タイの人たちに = to Thai people
とってもあまりに長いため = for being so very long
バンコクのことを = Bangkok
いちばんはじめだけとって「クルンテープ」とよびます = calling it only by the very beginning, “Krung Thep”,
Altogether: For being so very long (a name) to the Thai people, Bangkok is called after only the very beginning (of the official name), “Krung Thep”,
The rest is pretty similar.
Can someone explain とって though? The meaning is clear, but I would like to learn how to use it. It appeared previously, but we just brushed over it.
Have to say I learnt something about Bangkok… looked it up on wikipedia and the audio file of the name lasts 14 seconds long! I struggle with katakana and seeing this much in a row, I’ve no idea whether I got it right or not…
The book font looks similar to handwriting to me…
The right side of り is longer than the left side and the bottom of the stroke slants towards the left (into the character).
The left side of い is slightly longer than the left side of り. The right side of い is slightly shorter than the left side, and the bottom of the stroke slants towards the outside of the character.
Wow, @Rowena, you and @Saruko must have better glasses than me!
This is what I see:
わかる - to understand
こと - nominalizing suffix, turning “to understand” into “understanding”
が - が particle
あります - there is
I can’t translate it myself, my Japanese is awful, but neither can I see where “there are times” or “there are situations” comes into it. What am I missing? What do I not understand here?