Nihongo Nihongo
Minna no Nihongo Lesson 40 Grammar
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 Lesson 40 Vocabulary
