なぜ?どうして?Finished!

Yes, I think that is the important point. Here’s part of what “A Dictionary of Basic Japanese Grammar” says about using が as a conjunction:

S1 and S2 in “S1 ga S2” must be in the same form whether formal or informal, because they are both independent clauses…

So to use が as “but” here, it would have to be こい青のまん丸な形のあな です が…わかります。

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oh man… so the whole first sentence is just the subject?

I think it’s time to get a native Japanese guy or someone like @Leebo :stuck_out_tongue:

Page 53

Oh, I see! Yes! I see what you mean!

The が before the comma makes あな the subject of あいている.

Japanese comma rules are quite liberal, and here they probably just felt it was getting too dense.

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Oh, thank you! That makes so much sense now!

But not to me! Sorry! What does it mean?

Does it help to take out the comma?
空から見ると、こい青のまん丸な形のあなが海にぽっかりあいていることがわかります

I think he’s saying this part is one whole clause:
こい青のまん丸な形のあなが海にぽっかりあいている

こい青のまん丸な形のあなが is what’s opening,
海に is where it’s opening,
and
ぽっかり is how it’s opening.

空から見ると、…ことがわかります
All this you can tell by looking from the sky.

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Wow! That is great! Thank you so much @Saruko! (and @Leebo, and everyone!)

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Page 54:

ブルーホールは、 せかい かく地に 見られ、 日本の 沖縄県にも あります。

Blue Holes can be seen in various places in the world and there are also in Japan’s Okinawa prefecture.

せかい さい大の ブルーホールは、北アメリカの ベリーズと いう 国の おきに ある、グレート・ブルーホールです。

The biggest Blue Hole in the world it’s called North America Belize 国の おきに ある Great Blue Hole Why no 「」for the name? I don’t understand 国の おきに ある

Under the picture:

I cannot read it lol

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Great pickup there @icenando!
And thanks for clarification from @Saruko and @Leebo.

I just quickly skipped through that sentence without much thought.

And yes, it does help to take out the comma and space from the sentence @Saruko.

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Page 54

北アメリカの ベリーズと いう modifies 国

a North American country called Belize

おき open sea

Text under the picture:

渡名喜島となきじま沖縄県おきなわけん)の ブルーホールに もぐる ダイバーたち。

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Awesome!

Divers in the island of Tonaki(Okinawa prefecture) Blue Hole dive

EDIT: Did I get it right? the structure looks super weird

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You already know not to trust me on this, but here’s my stab…

国の - country’s
おき - open sea (ie, country’s waters?)
に -in
ある - there is

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It makes sense! I was looking for おきに as a whole, and it means: repeated at intervals; every other (day, week, month. Or “Favorite”.

And I was: what?? :thinking:

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Sounds fine enough to me!

How come ダイバーたち is at the end? Shoudn’t it be like ダイバーたちは 渡名喜島(沖縄県)の ブルーホールに もぐる

Diving divers?

divers are gonna dive

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I think the Japanese is just more concise this way; the picture is of the divers who are are diving in the Tonaki blue hole.

(did you change your translation? I think “diving” sounds more natural than “dive”. Although in the English I think it would be fine just to leave it off the end - obviously they are diving, no need to repeat yourself.)

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I did… as it was not in the T form… but I can change it back :grimacing: