Doggy Detectives! Week 1 Discussion 🐶

Here are some grammar pointers for absolute beginners.

I’ve done the first page a bit more extensively, because I want to make sure no one gets overwhelmed at the very beginning :slight_smile: For the next three pages I’ve just made a list of some handy Bunpro links and I’ll leave it as a bit of a puzzle for you to try and figure out :wink: I’ll post those as soon as I’m allowed :3

Page 6

むかし、幼稚園だったひろいたてものをかりてくらしている。

Explanation

This is the first occurrence of a so-called ‘relative clause’ and you better get used to them :wink: It’s when a whole sentence (むかし、幼稚園だった) modifies a noun (たてもの).
Also, you’ll notice that you can’t depend on commas to be used the same way in Japanese as we use them in English.
Finally, keep in mind that the て-form can be used with いる for an ongoing action or state, but it can also be used to link two actions in a sentence together.

Translation

[ むかし、幼稚園だった ] たてもの を かりて くらして いる。
I am renting and living in a building [ that was a kindergarten a long time ago ].

しゅみは探偵小説をよむこと。

Explanation

You’ll often see こと in a sentence and not really know what to do with it. That’ll get easier with time. Usually こと makes a noun out of a verb. Think of “I like walking” in English. While ‘walking’ is a verb, it serves the function of a noun in this sentence. English can do that without any special grammar, but Japanese needs to ‘nounify’ the verb. That is what こと is for.

Translation

しゅみは探偵小説をよむこと
My hobby is reading detective novels.

およめさんはほしいが

Explanation

Two things to be aware of. Firstly, ほしい is an adjective that we would translate as a noun: ‘to want’. Secondly, this is not a subject が, but a ‘but’ が.

Translation

およめさんはほしいが
I want a bride, but …

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