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Japanese Verbs

MagicToasterMagicToaster JapanRegistered User regular
edited December 2006 in Help / Advice Forum
How do you differentiate 'to be dying' and 'to be dead' in Japanese?

Both are in a state of doing something (one is dying and the other one is being dead). Do you'd use 死んでいます in both instances?

Is this an irregular oddity or is there a specific way to tell them apart?

I also have the same problem with 結婚する. 'to be getting married (right now)' and 'to be married' Are both conjugated as 結婚しています.

ぜんぜん 判らん...

:(

MagicToaster on

Posts

  • Seattle ThreadSeattle Thread Registered User regular
    edited November 2006
    死んだ means dead, in the past-tense, so I would think that would be best for "to be dead." 死んでいます is "[death] [present-tense] [is/exist]"... jesus, just use that one for "to be dying."

    This is not an irregular oddity. Any verb in its て form can be coupled with います to make it transitive, IIRC.

    Seattle Thread on
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  • SenjutsuSenjutsu thot enthusiast Registered User regular
    edited November 2006
    The general rule is that -te imasu indicates resultant states only in those verbs which indicate something instantaneous and unrepeatable. Hence, kekonshiteiru means to be married rather than "is doing the marrying right now".

    That said, don't try to over-intelectualize these things. All languages are inherently illogical, and you'll do better just learning what these things mean on a case by case basis rather than trying to come up with some over-arching logic behind it, which will eventually lead you down the wrong path.

    Shinda means "died". Shindeiru means "is dead". If you want to say "is dying", you need an auxiliary verb: shinitsutsuaru.

    Edit: Transitivity has to do with whether or not the verb takes a direct object, maker, it has nothing to do with the -teimasu construction.

    Senjutsu on
  • MagicToasterMagicToaster JapanRegistered User regular
    edited December 2006
    I could say 死んだ, it would be easier... but that doesn't help explain this conjugation conundrum because 死んだ changes the conjugation from to be dead to died.

    But like you said, Senjutsu:
    Senjutsu wrote:
    ...don't try to over-intelectualize these things. All languages are inherently illogical...

    I guess there is no point in trying to explain something that's illogical. Basically everyone I've asked has told me the same thing...still, I had to be sure.

    Thanks dudes.

    MagicToaster on
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