Grammar Notes

Grammar Notes for Dialogue 3
Grammar Note 1 Ｘというの (a thing called X): Quoting abstract notions 2
 

The quotation marker と + いうの ("one/thing called") creates a very productive phrase for quoting any text including those written in languages other than Japanese.

～
 と いうの  
「さるも木からおちる」 と いうの を聞いたことがありますか。
Have you ever heard the saying that "Even monkeys fall off trees"?
「百聞(ひゃくぶん)は一見(いっけん)にしかず」 と いうの が私の考(かんが)えです。
"Seeing is believing" is my thought. (Lit,. "100 hearsays do not equal one look.")

Any excerpts can go into the ～ position above.
Grammar Note 2 Noun + 的(てき)
  The suffix 的(てき) can convert a noun into a な-adjective, and it is a very productive mechanism to create a meaning "in the manner/ways of N" or "like N." If N的(てき) precedes a noun, な must be inserted. If it modifies a verb or adjective phrase, に must be inserted as shown below to create an adverbial phrase.
Noun
 てき
な
Noun
  
ぎじゅつ てき な もんだい technological problem
けんこう てき な 飲みもの healthy drinks
おんがく てき な 人 musical person
アメリカ てき な 考(かんが)え America-like idea
Noun
 てき
に
V/Adj
  
日本 てき に 言う to say it in the Japanese ways
かがく てき に 考える to think scientifically
どうぶつ てき に 走(はし)り出(だ)す to start running like animals

In some cases, a whole sentence can be placed into the noun position.

  • 先生もまちがえたそうですが、「さるも木からおちる」的なニュースですね。
    "I heard that even the teacher made a mistake, but it's even-monkeys-fall-off-trees type of news."
Grammar Note 2 More compound verbs (走(はし)り出(だ)す)
  The combination of Verb-stem + 出(だ)す ("begin to V") creates a compound verb expression similar to Verb-stem + はじめる.
V1 (stem)
V2
  
ふり (rain/snow)
たべ (eat)
つかい (use)
よみ (read)		 だす (take/push out)
だす (take/push out)
だす (take/push out)
だす (take/push out)		 begin to rain/snow
begin to eat
begin to use
begin to read
●
 この本を読み出(だ)してから、一週間です。 It's been a week since I started to read this book.
● 雨がふり出(だ)したら、外に出(で)られません。 Once it starts to rain, we can't go out.

In some cases, there are potential ambiguities for Vだす compound verbs between the meaning of "begin to V" and the meaning of "V outward." For example, つくりだす can be interpreted as "begin to make" or "create something [out of nothing], invent." If you mean "begin to make", you can use つくりはじめる to avoid ambiguities.

Grammar Note 2 Vて + しまう ("have V-ed completely")
 

The Verb-て + しまう form refers to an action that happens completely often accompanied by a sense of non-controllability on the part of the subject of that action.　In conversations, Vてしまう is often contracted to Vちゃう/Vじゃう.

Vて
しまう
Contraction
  
食べて しまう ＝ 食べちゃう eat it completely (and now it's gone)
読んで しまう ＝ 読んじゃう read it completely (and now it's done)
使って しまう ＝ 使っちゃう use it completely (and now it's gone)
● ぜんぶおわってしまいました。 I finished it completely.
●
 冬におよいだら、
かぜをひいちゃうよ。		 If you swim in winter,
you catch a cold [like it or not].
●
 Ａ： さあ、アイスクリームを食べよう！
Ｂ： あ、あれ、もうぜんぶ食べちゃった！ ごめんね。		 A: Now, let's eat icecream!
B: Oh, I ate all of that already. I'm sorry.
● Ａ： 私は行かなくてもいいですよ。
Ａ： そんなこと言っても、やっぱり行きたいんでしょう？
Ｂ： わかっちゃいますか。
Ａ： そうですね。		 A: I don't have to go.
B: Even if you say so, you want to go, right?
A: Am I obvious? [Lit. "Did I give it away?"]
B: Uh-huh.

The sense of non-controllability of action created by Vてしまう enables this phrase to be used in the second phrase following the conditional たら statement used in the past-tense. In Lesson 24, we stated that sentences like (1) below are not acceptable because V2 (i.e., およいだ) is a controllable action of the speaker. However, by adding しまった, the speaker can imply that his/her action was a result beyond his/her control. This makes Sentence (2) acceptable.

   
V1たら
V2-past
  
1.
?
 プールに行ったら およいだ。 When I went to the swimming pool, I swam.
2.
OK
 プールに行ったら およいでしまった。 When I went to the swimming pool, I swam
(without really intending to do so).