If/When Dependencies with たら

There are several ways to express "if" in Japanese, and a common one is with たら. Genki states the following: "When we say 'A たら B', we mean that 'B is valid, contingent on the fulfillment of A.' That is to say, the event, action, or situation in B is realized if and when the condition A is met."

日本に行ったら、着物を買います。
I will buy a kimono if and when I go to Japan.

The た in たら comes from the plain past tense ending of words. The following list shows the plain form of the word, followed by the affirmative and negative たら conjugations.

Verbs:

• 読む
• 読んだら
• 読まなかったら

I-Adjectives:

• やさしい
• やさしかったら
• やさしくなかったら

Na-Adjectives:

• 静か
• 静かだったら
• 静かじゃなかったら

Nouns:

• 休み
• 休みだったら
• 休みじゃなかったら

The たら clause in the sentence describes a possible condition, which is then followed by a secondary clause that describes the resulting consequence. The possible condition can be something very likely, or it can be something rather unlikely.

天気がよかったら、散歩に行きます。
We'll go for a walk, if the weather is fine.

山下先生に会ったら、そのことを聞こうと思います。
I will ask about it, if I see Professor Yamashita.

宝くじに当たったら、アムネスティにお金を送ります。
I would send money to Amnesty International, if I should win the lottery.

The situation in the たら clause can sometimes be something very probable, and in that case, the sentence is more of a "when" scenario that describes a sequence of events.

今晩、うちに帰ったら、電話します。
I will call you when I get home tonight.

宿題が終わったら、遊びに行きましょう。
Let's go out and have some fun once we're done with the homework.

How you interpret the たら clause depends on the context of the situation. Looking at the second to last sentence - if it's likely that you'll get home tonight, then the sentence reads more like "when." However, if you're not sure whether you'll be home tonight, then the sentence reads more like "if."

Finally, the たら clause can describe a situation that is extremely unrealistic, or something that's hypothetical.

私が猫だったら、一日中寝ているでしょう。
If I were a cat, I would be asleep all day long.

お金があったら、車を買うんですけど。
If I had money, I would buy a car.

Using 前に and から to Describe "Before" and "After"

To create the sentence pattern "Before doing X, I will do/did Y", the word 前に can be used. It follows a verb in the plain form, and that verb is always in the present tense, regardless of the tense elsewhere in the sentence.

日本に訪ねる前に、日本語を勉強するよ。
Before visiting Japan, I'll study Japanese.

アヤトキスする前に、抱いた。
I hugged Ayato before I kissed him.

パーティーする前に、チョコレートをたくさん買った。
I bought a lot of chocolate before throwing the party.

To describe one event that occurs after another, use the て form of the verb, plus から.

葉を磨いてから、アリスに朝ごはんに会いに行った。
I brushed my teeth, then went to meet Alice for breakfast.

けんさんが来てから、食べましょう。
Why don't we eat after Ken has arrived?

That second example is from Genki, because I wanted to note the slight sentence pattern variation that this grammar can have. Not only can it mean "A, and then B", but it can also mean "B after A", which is the case with the second sentence.

Finally, this type of sentence can also be used to express that the state in B has held true ever since the event in A occurred.

家を買ってから、緊張したよ。
Since I bought a house, I've been stressed.

リーさんは大学に来てから、さびしそうだね。
Lee-san seems lonely ever since he came to university.

Using みたい to say "It looks like..."

The word みたい can be used after a noun to express that the subject of the sentence resembles that noun. This resemblance typically refers to physical attributes, but that's not the case 100% of the time.

あの猫は時々犬みたいだよ。
That cat looks like a dog sometimes.

先生は授業中に怒ったカバーみたいですね。
The teacher looks like an angry hippo during class.

トムの人形は怖い怪獣みたいだよ。
Tom's doll looks like a scary monster.

みたい can also be used after a verb to express that something "appears to be the case." It's used after the plain form of a verb, in present or past tense.

リーさんは晩ご飯に食べ過ぎたみたいです。
It looks like Lee-san ate too much at dinner.

たけしは宿題をしなかったみたいだよ。
It looks like Takeshi didn't do his homework.

台風が来るみたいですよね。
It looks like a typhoon is coming.

Expressing "Does not have to"

Genki I had a lesson on expressing "have to do" for verbs, as in "You have to eat breakfast." Well, now it's time to learn how to express "Does not have to."

To say this, take a negative plain form verb, drop the い in ない, and add くてもいい. This なくて is the negative て form, used in plenty of other grammar structures.

プレゼントをくれなくてもいいですよ。
You don't have to get me a present.

アリスは納豆がきらいだから、食べなくてもいいよ。
Alice hates natto, so she doesn't have to eat it.

病めてるから、学校に行かなくてもいいよ。
You're sick, so you don't have to go to school tomorrow.

This grammar can also be used with nouns and adjectives in the exact same way - remove the い from the ない in their negative form and add くてもいい.

ステージはすごくなくてもいいよ。
The performance doesn't have to be amazing.

クリスマスパーティードレスはきれいじゃなくてもいいですよ。
The dress for the Christmas party doesn't have to be pretty.

彼はベジタリアンじゃなくてもいいよ。
My boyfriend doesn't have to be a vegetarian.

Quoting with Casual Speech

In an earlier chapter, Genki introduced the quotation particle と, used before things like 言ってた and 話しました to quote another person's words. Well, a far more common and casual way of quoting things in everyday speech is って.

To quote someone with って, simply add it to the end of the sentence. The sentence can end in plain or keigo verbs, as well as particles like よ and ね.

アヤトはビーチに行きたくないって。
Ayato said he doesn't want to go to the beach.

カナトは人形が大好きだよって。
Kanato says he really loves dolls.

It can also be used in place of  と, and then followed by a verb just as と was. So it doesn't have to be used on its own, though it often is.

あきらさんは何て言ってた？
What did Akira say?

チョコレートを食べ過ぎたって言ってた。
He said he ate too much chocolate.

The above are two Genki examples. Note that って simply becomes て after the word 何. This transformation happens after words that end with ん.

Using そう to Say "I hear that..."

To give a "hearsay report" (i.e., say "I hear that..."), the sentence-final そう can be used. It's added to the end of a sentence that's in the short form.

留学生はかわいいそうだね。
I hear that the exchange student is cute.

リーさんは最近忙しいそうだよ。
I hear that Lee is busy lately.

新しい公園すごくきれいだそうですよ。
I hear the new park is really pretty.

トムのおじいさんは親切だったそうだね。
I heard that Tom's grandfather was kind.

カナト君の好きな食べ物はケーキだそうですよ。
I hear that Kanato's favorite food is cake.

君の友達は有名なシェフだそうだね。
I hear your friend is a famous chef.

メアリーとたけしは結婚したそうですよ。
I hear that Mary and Takeshi got married.

ジムさんはヨットを買うそうだね。
I hear that Jim is buying a yacht.

Following the usual pattern, nouns and na-adjectives must have だ placed after them when そう follows. Also note that "the reported speech retains the tense and polarity of the original utterance."

This may look awfully similar to when we learned そう to say "it seems like...", but there are some clear differences.

忙しいそう versus 忙しそう  (note the い)
好きだそう versus 好きそう  (note the だ)

Genki notes that with this structure, we do not say things like そうじゃない or そうでした, unlike the other そう grammar point we learned. そうです and そうだ are the main two used.

This structure can also be used to report things heard from people or other sources, like TV or newspapers. To specify where you heard it from, you can say [Source] によると, which means "According to [source]..."

天気予報によると、台風が来るそうです。
According to the weather forecast, a typhoon is approaching.

お母さんによると、バカだそうだなぁ。
According to your mom, you're an idiot.

Using 時 to Express "When..."

I know I've used 時 clauses in the past for various "when..." expressions, but there are some important rules to keep in mind when using it with verbs. Genki's explanation for this grammar point is rather convoluted, frankly, so I've consulted some other sources to help me better understand it.

To express "when..." in Japanese, the following sentence pattern is used:

Sentence A 時, Sentence B.

It means "When A, B." Sentence A always ends in the plain form, in the present or past tense. Here is a StackExchange example that has helped me better understand this. Quoted from that link:

The present-tense ～る時 pattern is used when the action has not yet been completed relative to the main clause.

The past-tense ～た時 pattern is used when the action is completed relative to the main clause.

日本に行くとき、カメラを買った。
On the way to Japan, I bought a camera. (The action of "going" isn't complete yet.)

日本に行ったとき、カメラを買った。
When I went to Japan (after arriving), I bought a camera.

I actually just had a bit of a breakthrough in thinking about one of Genki's example sentences, so I'm going to write that here and hope it helps this grammar point stick.

中国に行った時、ウーロン茶を買います。
I will buy oolong tea when I go to China.

At first, it seems strange that it's 行った rather than 行く. But the English translation is misleading. Because we're not buying the tea until after we've gone to China, we need that past tense. So perhaps a more accurate translation is:

中国に行った時、ウーロン茶を買います。
I will buy oolong tea when I've gone to China.

This is much easier to understand, and clearly lets us know that you're not going to buy the tea on your way to China, but rather, that it will be bought once the "going" is complete and you're already there. Hurray for breakthroughs!

If a noun is used directly before 時, then it must be followed by の. Na-adjectives must be followed by な. I-adjectives don't require anything special.

元気な時、公園を走ります。
I jog in the park when I feel fit.

犬が病気の時、病院に連れていきました。
I took the dog to the vet when it was sick.

さびしい時、友達に電話します。
I call up friends when I am lonely.

All of those are Genki examples. Note that the adjectives and nouns do not need to be conjugated for tense. They're fine just the way they are.

This is probably one of the most difficult grammar points I've studied thus far, because it's so completely different from English. It definitely calls for more reading practice to get the hang of it.

Expressing Hope with といい

"I hope you're doing well" or "I hope you ace your test!" and other similar expressions are very frequently used in English. We generally say "I hope" followed by some sort of positive event that we wish to occur.

To express this in Japanese, the といい pattern is used. This consists of the plain present tense form of a verb, followed by といいですね or といいね for more casual scenarios. This is used when "wishing for the good luck of somebody other than yourself," says Genki.

元気にしてるといいね。
I hope you're doing well.

カナトは迷路で迷わないといいね。
I hope Kanato doesn't get lost in the maze.

パンツを見つけるといいですね。
I hope he finds his pants.

リーさんがその松を登れるといいね。
I hope Lee-san can climb that pine tree.

If you want to say that you hope for something for your own good, then it's better to use といいんですが or といいんだけど, both of which sound more modest.

食べ物が美味しいといいんですが。
I hope the food is yummy.

車を直すといいんだけど。
I hope they fix my car.

Finally, it's important to note that this expression is used when hoping that something nice happens, meaning that it's generally out of your control. If it's something in your control, then the verb can be conjugated to the potential form, and then the といい pattern can be added.

日本では新しい友達を合えるといいんだけど。
I hope I can meet new friends in Japan.

秋、カナダに行けるといいんですが。
I hope I can go to Canada in the fall.

More Ways to Make Requests

Up until now, making a request essentially consisted of using a verb's て form plus ください. Well there's a billion more ways to do it, but this chapter covers three more. Here they are, ranked from polite to casual.

いただけませんか
くれませんか
くれない

It's best to use いただけませんか when making a polite request to someone above you, or to a stranger.

ちょっと待っていただけませんか？
Could you please wait for a second?

かばんを預かっていただけませんか？
Could you please look after my bag?

くれませんか is roughly equal to ください in terms of politeness, and Genki states that it's the form most appropriate for speaking to someone like a host family.

ノートを貸してくれませんか？
Would you lend me your notebook?

この机を組んでくれませんか？
Would you put this desk together?

Finally, くれない is the most casual of them all (barring just using plain て form) and is used to very casually ask for a favor. Genki says it's good for speaking with members of your peer group.

財布取ってくれない？
Pass me my wallet, will you?

ドアを閉めてくれない？
Close the door, will you?

Dance With Devils - Synchronic

Another song translation? Holy snap. It feels like it's been ages since I did the first one, but I'm suddenly super eager to do another one. I think it's because I have two drama CDs coming in the mail soon, and I'm sooooo looking forward to translating those. They're the only two I've seen without translations.

Anyway, let's get started. This song is Synchronic, from the same Dance With Devils CD my friend gave me. I liked this song alright at first, but now I love it more and more every time I listen to it. As always, I'm a beginner with translations, so I'm sure there's some improvements to be made here.

I don't own these lyrics, but I did go through a lot of effort in terms of writing and translation. Please don't steal them, and be sure to link back to them here if you use them.

Future Universe　Future Universe
I felt your heart beating fast now
Meeting is inevitable

奇跡なんかじゃない
偶然なんかじゃない
必然の刹那
共鳴する鼓動

闇を抜け出す Stardust
離れ離れの Feel 繋いで
滑り落ちてく Two heart
夜空を彩りながら

Because 偶然じゃない
重なり合うその Sympathy
そうきっと We can be one

今運命がシンクロして
想像越える未来が到来
Future Universe Universe
宇宙が描いた Story

太陽と月の心拍が
ふたつの心震わせて
Future Universe Universe
今目覚める本能
巡り逢う二人の Synchronic

We are meant to be
It's not a coincidence

幾億年の時間
越えて辿る未来
惑星を飛び越えて
僕らは巡り逢う

闇をかきわけ One way
君の元へと Feel 届けよう
瞳閉じれば　ほら
心は響き合うから

混沌の世界の中でも
ふたりの願いは Synchronic
Future Universe Universe
歩き出した Story

運命がシンクロして
想像越える未来が到来
Future Universe Universe
宇宙が描いた Story

太陽と月の心拍が
ふたつの心震わせて
Future Universe Universe
今目覚める本能
巡り逢う二人の Synchronic

Future Universe　Future Universe
I felt your heart beating fast now
Meeting is inevitable

It's no miracle
It's no coincidence
An inevitable moment
A resonating pulse

Stardust that slips away from the darkness
These scattered feelings connecting
Two hearts that fall together
As they both color the night sky

Because it wasn't merely chance
This overlapping sympathy
Surely, we can be one

Our fates now synchronized
The coming of our envisioned interwoven futures
Future Universe Universe
Our story painted in the cosmos

The beat of the sun and the moon
Leaving two hearts trembling together
Future Universe Universe
Our now-awakened instincts
With our collision, synchronic

We are meant to be
It's not a coincidence

For all eternity
Pursuing our futures entwined
Leaping over planets
We collide once more

Pressing through the darkness one way
Met with the feeling of being at your side
If you close your eyes, listen
The reverberation of our hearts as they join together

Even amidst chaos of this world
Our wishes shall be synchronic
Future Universe Universe
Our continued story

Our fates synchronized
The coming of our envisioned interwoven futures
Future Universe Universe
Our story painted in the cosmos

The beat of the sun and the moon
Leaving two hearts trembling together
Future Universe Universe
Our now-awakened instincts 
With our collision, synchronic

Apologizing

If you're human like me, chances are you'll probably screw something up at some point in your life. When you do, you'll probably want to apologize, and that's where this grammatical structure comes in handy.

The て form plus すみませんでした can be used to form an apology for something you've done. ごめん can also be used for more casual-sounding apologies.

本を忘れて、すみませんでした。
I'm sorry for forgetting your book.

居間を壊して、すみませんでした。
I'm sorry I destroyed your living room.

お兄さんを打って、ごめん。
Sorry I punched your brother.

逃げて、ごめん。
Sorry I ran away.

The negative て form can be used to apologize for something you didn't do. This is created by first conjugating to the plain negative, then removing the い in ない and adding くて.

秘密を教えなくて、すみませんでした。
I'm sorry I didn't tell you the secret.

蚊を殺さなくて、ごめん。
Sorry I didn't kill the mosquito.

One thing that's important to note is the usage of すみません. In actual conversation, my understanding is that most people use すいません instead, because it's faster and more natural sounding. So when apologizing, すいません can likely be used to avoid sounding a bit stiff.

Sentence Practice 3/5/2017

Man, I almost wrote the year as 2016 in this post's title. I'm still not used to it being another year, let alone March T_T. Anyway, here's some sentence practice for the helping verbs I just learned.

シュウは果物と野菜をたくさん持ってきてくれた。
Shuu brought me lots of fruits and vegetables.

私は学校の皆にケーキを焼いてあげた。
I baked cakes for everyone at the school.

アヤトは宴にきれいなドレスを買ってくれた。
Ayato bought me a pretty dress for the banquet.

私はライトに晩御飯を料理してもらった。
I got Laito to help me cook dinner.

ジムは私のために家をそうじした。
Jim cleaned the house for me.

トムはアリスにビーチに運転してあげた。
Tom drove to the beach for Alice.

私はスバルに壊れたテレビを直してもらった。
I got Subaru to fix the broken television.

リーさんはメアリーのために柵を塗った。
Lee-san painted the fence for Mary.

Helping Verbs

A couple lessons ago I learned about how the verbs あげる, くれる, and もらう function when discussing the action of giving. Well, these words can also be used in conjunction with other verbs to discuss the giving and receiving of services.

To describe such actions, the て form plus the appropriate helping verb is used, conjugated for tense, politeness, and all that good stuff.

Just as before, あげる is used when the action is "going outward" - I do something for you, you do something for others, somebody does something for somebody else. In these sentences, the giver is the subject while the receiver is marked with a particle that varies with the verb.

私はアヤトに生け花を送ってあげたよ。
I sent Ayato flowers (because I didn't want him to be sad).

If the あげる portion were removed from that sentence, it would sound more like an objective statement. Its presence adds a sort of acknowledgment that the action was performed for the sake of that person.

くれる is used when the action is coming inward - you do something for me, somebody else does something for me. With くれる, because the speaker is the implied receiver, they generally would not specify themselves in the sentence. And again, the giver is the subject.

ライトが用事を手伝ってくれた。
Laito helped me with errands (for which I am thankful).

Again, if the くれる part were missing, it would sound like I'm merely reporting what Laito did. The くれる places emphasis on the fact that he did it as a favor for me.

Finally, もらう is used "to say that we get, persuade, or arrange for somebody to do something for us", according to Genki. In this case, the receiver is the subject, while the person helping us out is marked with the に particle.

私はカナトに店に連れていってもらった。
I got Kanato to take me to the store.

It's fairly easy to see the difference between くれる and もらう here. In both cases I received help from another person, but with もらう, I am the subject, leading to the "I got X to help me" meaning.

There are some verbs that don't lend themselves to this grammar construct. As Genki says, for a verb "which does not have the place for the beneficiary, we can use のために." We do not use the helping verbs in this case.

私はアリスのためにせんたくした。
I did laundry for Alice.

スバルは私のために買い物に行った。
Subaru went shopping for me.

The のために sounds like "for this person's benefit" to me, so it's fairly easy to remember and understand.

Finally, there's one last point to be made with もらう. Although the grammar makes it sound like I've actively asked somebody to do something for me, that doesn't always have to be the case. It can also be used to "acknowledge a person's goodwill." I'll use Genki's example sentence.

私は知らない人に漢字を読んでもらいました。
I am glad that a stranger read the kanji for me.