A little conversation...
- Minarai
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A little conversation...
Hello people!
This is a little conversation thought by me. I made up this dialogue because I would like to know if "douyara" and "atteno" are well used in these sentences.Thanks in advance.
Here is the dialogue:
[jimmy thinks : どうやらあの日本人は英語を分からないらしい。]
jimmy : こんにちは
日本人 : こんにちは
jimmy : はじめまして
日本人 : よろしくお願いします。
jimmy : 私はjimmyです。あなたは何とおっしゃいますか?
日本人 : てつやと言います。どのの国からいらっしゃいましたか?
jimmy : イングランドからです。英語ができますか。
てつや: できません。どうやって日本語を勉強していますか。
jimmy : 良い先生あっての日本語を勉強します。
てつや : 分かりました。 さようなら
jimmy : さようなら
Again, thanks for all.
Minarai.
This is a little conversation thought by me. I made up this dialogue because I would like to know if "douyara" and "atteno" are well used in these sentences.Thanks in advance.
Here is the dialogue:
[jimmy thinks : どうやらあの日本人は英語を分からないらしい。]
jimmy : こんにちは
日本人 : こんにちは
jimmy : はじめまして
日本人 : よろしくお願いします。
jimmy : 私はjimmyです。あなたは何とおっしゃいますか?
日本人 : てつやと言います。どのの国からいらっしゃいましたか?
jimmy : イングランドからです。英語ができますか。
てつや: できません。どうやって日本語を勉強していますか。
jimmy : 良い先生あっての日本語を勉強します。
てつや : 分かりました。 さようなら
jimmy : さようなら
Again, thanks for all.
Minarai.
Oooh it's always the same...c'mon Zenigata!Let me go, I'm just a gentleman!Good bye paparino!
...Make a better world, that's for you and me...
...Make a better world, that's for you and me...
- Disco
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Re: A little conversation...
I think it would go more like ;Minarai wrote:
jimmy : こんにちは
日本人 : こんにちは
jimmy : はじめまして
日本人 : よろしくお願いします。
jimmy : 私はjimmyです。あなたは何とおっしゃいますか?
日本人 : てつやと言います。どのの国からいらっしゃいましたか?
jimmy : イングランドからです。英語ができますか。
てつや: できません。どうやって日本語を勉強していますか。
jimmy : 良い先生あっての日本語を勉強します。
てつや : 分かりました。 さようなら
jimmy : さようなら
jimmy : こんにちは
日本人 : こんにちは
jimmy : はじめまして
日本人 : はじめまして。よろしくお願いします。
jimmy : 私はjimmyです。あなたの名前何ですか?(Would you be THAT formal with a stranger?)
日本人 : てつやと言います。あなたはどこから来ましたか(Or...出身は何ですか,what is your hometown/place of origin)
jimmy : イギリス( it should be igirisu, not ingurando)から来ました。(Subject change)あなたは英語を話せますか。(Can you speak english)
てつや: いいえ、話せません。どうやって日本語を勉強していますか (I dont know about this one so I have to say correct)
jimmy : 良い先生あっての日本語を勉強します。
てつや : 分かりました。(I think そうですか Would be more appropriate)でわ、 さようなら
jimmy : さようなら (さようなら Is so final, is this a meet a stranger, talk and never meet again scenario?)
This is just my 2 cents

我輩はただの英国紳士でございます
- Minarai
- Posts: 65
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- Native language: Italiano
- Location: Dulcis Parthenope - Naples
Re: A little conversation...
Thank you very much for the answer Disco. I am taking note of yours corrections and suggestions. Maybe, to end the dialogue, it would have been better a greeting like "sugu ni aimashou" or "mata ne".
Thank you, Minarai.
Thank you, Minarai.
Oooh it's always the same...c'mon Zenigata!Let me go, I'm just a gentleman!Good bye paparino!
...Make a better world, that's for you and me...
...Make a better world, that's for you and me...
- astaroth
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Re: A little conversation...
My two cents ...
It should be obvious you're asking for his/her name so no need for あなた.
「てつや」と申します。お国はどちらですか。
From the level of politeness you're using here I would go for どちら instead of どこ ... but not 何 I may be wrong but it sounds to me a bit ... rough.
Also since you know his name, it'd be nice to use it.
I would say something like お名前は?Disco wrote:jimmy : 私はjimmyです。あなたの名前何ですか?(Would you be THAT formal with a stranger?
It should be obvious you're asking for his/her name so no need for あなた.
I would have usedDisco wrote:日本人 : てつやと言います。あなたはどこから来ましたか(Or...出身は何ですか,what is your hometown/place of origin)
「てつや」と申します。お国はどちらですか。
From the level of politeness you're using here I would go for どちら instead of どこ ... but not 何 I may be wrong but it sounds to me a bit ... rough.
The potential requires は・が for the direct object: てつやさんは英語が話せますか。Disco wrote:jimmy : あなたは英語を話せますか。(Can you speak english)
Also since you know his name, it'd be nice to use it.
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Re: A little conversation...
Actually using を is possible, but が is the more prescriptive usage.astaroth wrote: The potential requires は・が for the direct object: てつやさんは英語が話せますか。
Also since you know his name, it'd be nice to use it.
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- astaroth
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Re: A little conversation...
Like the 〜を好きだ that time to time one hears?NocturnalOcean wrote: Actually using を is possible, but が is the more prescriptive usage.
Thanks I will keep it in mind!
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- Minarai
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Re: A little conversation...
Does どちら mean the same of どこ?astaroth wrote: From the level of politeness you're using here I would go for どちら instead of どこ ...
Is it just a different level of politeness?
Ex :
Dochira kara irasshaimashitaka? = doko kara kimashitaka?
Dochira ni sunde imasuka = doko ni sunde iru no
Oooh it's always the same...c'mon Zenigata!Let me go, I'm just a gentleman!Good bye paparino!
...Make a better world, that's for you and me...
...Make a better world, that's for you and me...
- astaroth
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Re: A little conversation...
I don't think you can use どちら in the exact same way as どこ.Minarai wrote: Does どちら mean the same of どこ?
Is it just a different level of politeness?
どちら indicates direction (basically it's 'what direction?') while どこ location ('where?'), so they are not interchangeable.
It works in sentences like お国はどちらですか because instead of asking where is your country? one is asking something like in what direction is your country? and in doing so they are making the question more indirect adding politeness, I think.
The causal counterpart of どちら (and こちら、そちら、あちら) is どっち(こっち、そっち、あっち).
I hope it helps and I hope not to have said anything wrong, as I think I'm not much more "advanced" ...
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- Yudan Taiteki
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Re: A little conversation...
どちら has a wider range of meaning than どこ; they're interchangeable in some uses although as astaroth indicates it makes it more polite through indirection. It's not simply that どちら goes with -masu and どこ goes with plain form.
I think that どこ can always be replaced with どちら to create a more indirect and thus polite statement, but どちら cannot always be replaced by どこ.
I think that どこ can always be replaced with どちら to create a more indirect and thus polite statement, but どちら cannot always be replaced by どこ.
-Chris Kern
- astaroth
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Re: A little conversation...
Thanks Chris,
I have a question though ... what about Minarai's examples どちらから来ましたか。and どちらに住んでいますか。They somehow sound a bit off to me especially the second one, but honestly I don't really know ...
I have a question though ... what about Minarai's examples どちらから来ましたか。and どちらに住んでいますか。They somehow sound a bit off to me especially the second one, but honestly I don't really know ...
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- Yudan Taiteki
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Re: A little conversation...
They're both fine.astaroth wrote: I have a question though ... what about Minarai's examples どちらから来ましたか。and どちらに住んでいますか。They somehow sound a bit off to me especially the second one, but honestly I don't really know ...
-Chris Kern
- becki_kanou
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Re: A little conversation...
For the first you can ask: どちらからいらっしゃいましたか?astaroth wrote:Thanks Chris,
I have a question though ... what about Minarai's examples どちらから来ましたか。and どちらに住んでいますか。They somehow sound a bit off to me especially the second one, but honestly I don't really know ...
For the second one, a common polite way to ask is: どちらにお住まいですか?
As Chris said, どちら has a much wider range than どこ and can also mean which or who as well as where.
For example when answering the door you can say どちら様ですか? (Who is it?) And I think you already know AとBとどちらの方が好きですか?
そうだ、嬉しいんだ、生きる喜び!
例え胸の傷が痛んでも。
例え胸の傷が痛んでも。
- Minarai
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Re: A little conversation...
Thank you all for the answers. Now I know that "Dochira" has not got exactly the same meaning of "Doko". The examples you wrote are really helpful to me.
Last thing I would ask to you: what does " AとBとどちらの方が好きですか?" means? This sentence still seems unclear to me.
Last thing I would ask to you: what does " AとBとどちらの方が好きですか?" means? This sentence still seems unclear to me.
Last edited by Minarai on Fri 08.07.2009 5:25 am, edited 1 time in total.
Oooh it's always the same...c'mon Zenigata!Let me go, I'm just a gentleman!Good bye paparino!
...Make a better world, that's for you and me...
...Make a better world, that's for you and me...
- Yudan Taiteki
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- astaroth
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Re: A little conversation...
A ... it is a nicer color.Yudan Taiteki wrote:Which do you like better, A or B?
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