Minna No Nihongo Grammar Lesson 40

Minna No Nihongo Grammar Lesson 40

1. Interrogative + plain form + か、～

な-adj / N：～だ  → ～な

A question with an interrogative is used as a component of a sentence in this sentence pattern.

JL107便は何時に到着するか、調べてください。

Please check what time JL107 will arrive.

結婚のお祝いは何がいいか、話しています。

We are talking about what to give as a wedding present.

わたしたちが初めて会ったのはいつか、覚えていますか。

Do you remember when it was that we first met?

2. Plain form + かどうか、～

な-adj / N：～だ  → ～な

A question without an interrogative is used as a component of a sentence in this sentence pattern. Note that どうかis necessary after “plain form か“.

忘年会に出席するかどうか、２０日までに返事をください。

Please answer by the 20th whether you’ll attend the year-end party or not.

その話はほんとうかどうか、わかりません。

I don’t know whether the story is true or not.

まちがいがないかどうか、調べてください。(*)

Please check if there are no mistakes.

In (*), not まちがいがあるかどうかbut まちがいがないかどうかis used before because the speaker wants to confirm that there are no mistakes.

3. Vて-form みます

This sentence pattern is used to show that the action denoted by the verb is a trial.

もう一度考えてみます。

I’ll think it over again.

宇宙から地球を見てみたいです。

I want to see the earth from space (to know how it looks).

このズボンをはいてみてもいいですか。

May I try on this pair of trousers?

4. い-adj (～い) → ～さ

Change the final いof an い-adjective into さ, and you can transform the adjective into a noun.

e.g.,  高いà高さ 長い à長さ 速い à 速さ

山の高さはどうやって測るか、知っていますか。

Do you know how to measure the height of a mountain?

新しい橋の長さは3,911メートです。

The new bridge is 3,911 meters long.

5. ハンスは学校でどうでしょうか。

～でしょうか, which is used to ask a question whose answer the listener might be uncertain of, is also used to ask a question whose answer the listener is sure to be able to give. In this case, it is euphemistic and hence more polite.

Related Post:
Minna No Nihongo Grammar Lesson 41
Minna No Nihongo Lesson 40 Vocabulary