Japanese language question?

Question

In my Japanese language book, it says I can use an i adjective with a noun e.g
Takai kuruma ja nai desu - It is not an expensive car.

My question is would it also be ok to use another form, e.g...

Takakunai kuruma desu - It is not an expensive car

Is that still correct?

Also how would you say it was not an expensive car...would

takakunakatta kuruma desu

be ok?

Answer 1

I would take your second solution--"Takakunai kuruma desu"--as the correct answer. For your other question, "It was not an expensive car," I would say, "Takakunai kuruma deshita."

Answer 2

I have studied both Mandarin and Japanese. On a strictly language learning note, Mandarin has the most minimalist and logical grammar of any language I have ever seen. That being said, I enjoyed Japanese mostly because it was anything but minimalist, and the grammar conjugates and is structured in ways that were completely alien to my native language (English). Basic Japanese is deceptively simple, and intermediate Japanese is very challenging. Few of the people I have encountered who claim to speak Japanese function very well at or above the intermediate level. Mandarin does not have a similar stark curve, however there is also the issue of tones. If you are interested in a language that is going to challenge you in the pronunciation department, tonal language are fun. Additionally, Mandarin has one of the larger lexicons I have encountered. They have words for things you never knew needed a word. As far as which language will be more useful in the future, it is hard to say.Here are a few factors for you to consider though. Since the early 2000's there has been a push both by the Confucian Institute and other local entities to increase Mandarin fluency internationally. Additionally, there has been a lot of hype about Chinese being a highly marketable language to learn. This could contribute to there being more second language Mandarin speakers in the future than second language Japanese speakers. Additionally, the number of people who actually speak Japanese competently above an intermediate level are rare in my experience. Also, in my experience, the general level of English fluency among educated Chinese is similar to the level I have seen from most Europeans. However, the level of fluency of any foreign language, let alone English among educated Japanese is closer to the percent of fluent second language speakers that exist in the United States. Anyone who says Japanese will fade away is being a little ridiculous in my opinion. Also, the percentage of the Chinese that receive an education is still less than most developed countries, though it is growing every year. Another thing to consider. Not all Chinese people speak Mandarin. Several of them will speak it as a second language. It is the language spoken on TV and the language school is taught in. Anyone you encounter in the business world or similar situations will speak Mandarin. However, the farther you go from city centers, and the older the people there are, the more likely it will become that they will not communicate well in Mandarin.

Answer 3

I see no problems with any of the answers. I wonder why Kaonashi thinks that the first one is wrong. Ja nai is simply an emphasis. You simply have to say that with the correct tone. It can mean both ways (negative, in your case, or positive). Just emphasize it with a negative tone, by dropping your voice. Or use some emotion with ja nai when you are emphasizing that it most certainly is expensive. If you are worried about not carrying the correct tone with the projected meaning, you can say ja arimasen as a negative. But I've never found a Japanese person not being able to understand ja nai when used to emphasize a negative.

In my talks with a Japanese person (while in Japan), this was actually one of my burning questions. I also found out through our conversation another little tip about the word 'slow'. Both 'yukkuri' and 'osoi' mean slow, but 'osoi' implies tardiness, being late, or just negative. 'Yukkuri' implies a good kind of slow, like the equivalent of somebody saying "Take your time". So if somebody says you are 'yukkuri', you are doing fine. If they say 'osoi', you are being too slow. These words also carry the positive and negative tones, so listen for those tones, if you hear these words.

Answer 4

The first question is ok.

As for "takakunakatta kuruma desu", top_runner, the above answerer is right.

* takakunakatta is the past tense.
* desu is the present tense.

"takakunakatta kuruma desu" means... It depends on the situation.
When you're telling someone about your car, it would be translated into

This is a car that I bought at not expensive price.

Though the above may not be a correct English, I believe you can understand it.

Answer 5

I'm Japanese, and your first and second sentences sound good to me. The third one, however, doesn't sound right, and "top_runner" already gave you the correct answer. If you want to use the phrase "takakunakatta," you can say "kono kurumawa takakunakatta (this car wasn't expensive)."

Answer 6

Your first sentence is incorrect. I mean, technically a Japanese would still understand what you're trying to say, but it's awkward. It's like saying "ichinin" instead of "hitori" when you want to say "one person."

To make a negative sentence with "i" adjectives, use -kunai, as you did in the second sentence.

Your third sentence is correct.