From Leviathon’s thread (http://learnjapanesepod.com/you-must-unlearn-all-that-you-have-learnt/) regarding ～ている to express (unfortunately) the dog dying or the dog being dead.  To say the dog is dead, we would use the ～ている form to say that it died and is remaining in that state.  But what would you say if you wanted to express that the dog is dying?  Well, since I don’t really feel like continuing that example (ワンちゃんが好きだし) I’ll use 太る(ふとる), to grow fat, instead.  (And yes this was intentional due to the similar kanji for 犬 and 太.)

Vている – Action in progress/Past event that is connected with the present
彼は太っている。 He is fat.

Vていく – Indicates a change that takes place from now on
彼は太っていく。 He will continue to get fat.

Vてくる – Indicates a change that has been taking place to now
彼は太ってきた。 He has gotten fat./He is getting fat.

The rules I mentioned in the other post also apply.  If you can express the verb with a duration, then you are talking about an action in progress, and cannot use the ていく・てくる forms to express a change.  Instead they take on the standard go and come definitions.  For example:

一時間買い物しました。  I shopped for an hour.  (Grammatically correct using a duration)
買い物してきました。 I went shopping and came back.  (Not expressing a change)

一時間分かりました。 I understood for an hour. (Grammatically incorrect using a duration)
分かってきました。 I came to understand.  (Expressing the change from not understanding to understanding)

My notes from Levithon’s post:

As for the ている form, I whipped out my Genki Vol 1 to make sure I get this correct. There are three main types:

1. Describe a continuous states.
2. Describe activities that last for some time.
3. Describe the result of a change.

For example, when you get married you go from being single to being married. One tip the book said to determine if it is talking about a continuing action or a state is if you can describe the phrase using 一時間.

〇私はきのう一時間本を読みました。
×私は一時間死にました。(”I died for an hour”, which is as ungrammatical in both English as it is in Japanese.)

So 死ぬ (Along with 起きる、行く、帰る、来る、分かる、出かける、乗る、座る、消す、忘れる、借りる、降りる、持ってくる、連れてくる、結婚する、太る、やせる and 着る) are type 3 verbs.

This is another very common spoken grammar point.  Please feel free to ask questions and I’ll try to answer or give feedback if you feel up to practicing this grammar point.

As much as I have a passion for Japanese, I can find there are times when you’re learning heaps of words and new phrases, and then all of a sudden… you just … drop off… and plateau.

This is one of the major difficulties with learning a language outside of the country it is spoken. It’s great if you have Japanese friends who you talk to regularly, or if you are in some structured learning environment such as classes, however, what do you do if you’re going it alone?  How do you keep learning and consolidating what you have learned?

One technique I often use is to try to express whatever I’m thinking in Japanese - ONLY in isolated places! It’s weird enough to look like you’re talking to yourself, let alone in another language.. I think this is important, as when you are studying by yourself, you don’t often have oppportunities to practice speaking. Although your reading and writing skills are often good, making the switch to speaking off the cuff can induce hesitation and stumbling. Therefore, it’s important to keep the dialogue running – even in your head.

Counting things, asking for things, decribing what you’re doing are all important – but the best one is getting angry when someone does something rude or stupid, and letting out a stream of Japanese invective – less worry about them being offended or picking a fight.

For example:

“Yuube osoi, Boku no tonari wa dai ongako shita. Taihen mukatsukatta! Baka yaroo! Nan dai ya nen!?!” *

I find putting sentences together like this enjoyable as both a vent for frustrations and an good exercise.

Another one of my favourites is to order food in Japanese, however in Sydney with such a large proportion of Korean run Japanese restaurants this can throw you off  if they don’t speak Japanese, and just look at your mangled phrases blankly. My first ever attempt at this after a decade of no Japanese speaking since high school went down terribly.

I said: ”gyuuniku o tabetai” as opposed to the more natural:  ”gyuudon onegai shimasu”   - literally: “I like to eat cow meat” , as opposed to: “please bring me the beef and rice”

What other ways do other subscribers have for keeping their Japanese wheels well oiled?

Also, does anyone have examples of Japanese similes and metaphors, like “Japanese wheels well oiled”  or how to create them without looking like you’re talking gibberish??

*(Disclaimer: These phrases have been cobbled together from some past podcasts, and some from basic Japanese lessons. Please let me know if there is a more natural way to say them, or I have made grammatical errors – I don’t claim ANY mastery skills, only opinion.)

There are many times when I’m asked a question and the answer isn’t an easy yes or no.  Japanese understand ‘Case by Case’ as a loan expression, and it can be used to simply express ‘It depends’.  The actual grammar point to more accurately expressed ‘depending on’ in Japanese is as follows.  The translations of the sentences aren’t as clear cut, so I included two translations for each sentence.  Whatever appears before によって is the variable, and the part that appears after is the result.  違う (ちがう) is a very common and simple ending which means ‘is different’.

Nounによって – depending on ~
人によって違えます。 It depends on the person./It’s different from person to person.
天気によっていろいろできる事がある。 There’s lots we can do depending on the weather./There are many different things we can do depending on the weather.

Now it’s your turn!  Write a comment using the grammar point.  Let’s try a fill in the blanks.

Topic は Variable によって違います。

I decided as part of my grammar review for JLPT to summarize and post some grammar points which I found useful or would like to remember.  My plan is do do regular postings, and I would like people to try using the grammar points in the comments.  Kind of a way to practice and learn together.  一緒に勉強しましょう！（Let’s study together!）

Verb(Stem ～ます)やすい – Easy to V.
ひらがなは、書きやすい（です）。　Hiragana is easy to write.
すしは、おはしでは食べやすい（です）。　Sushi is easy to eat with chopsticks.

Verb(Stem ～ます)にくい – Hard/Difficult to V.
かんじは、書きにくい（です）。　Kanji are hard to write.
ステーキは、おはしでは食べにくい（です）。　Steak is hard to eat with chopsticks.

Write your examples in the comments!

Grammar Note: Stem Conjugation.
一段（るーVerb）：たべる　＞　たべます　＞　たべ
五段（うーVerb）：のむ　＞　のみます　＞　のみ

Blogging is fun.

The hard part is actually doing anything with any regularity that you can turn into wry observational humourous comments that speak to people of  shared experiences and the human condition.

I’m hoping that my reports of an Australian living in Australia trying to replicate the experiences gained from a short holiday in Japan will do the trick.

maybe it would add to the excitement if I wrote posts in different styles?

Wonder how that will go down…

I think I’ll start in TABLOID style, where SWEEPING, UNQUALIFIED statements are supported my punchy and DRAMATIC use of bold and CAPITALS.

Since returning from JAPAN last year (almost a year ago), I have been looking to replicate some of the experiences I think are quintessentially JAPANESE. These include: ramen, ofuro/sento, ramune, hyaku yen shops, mochi, weird bossa nova cover versions of classic songs in clothing and coffee shops, an pan, and Japanese food cooked by Japanese people. Some of these replications have resulted in EPIC failures.

I know this last entry on the list may seem a bit weird, but many Japanese restaurants in Sydney are Korean owned and run, and often replicate a westernised menu – very heavy on the donburi and teriyaki, bit of kimchee thrown in, no tsukemono etc. It just doesn’t remind me of Japan. Also, I like to keep my Japanese skills up as much as possible (in preparation for my imminent return), and you feel a little deflated when you use an “onegai shimasu” or an “arigato”, only to be met with a blank stare.

The other night I went into my local sushi place, up the end of my street. I thought I’d give them another try as I was hungry, but also lazy and didn’t want to have to go to a different suburb for dinner.

I say “give another try” because I once went in to order some lunch when we first moved in to the area, and I sat for over half an hour while they sent out everyone else’s order, telling me repeatedly “just five more minutes“. One order sat on the counter for ages, and then when I was about to walk out they offered it to me (it had been there for at least twenty minutes) only to realise they’d given mine out long ago to someone else.

After three months of me walking by giving them icy icy death stares (which they were totally oblivious to), I went back in.  I tried to place my order, but the waitress was bent over hysterically laughing at something the chef had said (in Korean). Pissing herself. Then looking at me and cracking her head on the bench as she laughed some more, and the chef made some more top jokes – which I now was assuming was at my expense. Kimchee and paranoia, anyone?!?!?

The sushi was ok, but I won’t be going back.

Am I starting to subconsciously absorb a Japanese perspective on Koreans?!?!? What’s next?