Japanese Language Stack Exchange
Japanese Language Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [ellipsis]

省略. Omitting words from a grammatical construction.

Ellipsis means the omission of part of a grammatical construction. This is done either because the omitted information would be understood from contextual clues or because there is no need to repeat the same information twice. For example, in the following conversation, B’s response uses ellipsis and “おなかがすいた” is elided after “私も.”

A: おなかがすいた。 (I am hungry.)
B: 私も。 (Me too.)

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What are the guidelines for omitting particles?

I've recently discovered that certain particles could be omitted from a Japanese sentence (to help make it shorter), and still preserve the original meaning. Unfortunately, most resources about this topic that I've looked at are vague at best; and…
Miguel
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When asking 'What is your name?' or 'What is your job?', why is it 'は' not 'か'?

As per the title, when asking 'What is your name?' or 'What is your job?', why is it 'は' not 'か'? For example, we are taught this: おしごとは。 'What is your job?' But I don't understand why it isn't this? あなたはしごとですか。 'What is your job?'
Chris
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Polite Way to Ask "How old are you?" : 何歳 , いくつ ,年齢 , ご年

I think the sentences: 何歳ですか？ いくつですか？ 年齢は？ お年は？ are all sentences that ask "How old are you?" How are they different? What form is most polite?
ZarNge
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can we omit verbs when speaking casually?

I've heard that we can usually omit nouns and stuff like that, but can we actually omit verbs or must they still be there? Example sentence: アイツ帰るなり、すぐに部屋にな～ Edit Can we omit verbs in the main sentence clause when speaking casually? Example…
Pacerier
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Should 私の be omitted?

I have the following sentence on my Japanese LinkedIn page: 私 の 目的 は 主導 と 代表的 な 執行 と 技術革新 通じて 例外的 な 質 を 生むて います。 It is meant to mirror my English mission statement: "My mission is to deliver exceptional value through leadership, outstanding…
Mike Shanahan
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What is だって when it's at the beginning of a sentence?

I have read several definitions of だって but none of them seem to make sense when I see it at the beginning of a sentence and I read the context. I saw one example Japanese sentence and in the English translation だって wasn't translated into…
language hacker
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What does たら do at the end of a sentence?

時間があるなら、彼の画廊に寄ってみたら。 What meaning does たら have at the end of a sentence?
Fate
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Meaning of: イベントの前ふりをば。

A colleague is organizing an event and sent everyone an email beginning like this: 田中{たなか}イベント担当{たんとう}の田中です。 イベントの前{まえ}ふりをば。 ...　(explanation about the event) The first line is a funny intro (the guy is known for joking all the time) QUESTION:…
Nicolas Raoul
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Question about usage of 「のでは」

In one of the grammar questions for N3, I saw one for which I couldn't understand the reason why のでは is used. この英会話講師のアルバイトに応募したきっかけは、先輩からの紹介です。私の専門は言語学ですので、その知識が生かせる「　」、と思い、応募いたしました。文法に詳しいので、英語はもちろん、日本語での文法の説明もできます。 Possible answers are 1)…
pmnox
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What does ~頂ければと思います mean? Why does such a construction happen?

I've heard phrases sometimes like: チェックいただければと思います。chekku itadakereba to omoimasu "If you check this ... I think."? Why is that ~と思います at then end of the phrase?
wallyqs
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"Grammatically-correct" particle-less phrases/sayings

I know that within an informal/familiar setting, people often leave out particles. Whether or not this is grammatically correct I'm not positive, but for the sake of this question, I'll say that it's not. What I'm talking about are modified nouns…
istrasci
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Is there something omitted after だか in this sentence?

The following paragraph is from page 20 of…
user1478
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Clarifying だから use at the end of a sentence

I was given this sentence: ここが、きみの クラスだから。 The explanation I was given is that the から at the end is used when giving information. What is the だ used for? What are other examples of だから usage?
user1024930
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Question about the phrase 心配いりません

I came across the phrase 心配いりません and from what I understand it means "Dont worry". It is formed by using the する-verb 心配 (worry) and いる (to be needed). What I don't understand is why there is no particle or something between 心配 and いる. Does this mean…
Tylersanzura
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Colloquial contraction “出しゃ[あ]”

I encountered this sentence. なめんなよ。てめえみていな雑魚、おれが本気をだしゃあ… I believe the context is quite obvious: The speaker feels stronger than his enemy, the listener. From how I understand it, I’d translate the sentence something like this: Don’t make fool of…
Glutexo
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