Minna No Nihongo Lesson 22 Grammar

Minna No Nihongo Lesson 22 Grammar

1. Noun modification

You learned how to modify nouns in Lesson 2 and Lesson 8.

ミラーさんのうち               Mr. Miller’s house (Lesson 2)

新しいうち                            a new house (Lesson 8)

きれいなうち                        a beautiful house (Lesson 8)

In Japanese, whatever modifies a word, whether it’s a word or a sentence, it always comes before the word to be modified. Here you learn another way to modify nouns.

2. Noun modification by sentences

1) The predicate of the sentence which modifies a noun is in the plain form. In the case of な-adjective sentences, ～だ becomes ～な. In the case of noun sentences ～だ becomes ～の.

京都へ

行く人 行かない人 行った人 行かなかった人

a person

who goes who does not go who went who did not go

to Kyoto

 

背が高くて、髪が黒い人 親切で、きれいな人 65 歳の人

a person who is tall and has black hair a person who is kind and pretty a person who is 65 years old.

 

2) Nouns, which are various elements of the sentence, are picked out of it and can be modified by it.

わたしは先週映画を見ました  →  わたしが先週見た映画

I saw a movie last week  →  the movie that I saw last week

ワンさんは病院で働いています  →  ワンさんが働いている病院

Mr. Wang works at a hospital  →  the hospital where Mr. Wang works

わたしはあした友達に会います  →  わたしがあした会う友達

I will meet a friend tomorrow  →  the friend whom I will meet tomorrow

When the nouns in three sentences above are modified, the particle を, でandに attached to them respectively are unnecessary.

3) The noun modified by a sentence (“the house where Mr. Miller lived” in the example sentences below) can be used in various parts of a sentence.

これはミラーさんが住んでいたうちです。

This is the house where Mr. Miller lived.

ミラーさんが住んでいたうちは古いです。

The house where Mr. Miller lived is old.

ミラーさんが住んでいたうちを買いました。

I bought the house where Mr. Miller lived.

わたしはミラーさんが住んでいたうちが好きです。

I like the house where Mr. Miller lived.

ミラーさんが住んでいたうちに猫がいました。

There was a cat in the house where Mr. Miller lived.

ミラーさんが住んでいたうちへ行ったことがあります。

I have been to the house where Mr. Miller lived.

3. N が

When a sentence modifies a noun, the subject in the sentence is indicated by が.

ミラーさんはケーキを作りました  →  これはミラーさんが作ったケーキです。

Mr. Miller baked a cake.  →  This is the cake which Mr. Miller baked.

わたしはカリナさんがかいた絵が好きです。

I like the picture that Ms. Karina drew.

[あなたは]彼が生まれた所を知っていますか。

Do you know the place where he was born?

4. V dictionary form 時間／約束／用事

When expressing the time for doing some activity, put the dictionary form of the action before じかん.

わたしは朝ごはんを食べる時間がありません。

I have no time to eat breakfast.

You can also say the content of the arrangement (appointment), etc., by putting the dictionary form of that action before やくそく, etc.

わたしは友達と映画を見る約束があります。

I have an arrangement to see a movie with a friend of mine.

きょうは市役所へ行く用事があります。

I have something to do at the city hall today.

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