Anyone here fluent in Japanese?

[Entity]

I'm trying to understand the concept of the Japanese gerundive form. How would someone use the verbal noun for eating? I know that swimming, for example, is oyoguno or suiei; what about eating, walking, or other verbs?

Anyway...just wondering. I've heard that the (-te) form can be used, but I haven't studied Japanese in five years, so I can't quite remember this stuff.

thanks,
Rob

 

[pyonir]

I worked with a guy once that was fluent. I don't work with him anymore. sorry.


Hi Entity!

 

[StageLeft]

Couldn't tell ya!

 

[Lithium381]

ask "reiayanami" heh, they've spoken japanese here before, not sure how fluent he/she is or if it was copy pasted the whole time......worth a shot, ask me in about a year and i should be able to help you my class starts in the fall.......

 

[Tetsuo]

ill ask my dad when i get home

 

[rh71]

It has been about 6 years since I studied it. And I only took JPN 101 & 102 classes. I have no clue what you're asking.

 

[jarfykk]

I'm not exactly sure what the gerund is, my dictionary's definition is about as useful and making my bed only to sleep in it again. It seems that it is either a nominalized verb or an "-ing" verb (swimming, eating, etc.). But your example of 'to swim' is nominalized.

To nominalize verbs, you take their dictionary form (taberu) and add a (no) to the end. So in "to swim's" case, (oyogu) is the dictionary form.

Now to make it "-ing", you simple make the ?Te-form of the verb (rather lengthy process to explain, becomes 2nd nature after awhile) and add the ending ?(iru). So to say "eating", it is (tabeteiru).

Example sentences of both:

1. I like to swim. (Also can be read as "I like swimming.") ------> Watashi wa oyoguno ga suki desu.
2. I am eating fish. ------> Watashi wa sakana (fish) o tabeteiru.



Note to make sentence #2 formal the ending would change from ~teiru to ~teimasu.

Hope this helps with whatevers.

-T

EDIT: I put the kanji and hiragana in, forums choked on it though. Now just romaji.

 

[RGN]

not me. I took 3 semesters, and can do simple stuff but no than that.

 

[Entity]

Originally posted by: jarfykk
I'm not exactly sure what the gerund is, my dictionary's definition is about as useful and making my bed only to sleep in it again. It seems that it is either a nominalized verb and an "-ing" verb (swimming, eating, etc.). But your example of 'to swim' is nominalized.

To nominalize verbs, you take their dictionary form (taberu) and add a (no) to the end. So in "to swim's" case, (oyogu) is the dictionary form.

Now to make it "-ing", you simple make the ?Te-form of the verb (rather lengthy process to explain, becomes 2nd nature after awhile) and add the ending ?(iru). So to say "eating", it is (tabeteiru).

Example sentences of both:

1. I like to swim. ------> Watashi wa oyoguno ga suki desu.
2. I am eating fish. ------> Watashi wa sakana (fish) o tabeteiru.



Note to make sentence #2 formal the ending would change from ~teiru to ~teimasu.

Hope this helps with whatevers.

T EDIT: I put the kanji and hiragana in, forums choked on it though. Now just romaji.

A gerund is basically a verbal noun - for example:

I like running. "Running" is acting as a noun, but is actually a noun. A gerund is formed by adding -ing, though not everything with -ing is a gerund.

Does that help?

Rob

 

[jarfykk]

Yeah, I made the edits above. Basically, "eating" or "swimming" as nouns are nominalized (how my text and sensei called them). Looked @ dictionary.com, explained it better.

So to nominalize, take the dictionary form, and add either "no" or "koto". Their are minor nuances between the two, "no" always works, "koto" almost always works.

Feel free to PM with further ?'s.

 

[Wino]

wakarimasen =)

 

[Wino]

While we're on the subject...

I took Japanese for 2 semesters in college but have since forgotten around 97% of what I learned. However, when I went to visit friends in Japan for a couple weeks last year, I was pleasently surprised how quickly much of the basics came back to me.

It got me thinking...

Anyone aware of any good "do it yourself" Japanese language study materials? Since I had some formal training on pronunciation, basics, and sentence structure, it seems like with a little willpower it would be possible to teach myself if I spent an hour every other day or so.

Anyone have have an experience like this they'd like to share?