〈38〉 ◆ chap 4 Advanced, how to construct a sentence !
part 4. “…noni”, “…nimokakawarazu”
(even though..., despite of..., etc.)
It is another alternative way of expressing two opposite events or anti-common sense, like + → -, - → +.
Let's think again with food (laughs).
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| "Expensive!", "Not tasty!" Well, which is the conclusion? |
They are: "kono resutoran no bifuteki wa takai, demo(shikashi) oishikunai" (This restaurant’s beefsteak is expensive, but not tasty"), or "asoko no katsudon wa oishii kedo(keredo) ryou ga sukunai" (That restaurant’s Katsudon is tasty, but low on volumel") etc. (foodie!!)
In English, these "demo", "shikashi" or "...kedo", "keredo", " are so to speak "but" or "however", and in Spanish it is equivalent to "pero" or "sin embargo". ( I have already discussed the difference between commas and dots in English and Spanish, and "ten" and "maru" in Japanese.)
And these "demo", "but", "pero", etc. basically indicate that two things are the exact opposite, and are just two comparisons of "takai (expensive)" and "oishikunai (not tasty)", "oishii (tasty)" and "chiisai (small)". It is just a juxtaposition. In other words, this person does not place a decisive emphasis on either of the two elements.
But this time, "…noni" or "…nimokakawarazu" (despite" or "in spite of) are used when the emphasis is on one of the two elements and you want to make a conclusion about it.
For example,
In the case of "kono resutoran no bifuteki wa takai. demo(shikashi) oishikunai "(The beefsteak at this restaurant is expensive, but it's not good",
If you want to conclude that the beefsteak is "not tasty",
" kono resutoran no bifuteki wa takai noni(nimokakawarazu) oishikunai. (The beefsteak at this restaurant is not tasty in spite of expensive.)"
If you want to conclude "expensive",
" kono resutoran no bifuteki wa oishikunai noni(nimokakawarazu) takai." The beefsteak at this restaurant is expensive in spite of not tasty."
Also,
In the case of "asoko no katsudon wa oishii kedo ryou ga sukunai "( The katsudon over there is good, but the portions are small.)
If you want to conclude "quantity is small ",
"asoko no katsudon wa oishii noni(nimokakawarazu) ryou ga sukunai "( The katsudon over there is the small quantity despite (or in spite of) delicious.")
If you want to conclude “ it is tasty ”,
"asoko no katsudon wa ryou ga sukunai noni(nimokakawarazu) oishii "( The katsudon over there is delicious despite (or in spite of) the small quantity.")
In the last example, "the quantity of katsudon is small (or the cutlet is small?)" is a kind of precondition, and "tasty" can be considered a conclusion. (The previous phrase “…kara”, “…node”, “…kedo(keredo)” may also be used with the same meaning.)
In this way, the Japanese words " noni (nimokakawarazu)" present the premise first and then the conclusion. But note that for example in English, this is usually the opposite.
Yes, this is very important!
Western languages put the important things first, but Japanese basically puts the important things at the end of the sentence. In other words, except for the subject (which also sometimes comes last), the verb, adjective and their pros and cons (positive or negative), in short, conclusions and arguments, etc., are kept to the very end of the sentence.
So to speak, Western languages are 'news-type' and Japanese is 'theatre-type'. News scripts have a conclusion in the lead section and then explain the details later, but if novels and dramas told the ending first, no one would watch them (laughs). So perhaps Western languages are pragmatic news types, while Japanese is an appreciation type for enjoyment.
For that reason, as I mentioned before, listening to Japanese requires a lot of patience. But at the same time, speaking in Japanese also requires a bit of training. In other words, you need to have an idea of what you want to say and your conclusion, and then you have to connect the reasons and premises of what you are trying to say, and then skillfully structure them into a final conclusion.
So to speak, the ability to express and structure is required,
and if you can devise it well, you will have the persuasive power of “NARUHODO! “ (indeed !).
It is common to see Japanese people giving long speeches at weddings. The unintelligible story may end at any moment, despite the resentful glances of those in attendance who want to eat the food in front of them as soon as possible. In these situations, he is usually looking for a conclusion, or a point to drop. (lol)
Now,
☆☆☆☆《Example sentences for this issue》 ☆☆☆☆
“ I studied Japanese for three years, but because of Corona, I can no longer go to Japan, I'm so sorry. Although I had booked my airline ticket, it was cancelled just before my flight. But now I have found a Japanese girlfriend on the internet and I enjoy talking in Japanese every day, using kanji, hiragana and katakana.”
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Now try again to write a sentence like the example above, using the words you have learnt freely. No doubt, your Japanese will improve a lot. Good luck!
——————————————《reference answer》——————————————
“3 nenkan nihongo wo benkyou shita noni, korona no seide nihon ni ikukotoga dekinaku natte shimaimashita. sekkaku koukuuken wo yoyaku shiteita nimokakawarazu,, furaito chokuzen de kyanseru ni narimashita. demo ima dewa inta-netto de nihon no onnna tomodachi ga mitukari, chatto de kanji ya hiragana ya katakana wo tukai, mainichi tanosiku nihongo de ohanashi shiteimasu.
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Now, look forward to the next issue!
ーーー The next post will be
Part 5, 《subjunctive mood》
“moshi …tara, …reba, …to (nara, temo)”
(If …… )
See you next time!
Welcome your comments and suggestions.
☆
I also have a Japanese internet class in Spanish, if time permits.
When you have any questions, why not give it a try? (30 € 2 H, 25 € 1.5 H, 20 € for less than 1H) Send me email → vivasouy1@mac.com Thak you !!
☆Copyright is not abandoned. You must contact the publisher to cite this sentence.
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