Structure Legend
Structure
Verb[た](*) + Noun
Verb[ている](*) + Noun
(*) Only verbs in short (plain) form can modify nouns. Do not use polite-ます.
Details
Part of Speech
Expression
Word Type
Noun
Register
Standard
品詞
表現
単語の種類
名詞
使用域
一般
About Verb[た・ている]+ Noun
In Japanese, if you want to describe something or someone that is performing an action, one of the ways you can do this is through a relative clause. A relative clause is when two phrases are joined into one sentence, rather than two individual sentences. The た (plain-past), or ている (continuous) form of verbs are usually used.
- たかしさんは東京に住んだ男。Takashi-san is a man that lived in Tokyo.
- 貴方が食べたハンバーガー。The hamburger that you ate.
- 田中さんが飲んでいるコーヒー。The coffee that Tanaka-san is drinking.
- 道で寝ている犬。A dog that is sleeping on the road.
Caution
The ます (polite) forms of verbs may not be used when making a relative clause.- たかしさんは東京に住んでいました男。Takashi-san is a man who lived in tokyo. (Unnatural Japanese)
Examples
たくさん勉強をした生徒。
A student who studied a lot.
日本に住んでいる外国人。
A foreigner living in Japan.
友達から借りたペン。
A pen borrowed from a friend.
洗った服。
Washed clothes.
私が作った椅子。
A chair I made.
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How to modify a noun in Japanese
MaggieSensei
How to make "Relative Clause"
Masa Sensei [Youtube]
Offline
Genki I 2nd Edition
Page 213
Genki II 1st Edition
Page 56
Genki II 2nd Edition
Page 80
Tobira
Page 70
[DBJG] A Dictionary of Basic Japanese Grammar
Page 9 & 376
Tae Kim's Japanese Grammar Guide
Page 63
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Verb[た・ている]+ Noun – Grammar Discussion
Most Recent Replies (22 in total)
pasi
About 8 months ago
I got this sentence それは、あの店が売ったお弁当でしょ but ended up typing in 売ったことがある instead (which is wrong). Now, I started to wonder if that would’ve been acceptable. I actually asked ChatGPT about this but I’m not entirely sure if I can trust its answer:
- それは、あの店が売ったお弁当でしょう: This sentence means, “That must be the bento that the store sold.” It’s indicating that the specific bento you’re referring to was sold by that store.
- それは、あの店が売ったことがあるお弁当でしょう: This sentence translates to, “That must be the bento that the store has sold before.” By adding “ことがある”, you’re implying that the store has experience of selling that kind of bento in the past. It does not necessarily mean the specific bento you’re referring to was sold at that store.
While the first sentence refers to a specific instance of sale, the second sentence refers to a recurring or past event, that the store has experience of selling that type of bento. So, while they are similar, the nuanced difference li...
bilowik
About 2 months ago
I’ve been struggling to differentiate between this grammar point and the の-verb nominalizer grammar point. For example, is there a nuanced difference between these two sentences?
掃除をした人。
掃除をしたの[は/が]人。IcyIceBear
About 2 months ago
- The person that cleaned
- The one that cleaned is person
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