Structure
Verb[た]り + (Verb[た]り) + する
Verb[た]り + [する]Verb(したり) + する
Details
Part of Speech
Particle
Word Type
Conjunctive Particle
Register
Standard
品詞
助詞
単語の種類
接続助詞
使用域
一般
About たり~たりする
In Japanese, たり is a 'conjunction particle' that is used in exactly the same way as て. However, instead of having the nuance of 'then', or 'and', it has the nuance of 'and things like'. Basically, it is used for listing sequences of events that do not happen in a specific order.
The last たり in any sequence will almost always be followed by する (or した for past tense).
To summarize, the difference between て form, and たり is as follows.
Events in order - I did (A) て, (B) て, (C) て, (D) た.
Events in no specific order - I did (D) たり, (B) たり, (A) たり, (C) たりした.
たり is frequently used when there is only one verb in the sentence. This just means that the speaker did 'things like (A)', without specifically listing anything else.
The last たり in any sequence will almost always be followed by する (or した for past tense).
- 休みの日は家でテレビを見たり、寝たりする。On my days off, I do things like watch tv and sleep at home.
- 飲み会で食べたり、飲んだりした。At the party, I did things like eat and drink.
To summarize, the difference between て form, and たり is as follows.
Events in order - I did (A) て, (B) て, (C) て, (D) た.
Events in no specific order - I did (D) たり, (B) たり, (A) たり, (C) たりした.
たり is frequently used when there is only one verb in the sentence. This just means that the speaker did 'things like (A)', without specifically listing anything else.
- 昔あそこの池で泳いだりした。In the past, I used to swim in that lake over there. (Among other things)
Caution
In cases where a する verb is the last verb in a particular sequence, たり will often be omitted.- 勉強をしたり、おやつを食べたり、掃除もします。I do things like study, eat snacks, and also clean. (In no specific order)
Synonyms
Examples
家でゲームをしたり、食べたりした。
At home, I did things like play video games and eat.
音楽を聞いたり、本を読んだりしました。
I did things like listen to music and read books.
掃除をしたり、洗濯をしたりした。
I did things like cleaning and doing the laundry.
雨が降ったり、止んだりするね。
It keeps doing things like raining and stopping, doesn't it.
今日は、勉強したり、練習したりする。
Today I will do things like study and practice.
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Marugoto Elementary 1 (A2) Rikai
Page 146
Genki I
Page 215
Genki I 2nd Edition
Page 255
みんなの日本語 I
Page 122 [CH 19]
Marugoto Elementary 2 (A2) Rikai
Page 98
[DBJG] A Dictionary of Basic Japanese Grammar
Page 458
Tae Kim's Japanese Grammar Guide
Page 113
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たり~たりする – Grammar Discussion
Most Recent Replies (15 in total)
EdBunpro
About 2 years ago
Are you asking why it’s 降ったりinstead of 降たり?
Superpnut
About 2 years ago
No I actually just forgot that the stuff in [ x x x ] tells you what you’re supposed to use for the answer. I feel very silly right now. But uhh…ya. My fault guys
EdBunpro
About 2 years ago
Asking these things is how you learn and push your brain more and more, ask all the ‘dumb’ questions you want!
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