Aodh’s Grammar Point [03] ていく・てくる (Change/Process/Transition)

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.

Maintaining Momentum

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.)

Aodh’s Grammar Point [02] によって (Depending on)

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。

Aodh’s Grammar Point [01] やすい・にくい (Easy to/Hard to)

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