17 comments

1. What’s the difference between “彼は歯が白い” and “彼の歯が白い” in terms of translation? I’m using Anki, and the sentence with the “は” particle is there. Also, the translation is “his teeth are white.”Why wouldn’t you use “の” here?

2. some questions please. is this coherent and answering the question? 

   ive tried looking up answers about dealing with technical words. ive also answered this same question a few times, but im not confident with my answer. after thinking about it more, here’s what i wrote for the next interview. is it enough? i answer in a way to say that i can learn the words on my own, over time. but im not sure if that’s sufficient to a hirer, who may in fact just find someone who already uses better vocabulary or better communication skills etc.

   (Interviewer) do you have the knowledge or communication skills to handle Japanese customers, new membership registration? 
   はい、日本語で新規のお客様対応が可能です。
   電話やメールでの対応はXX年間担当しており、日英での対応は5年間行ってきました。
   医療業界でのフロント業務をXX年間担当した経験があり、その中で必要に応じて日本語での対面対応も行っておりました。
   専門用語についても、自分で調べて学ぶ力がありますので、そういった挑戦にも前向きに取り組んでいきたいと考えています。

   (Interviewer) can you deal with 専門語？what sort of communication skills do you have? 
   (Me) はい、専門用語には顧客対応の中で日常的に触れてきました。

   分からない言葉があれば、自分で調べたり、時間があれば知り合いに聞いたりして覚えています。

   お客様には分かりやすい言葉に言いかえて伝えるよう心がけていますし、今後も前向きに学びながら対応していきたいと思っています。

3. hi hi some question please. 

   is おかげ様で励みになります native Japanese? ive never used お陰様で ＋励みになります before, and im not sure why i did that either. i think i just wanted to be extra polite and grateful because i thought i bombed the interview. is there something else i could have said?  

   (HR) ありがとうございました！
   良い対応だったと思います。
   (Me)こちらこそ、ありがとうございました。
   おかげ様で励みになります。今後ともどうぞよろしくお願いいたします。
   (HR)はい、すぐフィードバックがありましたらご連絡致しますね。(Me)はい、わかりました

4. Hey, are there any good podcasts or audiobooks (preferably on Spotify or YouTube, but anything will do) for beginner or intermediate Japanese listening practice, but which has intermittent English translation? I’d like to test my comprehension against an actual English translation, to see if I’m following correctly.

   I am a trucker and I do a lot of driving, so I can’t exactly read subtitles or watch videos to help clarify what’s being said, and I can’t really find listening material that has intermittent translations. Explanations in English of Japanese grammar points, vocab, etc. would be a big plus, as well!

5. I’m listening to a cover of the song “はじめてのチュウ” and I noticed that the singer pronounces the lyric “燃えている” like “燃おている”. Why is the え changed to a お?

6. I was taught that verbs go in the direction/towards に.

   So 彼に頼んだ means “I asked him”.

   What is confusing me is how 彼に頼まれた does not mean “he got asked” but it means “he asked me”.

7. https://preview.redd.it/sj6gjqwzx3xe1.png?width=1878&format=png&auto=webp&s=90aba6f0ead4bdd2f17e299d960b545889d2c821

   Why crossing 御? Context is 昭和十一年, navy staff”s relative filling a form requesting a meeting.

8. Hi. Can someone give me tips.

   I just recently passed N3 last sitting. Now, I am applying for a job for Japanese bilinguals. I am done with the Japanese reading and writing assestment. I am scheduled for the speaking interview with Japanese native on Tuesday. The thing is I’m not confident with my speaking skills yet. I can only speak the very basic. I attended a 会話 class before and was always anxious about how I can’t fully use all the vocab and grammar structure in a conversation even after passing N3. Some of my classmates who are just N4 level or doesnt even have an official JLPT certificate can speak so much better.

   Maybe I shouldn’t have applied for the job, but it is really a big opportunity and I want to try and give my best.

9. I’m reading my manga and came across this sentence: オレの生活はぷにるのせいで散々なことになっている

   since it’s manga and written I know it can be different to how people are irl, my question is would someone use koto in this situation given it’s used in polite sentences? my friend suggested めちゃくちゃ as a real life equivalent, what are your thoughts?

10. So, I was looking into the structure of “trying something” and I would like to know if I got the situation for using each of these right (trying to quit smoking)

    I want to stop coughing so much so – タバコをやめてみる and see if it helps

    I know it is not good for my health so – タバコをやめようとする。

    My girlfriend hates cigarettes so – タバコをやめるために努力する。

11. Is there a good resource for all the different words for “meal” in japanese?
    There seems to be quite a few words that express this meaning, but when do you use which one?

    一緒に食事をすべきです
    一緒にたべるべきます

    As an example, why use one over the other, or when use one over the other?

12. Someone please explain to me the logic behind why 師走 means December.

13. confused about いざ

    I found it in two contexts and both times it was followed by てみると

    **いざ**大会に出てみると俺より強い人ばっかりで
    ーーーーーーーーーーーーーー
    神社から見た時は、近いように思えたけど、**いざ**歩いてみるとかなり遠い。

    I found this in a dictionary:

    ②《「─…てみると」の形で》思いを新たに実行してみると。さてどうかと思い切って…してみると。「─開けてみると、空だった」

    should I interpret it as “when” in both sentences? “when I tried to participate in the tournament”, “when i tried to walk”

    it implies that the action has already been done right? “now (when I have already) that I tried to participate in the tournament”

    is it the same as this:

    〔事が決まれば〕 when the decision is made; when the die is cast; *《口》 when the chips are down.

    in these two cases?

14. あと、**ボコボコ**になった道で、足をガツッてやる人も、おおぜいいるものです

    is ガツッ the same as ガツン?

15. I wrote 彼はおおばあさんを殺してみる, as a little daily sentence, and I was told that てみる can’t be used in third person, however upon looking into it I can’t find anything that says it can’t be used in third person, but I also have not found anything using it in third person.

    I understand that using volitional and とする would probably be the more natural thing in a sentence as unless you are omniscient you probably would not know if it is their first try of something.

    TLDR:

    Can てみる be used in third person?

16. 「行ってきます」ってママが言った。

    「それは危ないよ」って先生が言った。

    How do you read って (casual quotation marker) in these sentences? Just “te”?

17. Any advice or tips on memorizing words that don’t give you any associations?

    I often learn kanji meanings and sometimes words easily, but some words take ages to get to the point where I understand them in spoken language and can remember the reading. That seems to happen when the word doesn’t sound like any familiar word.