Structure
Verb[stem]+ なおす
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Standard
About なおす
直す is a verb that means 'to fix', or 'to redo'. It is used when saying that something needs to be done a second time (usually due to the result/quality being insufficient the first time). To use 直す, it will need to be attached to the ます stem form of any verb.
With する verbs, the conjugation rules are slightly different. する will become し, and then 直す will be connected in the regular fashion. In some situations, する may be replaced with やる (a very casual equivalent of する). As やる is a う-Verb, it will be conjugated as やり直す.
Caution
直す (to fix) should not be confused with 治す (to heal/mend). The kanji 直 literally means 'straight', or 'direct', and implies that one should 'straighten out' something.
Examples
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この文章を書き直した方がいいよ。
You should rewrite this sentence.
「お前」って言うな。言い直してください。
Don't say 'おまえ'. Please rephrase what you said!
お客さんに電話を掛け直してください。
Please call the client again.
彼女のことを見直しました。
I renewed my view of her.
はい!急いでやり直します。
Yes, sir! I will quickly redo it.
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なおす – Grammar Discussion
Most Recent Replies (17 in total)
Jake
To do over
to do againStructure
- Verb[stem] + なおす
View on Bunpro
Tooko554
With the sentence 水に見えるけど、みなおしたら ミルクティと分かる。
Why is it なおしたら? What does the ら do? I’ve looked around the Bunpro website for what that means but I can’t find it.Pushindawood
@Tooko554 Hey! This comes from たら, meaning “from when” or “if.” Essentially, this sentence means “If I look again…” or “When I looked again…” Cheers!
Johnathan-Weir
nekoyama
It sounds more like wo to me. I don’t think it’s weird, to me it sounds like she’s just making sure we hear the を.
s1212z
Are you saying they should 直す it?
kezako
Hey,
I don’t see why 「水に見えるけど見直ればミルクティと分かる。」 wouldn’t work in that context… even if that’s not what’s being requested.
nekoyama
見直せば should work.
mattarod
I am confused about this sentence:
その時は大変だったが、経済がもちなおしたから大丈夫。
I was under the impression 直す was a transitive verb. However, an economy recovering seems to be an intransitive thing. So I tried to put もちなおった instead of なおした and it was marked wrong. Can someone explain why this one is the way it is?
Howl_UK
[持ち直す - recover, improve]
This is the compound verb for that example sentence.
I just checked on Shirabe Jisho and it is a transitive verb. There is no entry for 持ち直る so I don’t know if that verb exists. Either way, the grammar point is stem + 直す.
nekoyama
It doesn’t mean much that 直す is transitive as a standalone verb. In compound verbs like this, transitivity is determined by the first verb. Another way to think about it is that when 直す is an auxiliary, the “object” (the thing you 直す) is the verb it’s attached to, in this case 持ち. Compare to other auxiliaries like 始める.
Transitive 持ち直す is e.g. when you put down your bag because your hand hurts and then you pick it back up with the other hand. (Transitive 持つ means “to hold” etc.)
Intransitive 持ち直す means “to recover”. (Intransitive 持つ means “to last” etc.)
mattarod
Got it! I think this is the core insight I was missing.
Thanks a bunch for your help!
Howl_UK
This example sentence:
もう一度考え直しませんか。
Won’t you reconsider?I’ve gotten this wrong twice now in reviews using the answer 考えなおしてくれませんか which is the first thing that pops into my head when reading, “Won’t you reconsider?” Does it sound natural or clunky? There is no context but the request is most likely for the speakers benefit, right? If so, can it be added to one of those ‘nice guess but we are looking for a different answer’ type responses?
Sodaira
image_2022-05-09_224443941742×178 11.2 KBFuga
Hey @Sodaira!
It seems like the 色々 was not included in the translations so we have tweaked the translation so that it is included in the English translation. 色々 corresponds to ‘things’ in this sentence, referring to the ‘various things’ the speaker tends to rethink.
I hope that this answers your question!
MikkaT
Hi, I don’t understand this example. I convinced myself that it was probably past form (ta) because of the 方がいい/ it would be better. But why is the non past form also correct. What is the difference?
Arwin1
I was wondering the same thing.
bilowik
They may have made changes to the ほうがいい grammar point recently, now at the end of it it now mentions that the dictionary form can be used, but is understood as more of a general opinion rather than direct advice to the listener.
I think in this case though, it sounds much more like direct advice than a general opinion, but maybe there’s more nuance to it than just that.
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