let's learn some lingo!
Posted: Wed May 30, 2012 2:45 pm
Over the past few days I've been feeling particularly cruddy about my lack of Japanese ability, and although I have great difficulty summoning up the motivation to sit down with a book and study (that and the lack of time), I thought it might be a terribly cunning plan to have a thread about int'restin' and/or tricky bits of Japanese we had come across that we could ask each other about/show off with as the case may be. I know we are all at wildly varying levels of ability (with myself grubbing around near the bottom of the food chain) and I know many of us have Japanese better halfs who can translate all kinda useful things for us (like insurance documents) but anyway, i figured what the hell, may as well see what folks think.
So, my troublesome phrase of the day is...
(person)は(verb1)するか(verb1)しないかのうちに、(verb2)した。
person wa verb1 suruka verb1 shinaika nouchi ni, verb2 shita.
No sooner (had something happened) than (somebody did something).
er...probably not very helpful. Here's an example (I hope):
some words for those who may need em...
生徒 - seito - student
チャイム - chaimu - bell (school bell)
鳴る - naru - ring (as in bell)
教室 - kyoushitsu - classroom
出て行った - deteitta - went out of
and the example wot I hope strings em all together...
生徒はチャイムを鳴るか鳴らないかのうちに、教室から出て行った。
seito ha chaimu wo naruka naranaika nouchini, kyoushitsu kara deteitta.
No sooner had the bell rung than the students left the classroom.
So, can anybody confirm/deny for me if my example is a decent sentence, or is it just a pile of rubbish?
Brownie points to anybody that can use the above grammar to make an amusing sentence about space marines, bolt guns, snotlings and pooey pants
So, my troublesome phrase of the day is...
(person)は(verb1)するか(verb1)しないかのうちに、(verb2)した。
person wa verb1 suruka verb1 shinaika nouchi ni, verb2 shita.
No sooner (had something happened) than (somebody did something).
er...probably not very helpful. Here's an example (I hope):
some words for those who may need em...
生徒 - seito - student
チャイム - chaimu - bell (school bell)
鳴る - naru - ring (as in bell)
教室 - kyoushitsu - classroom
出て行った - deteitta - went out of
and the example wot I hope strings em all together...
生徒はチャイムを鳴るか鳴らないかのうちに、教室から出て行った。
seito ha chaimu wo naruka naranaika nouchini, kyoushitsu kara deteitta.
No sooner had the bell rung than the students left the classroom.
So, can anybody confirm/deny for me if my example is a decent sentence, or is it just a pile of rubbish?
Brownie points to anybody that can use the above grammar to make an amusing sentence about space marines, bolt guns, snotlings and pooey pants
Seriously though I do. Wish that was a joke. 
