Quote:
Originally Posted by masaegu
3. 「きてみる」 + 「は」. "I came over to see what was going on and how I might be of help."
This 「は」 reflects a very Japanese way of thinking. You decided to come but found out that there was nothing you could do to help; therefore, you do not want to sound as if your arrival was worth mentioning.
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I think it was explained to me one time that は in this sort of て construction functions to place emphasis.
I think it was explained to me in Japanese while I was studying in Tokyo at university, so that may be why I'm a bit weak on the structure. The reason I think I was taught about it in Japan was because I remember we watched an old 小津安二郎 film called 生まれてはみたけれど, and I was confused by the function of は in the title.
Could you explain a bit the function of 〜ては? Or is it "special" when followed by みる?
I am comfortable with constructions like 〜てはならない and 〜てはいけない, but those are idiomatic, so I can't explain what は does there other than saying 必要な助詞だ。