Daily Thread: simple questions, comments that don’t need their own posts, and first time posters go here (January 12, 2024)

5 comments

1. ＞ わずかの間、岩房をながめて何か考えていたが、すぐに、ホッサルは、トゥーリムに顔を向けた。

   My dictionary doesn’t have 岩房 but I’m pretty sure it’s a rock cluster. However I couldn’t decide how to pronounce it. At first I said がんぼう since it’s a 2-kanji compound. But if that ふさ could be sort of a suffix at the end? Would it be いわふさ?

   Context: People are having a conversation in a dark salt mine

   Anyway I think it says, “[after/for] a little time, staring at the rock clusters and considering something, right away, ホッサル turned to face トゥーリム.”

2. Any tips for improving listening?

   I’ve taken multiple N4 Mock tests and have passed those, but I always score the weakest on listening. Even going back and doing N5 listening sample tests is frustrating because while I can generally figure out the answer, I really do struggle to understand a good amount of what is being said sometimes. It just feels like everyone talks so fast and I can’t really process everything at that speed so I find myself really just latching onto words here and there that catch my ear.

   For sure my weakness derives from my lack of listening practice as I enjoy reading a lot more. I do want to improve my listening though as it would be nice to be able to actually converse with people in Japanese one day.

   I’ve tried using shadowing videos like [this](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t8OuFbysmcw).

   I feel like really I’m just memorizing everything that’s being said and the order its said in rather than really improving my listening.

   I’ve tried downloading an episode of Teasing Master Takagi San, using that to make an mp3 of all the dialogue to listen to on repeat while doing the dishes or going jogging, etc. Sometimes I’ll have all the subtitles available on a note app to read along and other times I just listen to it raw. No matter how many times I listen, a lot of it just feels too fast to comprehend.

   I’ve tried watching anime for kids like Pokemon, Bomberman, etc in raw Japanese with no subtitles. I find a lot of the time they speak too fast and use a lot of words I still don’t know. Unless it’s a very common phrase I tend to miss a lot of what is being said. I generally have a vague understanding of the plot and get why one scene leads to the next, but there’s just too much being said for me to catch it all.

   If anyone has had similar struggles with listening and has any advice on how to level up, I’d really appreciate it.

3. Having some trouble with this contraction(?)

   > 「これは、人の力じゃ、ちぎれんでしょう」

   Context: Some people are inspecting a chain. This chain is shattered. The chain was used to shackle a slave. The slave is missing. They are trying to figure out what happened.

   I’m confused even what form ちぎれん is in, but I wonder if it is ちぎれない. This might say something like, “This, probably wasn’t shattered (by) the power of a human”, but, IDK

4. Looking for additional confirmation on what () being appended to sentences is being used for. Been difficult to pin down a precise answer since it’s mostly a colloquial usage in comments. Someone explained it as thus:

   >「()」は文末についてるやつだよね？ それは、「(笑)」から「笑」が抜けた、つまり「笑えない」という状況を表すのに使うらしいよ。
   >例：「やばい…宿題全然終わってない…（）」

   Which seems to fit the bill.

5. Watching the tokini andy genki lesson 22 video & not understanding one of his example sentences. What does 事 mean or do in this sentence?

   毎日父さんが走らせた事を今、感謝しています。あの時、嫌いだった

   He translates that sentence as:
   I appreciate that my father made me run every day. I didn’t like it at that time though