[Columbine]

Originally Posted by yumyumtimtam

I see. Thank you! I will be careful when I use "indeed" next time.
（sarcasm は「皮肉」だと思います！）
actually I haven't heard anyone said "indeed" in a real life (現実世界？ってin a real life? in my real life?)

It's not used very much these days (it's "in real life"). I guess it's a little old-fashioned. I still sometimes hear it because I live in an area where people speak in a kind of old-fashioned way.

Originally Posted by yumyumtimtam

columbine san, can you teach me the way to use "dream on"?
I couldn't find it in that website.

Is it used for positive and negative both?

I've mostly only heard it as a negative thing. Like if my friend says to me "One day I'll be rich and marry a super model," I would reply "Dream on." It means "carry on dreaming" and is similar in nuance to "Only in your dreams" so you say it when someone claims or suggests something silly or impossible, particularly in regard to them-self.

Originally Posted by yumyumtimtam

そうなんですよ・・・私が感じるに、日本語は挨拶だけ ではなく　いろいろな場面で複雑かな・・・　申し訳ご ざいません・済みません・ごめんなさい　という謝罪の 言葉や　よろしくおねがいします　とか　ふつつかもの ですが　とか　つまらないものですが　とか・・・

私は日本で生まれ育った日本人なのですが　そういった 表現がちょっと苦手です。

でもこういったダイレクトにいわない日本語表現も良い な～と感じることもあるので、うまく使い分けて楽しみ たいと思っています。

columbine さんはそういう日本語の表現についてどう思いますか？

じつは、敬語などを勉強する時に日本人の友達は仕事を 探していました。ある人は面接がありました。でも、後 で、わたし「どうだった？」と聞きまして、『大変だっ た、違い言葉を使いちゃった〜」と言いました。留学達 はびくりしました。日本人が絶対に敬語など話し方はて んぷのさいのうと思いました。W

私に取って、日本語の表現と熟語は少しまぎらわしいで すが、もっと習うと、もっと面白くになります。よく日 本語の表現を分かれるのために日本の文化や歴史につい て習わなくちゃいけません。そして、私も日本語の表現 をうまく使い分けて楽しみたいと思っています。

Originally Posted by yumyumtimtam

(1)He talked to the teacher
(2)He spoke to the teacher
"(1)"is more like....when you have important things to talk with the teacher?
than "(2)"?
"(2)"is it like...what he said to the teacher isn't very important but the fact that he said something to the teacher is more important here?

3)He spoke "with" the teacher...is it OK? and means the same with "talked with the teacher"?

He talked to the teacher ....(mainly he talked?)
He talked with the teacher....(he and the teacher both talked equally?)　

I think there's maybe more of a difference between 'to' and 'with' than there is between 'talked' and 'spoke'. 'Talk to' has the sense of direct communication person to person whereas 'talk with' indicates more a conversation. But 'spoke' has more for a formal nuance than 'talked'. In fact, 'spoke' is technically the more accurate past tense of 'talk' but 'talked' is used so much that the two have become almost interchangeably. I would say "I spoke with the teacher" holds the nuance "I had something (important) to discuss with the teacher". I would 'speak with' the teacher about my grades, for example, but I would 'talk with' the teacher about the weather today. So (1) is actually more like an informal chat than (2) in your examples.

But sometimes in real life situations people will use 'talk' when they mean a more serious conversation. Being given a "talking to", for example, is one way of saying "being scolded". Or this sort of thing:
John: "Mary came home crying today."
Sue: "Oh dear. I'll talk to her."
But when it's used like this, the people having the discussion tend to be friends/equals.

Originally Posted by yumyumtimtam

I was wondering.... how about this...
If I was working at a bar... at some nice and expensive one...it opens till 1-2am...
A customer just came in around 0:00am...is it OK for me to say to him "good evening sir" ?

Yes, even if it's 3am, if it's that sort of situation, it's ok to say "good evening".

Originally Posted by yumyumtimtam

I am sorry for being so sticky beak here.
(mmm...maybe "sticky beak" is used only for someone's business?
or can I use it as しつこい?)
I know I could say "hello", but なんだか気になってしまって・・・

hahah, しつこい (新しい言葉ゲット！）is probably more accurate. I would call someone a sticky-beak if they were eavesdropping or I caught them reading my diary or they were asking about some personal situation that totally unrelated to them.
You can say 'hello' to your friends at any time of day

Originally Posted by yumyumtimtam

you meant "ah huh!"?

yes. Well "a-ha!" really, but i just realized that in hiragana it looks like i meant あほ。英語の表現はカタカナでよく翻訳できません９＿ ＿９；。

Originally Posted by yumyumtimtam

丁寧な言い方では
「ご説明くださってありがとうございます」
「ご説明ありがとうございます」
「説明してくださってありがとうございます」　等があ りますが

ここでは
「説明してくれてありがとう」
「説明ありがとう」　が良いと思うよ

「今わかります」は"now I understand"ってことかな？
それだったら「もうわかりました」でいかがでしょう？

Oops. This is why I shouldn't type Japanese too quickly. では、説明ありがとう。もう分かりました。：）日本語 を読むの方が書くより上手と思います。だから、わたし が間違い日本語を書いて、教えてくれませんか？

Originally Posted by yumyumtimtam

「しなければ」ではなくて「しないと」を私は使います よ
また親しい人には「しなくちゃ」「しなきゃ」も使いま す

「いけません」のところは
親しい人には
「いけない」や「だめ」などを使います

たとえば
「明日はせっかくのお休みなのに歯医者さんに行かなき ゃいけないんだ～」とか

そうですか。そういうのは『しなければ」よりリラック スの感じがあります。

Originally Posted by yumyumtimtam

　"My tooth hurts...I think I have to go to see the dentist soon" or "go to the dentist" ?

私の周りには日本語で「歯医者（or歯医者さん）に行く� ��や「お医者(お医者さん)に行く」という人が多いです� �英語でも　go to see the doctor じゃなくて　go to the doctor と言っても大丈夫ですか？　

Hmmm~ 英語で色々な言う方があります。"I'm going to the dentists'/ doctor('s surgery)", "I'm seeing the dentist/doctor", "I'm going to see the dentist/doctor",I think any of them are okay. The () are unspoken. It's also common to say "I need to book a dentist's/doctor's appointment" or "I have a dentist's/doctor's appointment".

Originally Posted by yumyumtimtam

「留学生」だね
「ビシネッス」はbusiness?
もしそうなら「ビジネス」だよ

はい、そう意味でした。:/ も一度タイポミスです。すみません。

Originally Posted by yumyumtimtam

おもしろ～い！
アムの後は　お客さんを待たせなきゃいけない店員さん みたいだね！

「マフら」は「マフラー」だよ（タイプミスだね？）

「マフラー」は英語じゃないんだよね？


「今」は「今から」のほうが良いよ

「変死」はしないでください

でも　「返事」(or「返信」)はくれるとうれしいです

XDそうだね。毎日授業中店員や会社員の会話を聞くので� ��達と話すのは難しいになった。
タイプミスだった。ん、英語でmufflerはやっぱり車の道� �かそのような手袋だよ：http://s2.thisnext.com/media/230x230...n_C6C083EF.jpg
「マフラー」は英語でscarfでしょうね。

変死。。。きゃあ〜
書き早いすぎちゃった〜W

いつもありがとうyyttさん！