, I will eat cake.

で is also used to describe the means by which you do something.

Ex. カタカナで名前を書いてください。　- Please write your name in katakana.

Ex. 車で来てください。　- Please come by car.

I hope this is clear enough. There are more uses for に and で, but I'll leave it at this unless you have further questions.

 

[Jintor]

Tae Kim's guide says to treat で as a 'context' particle, i.e. "In the context of [whatever]". It works okay for reading. I don't know about formulating your own sentences though.

 

[Watch Da Birdie]

Oh wait, I was thinking of the へ particle, that's the one used as sort of an alternative to に, right?

 

[Jintor]

I rarely use へ but it's usually a geographical/locational target, where に can be a locational target or a aspirational goal target as well.

 

[AmethystEnd]

Oh wait, I was thinking of the へ particle, that's the one used as sort of an alternative to に, right?

Yes, but only for the use of moving from place to place.

Ex. You couldn't use へ to replace に in 先生に聞きます。 (I will ask the teacher.)

 

[Darksol]

は and が have many more differences than that, but the general rule is
は - subject of the sentence
が - ability (of the person)
They will definitely overlap and it's more complicated than that, but that's the simplest place to start

で and に have too many to list, I can't think of a general rule though.

I'm being a bit semantic here, but technically は is the topic, not the subject. が is the subject. In the majority of sentences the topic is also the subject, but not always.

I rarely use へ but it's usually a geographical/locational target, where に can be a locational target or a aspirational goal target as well.

I think that's a very good way to put it.

 

[KanameYuuki]

I'm being a bit semantic here, but technically は is the topic, not the subject. が is the subject. In the majority of sentences the topic is also the subject, but not always.

I'm still trying to wrap my head around when to use any of them, that explanation you just did helped me a bit.

And what about を I find that one is also fairly similar to に.

 

[AmethystEnd]

I'm still trying to wrap my head around when to use any of them, that explanation you just did helped me a bit.

And what about を I find that one is also fairly similar.

を comes after the word/clause that is meant to be the direct object of the verb.

Example:

私はビールを飲みます。I drink beer.

は　marks 私　as the topic of the sentence

を marks ビール as the "thing" that the verb, 飲む, is acting on.

Note that ビールを飲みます on its own implies that "I" am the person drinking beer, but I added 私は to the example to better distinguish は　and を.

 

[Darksol]

I'm still trying to wrap my head around when to use any of them, that explanation you just did helped me a bit.

And what about を I find that one is also fairly similar to に.

を is a direct object marker. Whatever precedes it is the direct object.

に is generally used for indicating movement (either literally, or figuratively) or time. It can also be used as an indirect object marker. As far as I know, it can never be a direct object marker.

を comes after the word/clause that is meant to be the direct object of the verb.

Example:

私はビールを飲みます。I drink beer.

は　marks 私　as the topic of the sentence

を marks ビール as the "thing" that the verb, 飲む, is acting on.

Note that ビールを飲みます on its own implies that "I" am the person drinking beer, but I added 私は to the example to better distinguish は　and を.

^ is a good explanation

 

[KanameYuuki]

x.x I will need to review direct and indirect objects in Spanish to understand/remember those concepts, thanks for the explanation guys.

 

[AmethystEnd]

x.x I will need to review direct and indirect objects in Spanish to understand/remember those concepts, thanks for the explanation guys.

to に.

This part was missing when I first quoted, so I had assumed you were saying を was similar to は and が.

に is generally used for indicating movement (either literally, or figuratively) or time. It can also be used as an indirect object marker. As far as I know, it can never be a direct object marker.

This is correct.

Examples of some (definitely not all) use cases:

Movement:

レストランに行きます。 - I go to the restaurant.

Time:

２時に帰ります。 I return home at 2:00.

Time AND Movement:

２時にレストランに行きます。　I go to the restaurant at 2:00.

Frequency of an action:

一週間に三回練習します。I practice 3 times in 1 week.

Indirect object marker:

私は母にプレゼントをあげました。- I gave a present to my mother.

Explanation:

は marks 私 as the topic again, like the previous beer example.

を marks プレゼント as the direct object of the verb, あげる, meaning "present" is what is being given

に marks 母 as the indirect object, which is what is receiving the direct object.

I realize this concept of "receiving" is a bit vague (especially since the example itself involved gift giving), but you'll come to get it eventually with enough examples/practice.

 

[upandaway]

This page reads like alien sorcery to me

You guys are impressive

 

[Russ T]

I hate to ask a third time, but, like, where do I go for learning Japanese?

I'm not looking for a single solution, just some solid recommendations on where to start. Once I get started I know I can figure out where to go on my own, but besides just rebuying the old workbooks I used to use in college 7 years ago, I don't have any idea what's a good place to begin. Website, app, I dunno.

Yeah, I realize I can just Google stuff myself, but I like to get advice from real people, so. U:

 

[AmethystEnd]

I hate to ask a third time, but, like, where do I go for learning Japanese?

I'm not looking for a single solution, just some solid recommendations on where to start. Once I get started I know I can figure out where to go on my own, but besides just rebuying the old workbooks I used to use in college 7 years ago, I don't have any idea what's a good place to begin. Website, app, I dunno.

Yeah, I realize I can just Google stuff myself, but I like to get advice from real people, so. U:

So you've had previous experience? How much do you still remember? It would help to have an estimate of your current level of knowledge.

 

[Russ T]

So you've had previous experience? How much do you still remember? It would help to have an estimate of your current level of knowledge.

Yeah I took a few years in undergrad, and lived in Japan for six months. I was, admittedly, probably lagging behind everyone else that was at my level. Either it was harder for me, or they studied a lot more. Who knows.

Problem is I remember very, very little. Basic sentence structure, a few dozen words if I strain my mind, probably less than ten kanji... Various other bits and pieces, but not enough to construct anything significant.

So, I'd classify myself as a beginner, but one that might be able to breeze through the early stuff, as recognition kicks in and develops into recollection!

 

[AmethystEnd]

Yeah I took a few years in undergrad, and lived in Japan for six months. I was, admittedly, probably lagging behind everyone else that was at my level. Either it was harder for me, or they studied a lot more. Who knows.

Problem is I remember very, very little. Basic sentence structure, a few dozen words if I strain my mind, probably less than ten kanji... Various other bits and pieces, but not enough to construct anything significant.

So, I'd classify myself as a beginner, but one that might be able to breeze through the early stuff, as recognition kicks in and develops into recollection!

This is in the OP and it's a great resource: http://www.guidetojapanese.org/learn/

I also like http://maggiesensei.com/

If you're 100% self studying, please be sure to ask in here if you're unsure about anything because there's nothing worse than learning it wrong and forming bad habits.

 

[Russ T]

Haha, the OP is 7 years old, I just wanted to be sure I wasn't going to get into something that maybe wasn't as good as it used to be, or maybe something else better hadn't come around.

All right, cool, thanks! I have no qualms about admitting my own ignorance, so I'll definitely be sure to use every resource available.

 

[AmethystEnd]

Haha, the OP is 7 years old, I just wanted to be sure I wasn't going to get into something that maybe wasn't as good as it used to be, or maybe something else better hadn't come around.

All right, cool, thanks! I have no qualms about admitting my own ignorance, so I'll definitely be sure to use every resource available.

The cool thing about http://maggiesensei.com/ is that she still responds to questions in the comments on her lessons, no matter how old. For example, her grammar lesson on -saseru/-saserareru was posted back in 2009, but she promptly answered a question posted 3 days ago within 2 hours.

 

[Gacha-pin]

２時にレストランに行きます。　I go to the restaurant at 2:00.

英語について質問(´Д｀&#65307

I go to the restaurant at 2:00 は「2時にレストランに到着する」って意味？
それとも「2時にレストランに向かって出発する」？

 

[shanshan310]

英語について質問(´Д｀&#65307

I go to the restaurant at 2:00 は「2時にレストランに到着する」って意味？
それとも「2時にレストランに向かって出発する」？

実は少し曖昧な意味があるんだけど, んー 出発することの方がいいかなと思う。

Yeah I took a few years in undergrad, and lived in Japan for six months. I was, admittedly, probably lagging behind everyone else that was at my level. Either it was harder for me, or they studied a lot more. Who knows.

Problem is I remember very, very little. Basic sentence structure, a few dozen words if I strain my mind, probably less than ten kanji... Various other bits and pieces, but not enough to construct anything significant.

So, I'd classify myself as a beginner, but one that might be able to breeze through the early stuff, as recognition kicks in and develops into recollection!

If there are japanese classes in your local area you should give that a go especially at a lower level or if you have had previous experience a long time ago, it really helps to have face to face teaching. Most universities and tafes etc offer evening classes, and sometimes they do conversation classes for free too!
Good luck!

 

[upandaway]

Literally it would be 2時にレストランに向かって出発する but "I go to the restaurant at 2:00" is sorta engrish anyway, it's not something you'd hear anywhere

 

[Gacha-pin]

~

~

ありがとう。そうだとすると日本語の方も少し曖昧だけど「２時にレストランへ行きます。」のが正しいと思う。
でも人と待ち合わせをする場合、「２時にレストランへ行きます。」と伝えておいて本当に2時に出発したら「お前、2時に来るって言ったじゃねーか!!」って怒られるから要注意;p

 

[Russ T]

The cool thing about http://maggiesensei.com/ is that she still responds to questions in the comments on her lessons, no matter how old. For example, her grammar lesson on -saseru/-saserareru was posted back in 2009, but she promptly answered a question posted 3 days ago within 2 hours.

I did notice that, haha. Good resource!

If there are japanese classes in your local area you should give that a go especially at a lower level or if you have had previous experience a long time ago, it really helps to have face to face teaching. Most universities and tafes etc offer evening classes, and sometimes they do conversation classes for free too!
Good luck!

Thanks! Taking classes is definitely something I'd like to do (if only for practicing speaking), but I'm a little low on money at the moment, so I have to hold off on that for a while.

 

[urfe]

ありがとう。そうだとすると日本語の方も少し曖昧だけど「２時にレストランへ行きます。」のが正しいと思う。
でも人と待ち合わせをする場合、「２時にレストランへ行きます。」と伝えておいて本当に2時に出発したら「お前、2時に来るって言ったじゃねーか!!」って怒られるから要注意;p

「行く」も「帰る」もすごく曖昧な言葉だと思うから、そういう言葉より、「出る」とか「着く」とかのような言葉のほうが好き。2時に着くというと曖昧さがない。2時に出るもそう。不自然な言い方かもしれないけど。

 

[AmethystEnd]

英語について質問(´Д｀&#65307

I go to the restaurant at 2:00 は「2時にレストランに到着する」って意味？
それとも「2時にレストランに向かって出発する」？

私はただ、質問を聞いた人のために簡単な言葉だけを使いました。でもそうですね。意味はちょっと不明でしたね。すみません。

 

[Deleted member 17706]

英語について質問(´Д｀&#65307

I go to the restaurant at 2:00 は「2時にレストランに到着する」って意味？
それとも「2時にレストランに向かって出発する」？

"I will go to the restaurant at 2:00."であれば、自分の感覚ですと「到着」の方を指すことになると思います。

「出発」の方を言いたい場合は、"I will leave for the restaurant at 2:00."のような表現が正しいかと。

 

[AmethystEnd]

「＿時に＿＿に行く」の文の事を先生に聞いておきました。先生によると、そう言う文の意味はたしかに不明だけど、大丈夫です。もし誰かが「＿時に＿＿に行く」と言ったら場合は、聞き手がもっと詳しい情報を知りたいなら、聞くのは聞き手の責任です。

That was my attempt at giving that explanation in Japanese. Please correct me if I messed something up; I need to learn somehow. I'm at the point where what messes me up the most is using words that I think are right, but the nuance is wrong. Like using 宥める instead of 減らす with regard to relieving stress.

What I was trying to say:

I asked my teacher about the 「＿時に＿＿に行く」 sentence. According to him, the meaning of that sentence is ambiguous, but that's okay. In the case that someone does say 「＿時に＿＿に行く」, if the listener wants more detailed information, then asking is the listener's responsibility.

 

[Watch Da Birdie]

So I started taking up drawing again , and I gotta say, I think studying Kanji has given me a better sense of identifying lines---I mean, for Kanji itself, even though I can't understand a lot of them, I can visually distinguish them far easier than before, and when drawing, I found it easier to notice the structure of lines where before I always had an issue with everything blending together. It's like my vision has improved thanks to Japanese lol.

 

[Gacha-pin]

私はただ、質問を聞いた人のために簡単な言葉だけを使いました。でもそうですね。意味はちょっと不明でしたね。すみません。

自分の感覚だと「2時にレストランに行きます」は2時にレストランに「到着」で、「2時にレストランへ行いきます」だと2時に「出発」なので、「2時にレストランに行く」の後に「I go to the restaurant at 2:00」となっているのを見た時にこれで到着という意味になるのか、と少し混乱したので質問しただけです。
アメシスト氏の言っていることが間違っているとかそういう指摘しているわけでは全然ないです。

"I will go to the restaurant at 2:00."であれば、自分の感覚ですと「到着」の方を指すことになると思います。

「出発」の方を言いたい場合は、"I will leave for the restaurant at 2:00."のような表現が正しいかと。

ありがとう。英語の時制とか時間の感覚、全然理解できない。あと単数・複数も。

 

[Splash Wave]

I'm having a hard time sorting out what's normal to say in Japan's restaurants/convenient stores/etc. Is it weird that I *also* say ありがとうございました after paying for stuff? Should I be saying something else?

I have a ton of little questions like this; is there a handy guide out there that'll show me how to conduct myself in public, more or less? I'm sick of sounding clueless! My Japanese vocabulary is bad enough as it is.

 

[Jintor]

I guess you could say どうも if you wanted to be more casual, but hell, if combini clerks are going to けいご you there's no harm in being polite.

 

[Splash Wave]

I guess you could say どうも if you wanted to be more casual, but hell, if combini clerks are going to けいご you there's no harm in being polite.

What I mean is that we're both saying "thank you very much" back to each other. Is that weird? I know very little Japanese if you can't already tell!

 

[Kilrogg]

I'm having a hard time sorting out what's normal to say in Japan's restaurants/convenient stores/etc. Is it weird that I *also* say ありがとうございました after paying for stuff? Should I be saying something else?

I have a ton of little questions like this; is there a handy guide out there that'll show me how to conduct myself in public, more or less? I'm sick of sounding clueless! My Japanese vocabulary is bad enough as it is.

I don't know about such a guide, but I wouldn't say ありがとうございました. It's just not a cultural thing to say thanks to store clerks for just doing their job. Even saying good bye would be weird. At best, you can say どうも I guess, which I do on occasion, or just give them a nod. Bitc- I mean Japanese people love nods.

 

[Resilient]

ありがとう is enough...unless they really did you a solid then you can drop the ございます in there too.

 

[Porcile]

I don't know how relevant it is, but my tutor told me to use masu in gozaimasu and wakarimasu etc while the process is ongoing and the mashita ending when the process is ending. So at the end of the lesson I use arigatou gozaimashita, or if I ask a question and she gives an answer which doesn't need to be expanded upon I reply with wakarimashta.

 

[Darksol]

I'm having a hard time sorting out what's normal to say in Japan's restaurants/convenient stores/etc. Is it weird that I *also* say ありがとうございました after paying for stuff? Should I be saying something else?

I have a ton of little questions like this; is there a handy guide out there that'll show me how to conduct myself in public, more or less? I'm sick of sounding clueless! My Japanese vocabulary is bad enough as it is.

Eh. I often do the same. Most people just assume you're very polite. The only downside I've noticed to that is that it often prompts the staff to thank you again, lol. But as somebody else said, a simple ありがとう is fine. I don't use どうも often unless it's staff that I've seen several times and I'm friendly enough with (just my own personal preference).

I agree with whoever mentioned the head nod though. I fucking love nodding.

What I mean is that we're both saying "thank you very much" back to each other. Is that weird? I know very little Japanese if you can't already tell!

I don't think it's weird. I mean, what's the worst that can happen? You come off more polite than necessary? ^_^

I don't know how relevant it is, but my tutor told me to use masu in gozaimasu and wakarimasu etc while the process is ongoing and the mashita ending when the process is ending. So at the end of the lesson I use arigatou gozaimashita, or if I ask a question and she gives an answer which doesn't need to be expanded upon I reply with wakarimashta.

Yeah, that's a decent enough way to explain it I think. It's basically the difference between thank you and thank you (for that thing you did for me/helped me with). As for wakarimashita after your teacher's explanations, it's basically the equivalent of saying "I understood (what you just said)"

 

[Jintor]

getting caught in an infinite politeness loop is a real doozy.　気おつけてね～

 

[Darksol]

getting caught in an infinite politeness loop is a real doozy.　気おつけてね～

I saw two businessmen get into a bow-off in Tokyo They made their bow to each other but one of the guys didn't bow nearly as long as the other, so he followed it up with a shorter bow, just as the first guy finished his bow, which prompted him to do another bow, which resulted in a series of smaller and smaller bows until they were both satisfied, haha.

While we're on the topic of politeness -- what's the proper etiquette for receiving/giving business cards? I assume use both hands to give/receive them, don't just toss them aside or throw them in the wallet immediately -- and give both sides a thoughtful look over before carefully setting it aside?

I'm more so wondering about the logistics of how to receive the card. Should I get the card with both hands out, my thumbs resting on the corners of the card, so that I can read over the text?

I figure I best ask now since I had my first Japanese business cards printed up a few days ago