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1. |
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What if I want want to say,
"What is this?" and there is only one item. Should I use kore
or kocchi? |
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You should use kore.
Kore can be used in all situations regardless of the amount of
items. However when asked docchi desu ka you should answer with kocchi etc. |
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2. |
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In the sentence "Which one
is a vegetable?" (Yasai wa dore desu ka.) Shouldn't dore
come first as in "Dore wa yasai desu ka." This looks like it makes
more sense. |
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No. The topic of the sentence is yasai
not dore. Starting a sentence with a question word is not
normal unless you are stressing something mid way through a conversation. |
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3. |
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Why is "This is a
pillow" translated as "Makura desu", while "This is a computer"
is translated as "Kore wa konpyuutaa desu." That's really confusing. |
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In Lesson 1 you learn that depending on the
context of the sentence DESU can
mean: it is, this is, they are, I am, your are, he is, she is, and we are
etc.
Then is Lesson 2 you learn that KORE means THIS. The important thing to
remember is that KONPYUUTAA DESU can mean: it is a computer, this is a
computer, that is a computer depending on the context of the sentence. But
KORE WA KONPYUUTAA DESU only mean THIS is a computer.
For example if I ask you:
Kore wa nan desu ka (what is this?)
You could simply answer:
Konpyuutaa desu. (this is a computer)
Even though KORE is not in the sentence above, the word THIS is assumed
because of the context. DESU cover many meanings.
If you are holding an item in your hand and ask somebody NAN DESU KA. The
English translation of your question should be WHAT IS THIS?
because WHAT IS IT? would sound strange. The word THIS is assumed because
of the context of the question.
Remember that DESU to the Japanese is always the same thing and doesn't
change. It is the English representation of DESU that changes depending on
the situation. |