N4 トピック
L1: Does That Mean I Have to Redo It?
Does That Mean I Have to Redo It?
In this Topic, we are going to be introduced to two new structures. This first is なおす, meaning ‘to redo’, or ‘to fix’. The second is ということ, which is a common clarification phrase meaning something similar to ‘that means (A)’, or ‘it is that (A)’.
In the Details section, we will also review some of the common compound word patterns that we have seen so far.
このトピックに出てくる文法
なおす
To do over, To redo
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.
ということ
~ing, The ~ that ~ (Nominalization)
One of the ways to perform nominalization (turning a phrase into a noun) in Japanese is through the use of the expression ということ. This grammar point is a combination of と (the particle), 言う (the verb), and こと (the noun). Together, the literal translation is close to 'that (A) is said to be'. However, in reality, it sounds far less formal than this.
To use ということ, attach it to the end of any phrase (without です, or ます). In most cases it will be written using hiragana.
In conversation, という is regularly shortened to simply って. This form will be heard/seen much more frequently in conversation/manga and similar things.
ということ is also frequently used when clarifying what someone else has said. In these cases, it translates very similarly to 'you mean that (A)?', or 'you mean to say that (A)?'
Caution
Although the kanji 言う and 事 may be used in this expression, the most common form does not use any kanji at all. This is a regular occurence in Japanese, as many set grammatical structures will not use kanji, simply because it makes the pattern easier to identify.
詳細
Up until this point, we have really only seen すぎる ‘to overdo’, or ‘to do too much’ used as a verb that can attach to another verb’s stem form in order to alter or add on to its meaning. However, すぎる is a bit of a special case in that it can also connect to other words, such as adjectives.
なおす is far more regular, and is part of a group that we will refer to as 複合動詞, or ‘compound verbs’. This term indicates both verbs in a compound, but we will focus on the second verb here. Although there are many verbs that can appear in the second position, there is a standard group of 20 or so that we will learn while progressing through the JLPT levels.
These verbs are considered the standard because they often give us very important or precise information about the first verb. That information is often related to things like frequency, intensity, timing or scope.
It’s in the Way You Move
Let’s look at some examples of compound verbs below. Note that some of these we will learn as their own grammar points a little later on.
As mentioned, we will eventually learn all of these compound verb patterns above, and even more on top of those as well! For now, let’s just focus on the fact that compound verbs often provide essential, supplemental information that tells us more about the way in which something is done.
Placement Is Key
Up until this point, we have learned other structures like ていく, てくる, and ている. These are also all verbs that attach to another verb, but the primary distinction is that they attach to the て-form, and not the stem form. Verbs that attach to the て-form are referred to as 補助動詞, or ‘subsidiary verbs’, rather than compound verbs. There are some key differences between these, so we will cover them in greater depth once we have seen more examples of each one!