So I recently started reviewing N4 using the Sou matome books. I was just doing vocabulary content, and in one lesson, it teaches 消える for "something turns off/is erased/goes off". So there is this exercise asking what is the correct sentence with きえる and this are the four sentences:
そのけしゴムをつかえばきれいにきえます。
じしんがおきたら、すぐに火をきえます。
せんたくがおわったら、せんたくきはきえます。
もうすぐしんごうがきいろからあかにきえます。
So for me, options 2 and 4 are out of question, because the lights don't "turn off" from yellow to red, and the second one, if it's the fire that goes off, since it's the object, it should be 消す. Now, from the other two options, for me the most logical one is the third one: once laundry is finished, the laundry machine turns off. However, the book says the right one is the first one, but I don't get it. Maybe it's because I don't understand つかえば, but still, I don't see why きれいにきえます is right. Can anybody please explain me where my mistake is?
by Diamond0892
7 comments
Maybe its because keshigomu in kanji its 消しゴム
I think the 3rd one literally means that the washing machine disappears.
きえる means to disappear or to vanish.
3rd options means “Once laundry is finished, the washing machine will vanish.”
1st option means “If you use that plastic eraser, the letters or drawing will disappear.” in other words “you can erase it cleanly.”
I’m not an expert in the slightest, but to me the third one sounds like the machine literally disappears
In my experience this verb is often used for something like fire/light going out, but when talking about turning something like a computer or washing machine off, 切るis usually used
Other people have given you the right answer, that it is the wrong verb for turning off power to a machine. It is used for when light disappears (turning off lights, tv screen, erasing the light), but not for cutting power. The verb you want in that case is 切ります.
つかえば means “if [I/you/someone] use(s).” -eba is one of several conditional forms in Japanese, in many ways similar to -tara. The difference is that -eba has more of an “if” meaning, while -tara has more of a “when” meaning.
So the meaning of the first sentence is simply “if you use that eraser, [the writing] will disappear neatly”.
The main problem here is that the object affected by the 消えます is omitted in the first sentence.
If “文字がきれいに消えます” was written your doubts would be gone.