おはようございます 🙂
I’m studying N5 grammar and finding one of the best ways to learn new vocab is to create sentences and diary entries in japanese. If I can apply it to my own life I remember it easier.
I’ve previously been using て form to connect verbs in the same sentence. I create a sentence in japanese, then use Google translate to reverse translate into English to see if it makes sense (probably not ideal but fairly useful)
I’ve found Google translate connects my verbs using plain forms instead. So for example I wrote:
家から遅い出かけて、のでバスまで必死に走りました
When I copied the English version and translated to japanese Google said:
家を出るのが遅くなったので、必死にバスに走った。
Was my version wrong? Could any one explain when to use て form to connect and when to use plain form?
初心者だ親切てください 😅
4 comments
Although no machine translation is perfect, I like using DeepL more than Google Translate for checking my Japanese to English writing.
The Japanese sentence you wrote has a couple of grammatical errors, so that’s probably why GT couldn’t translate it properly
One way you useて form is to connect sentences like this:
I left my house and went to the movies. / 家を出て、映画館に行った。
て form doesn’t get used to express a reason, though. So that’s why your sentence (出かけて、ので~) doesn’t make sense.
If you take out the ので (which = because in English) you can write: 遅く出かけて、必死にバス停に走った。Or, change it to something like what Google wrote.
Thankyou! I’m self taught and struggle to remember grammar rules.
I shall look up deepL too 😀
I think your main mistake is thinking ので is a part of the following clause, when it is supposed to end the first clause.
ので means “because”, but it also somewhat nominalizes the verb it follows, like の alone does. The て form of verbs is specifically for linking a verb directly to a following clause, with a meaning like “and”. However, ので (like similar words) attaches directly to the verb, and the verb can’t be in the て form. It *must* be in the plain (i.e. not ます) non-past or plain past form.
The general thought process for using ので (and any similar conjunctive words and particles such as から, のに, ため, ほど, けど, だけで, etc.) is as follows:
1. Take the first clause alone. 家を出るのが遅くなった “I was late leaving the house”
2. Add ので (or whatever other similar word). 家を出るのが遅くなったので “Because I was late leaving the house”
3. Add the second clause. 家を出るのが遅くなったので、必死にバスに走った “Because I was late leaving the house, I ran frantically to the bus.”
Your last sentence should be more like 初心者だから親切にしてください。
And I would not recommend translating to and from google to study Japanese. It’s very not ideal.