Japanese Help Questions/Translations

[masaegu]

Originally Posted by KyleGoetz

You should know that どっち is casual, so if you don't mean to sound casual, you should use どちら. どっち comes from どちら.

TO miss X = Xが恋しい

So, depending on your precise intent, something like
イギリスのお菓子の中でどちらが１番恋しいでしょうか 。
This is asking for the #1 sweet missed the most.

You can only use 「どちら/どっち」 when someone must choose from two items.

「イギリスのお菓子で何（なに）が一番恋しいですか。 」
「イギリスのお菓子の中で何（なに）が一番恋しいです か。」
「イギリスのお菓子で一番恋しいのは何（なん）ですか。」 <-- Native speakers' choice.

[KyleGoetz]

Originally Posted by masaegu

You can only use 「どちら/どっち」 when someone must choose from two items.

「イギリスのお菓子で何（なに）が一番恋しいですか。 」
「イギリスのお菓子の中で何（なに）が一番恋しいです か。」
「イギリスのお菓子で一番恋しいのは何（なん）ですか。」 <-- Native speakers' choice.

You are, of course, right. This is one of those things that just slips one's mind if Japanese is not spoken frequently! I was thinking of どれ while typing どちら. But your suggestion of 何 (and switching around the end to nominalize 恋しい) instead is taken to heart.

[OzukakiBurasuki]

I'm back again. I have some more sentences, but I need some understanding on these for now. Sorry if I go comma-crazy, but the book is doing do, too.

There are lots of foreign teachers in my college.
「たくさん外国の先生が私の大学にいます。」 (Does 外国の先生 fit for foreign teachers, or is that wrong?)

The college is to the left of the bank.
「大学は銀行の左です。」 (just need this one checked :P)

Go out the east exit and go to the right, please.
「東口を出て、右へ行ってください。」 (へ could be interchanged with に, right, since both are considered "goals of movement"? Or does へ sound better?)

The restaurant is near the south exit.
「レストランは南口のそばです。」 (Does this sound right?)

I ate pizza and drank wine at the restaurant.
「私はピザを食べて、お酒を飲みました。」 (Where would レストランで be placed in this? after 私は I am assuming?)

I waited for twenty minutes at the north exit.
「私は北口で二十分間待ちました。」 (Since it is the duration of twenty minutes, 廿分間 is okay?)

よろしくお願いします。

[KyleGoetz]

Originally Posted by OzukakiBurasuki

I'm back again. I have some more sentences, but I need some understanding on these for now. Sorry if I go comma-crazy, but the book is doing do, too.

There are lots of foreign teachers in my college.
「たくさん外国の先生が私の大学にいます。」 (Does 外国の先生 fit for foreign teachers, or is that wrong?)

I think 外国人の先生 is better, but I wouldn't take KyleGoetz's word for it.

The college is to the left of the bank.
「大学は銀行の左です。」 (just need this one checked :P)

This is correct. Other people might say 左にあります though.

Go out the east exit and go to the right, please.
「東口を出て、右へ行ってください。」 (へ could be interchanged with に, right, since both are considered "goals of movement"? Or does へ sound better?)

Yes, you can use へ or に. There's a subtle distinction, but you don't really need to know it at this stage. Suffice to say that you can pretty much always replace へ with に and still remain correct (although you can't go the other way always!). When dealing with directional movement, they're nearly interchangeable. に connotes a bit more purpose as to the destination. Don't worry about getting it yet. It's not really that important at your stage. Also, you might learn the verb まがる, which means "to turn." 左にまがる = "to turn to the left."

The restaurant is near the south exit.
「レストランは南口のそばです。」 (Does this sound right?)

I think にあります instead of です is better. I can't say for certain whether yours is wrong though. I do know にあります is definitely a correct way, though. It's the way I was taught.

I ate pizza and drank wine at the restaurant.
「私はピザを食べて、お酒を飲みました。」 (Where would レストランで be placed in this? after 私は I am assuming?)

Correct. Also, wine = ワイン. おさけ = alcohol. And you're correct about the positioning of レストランで. Sentence order is way more flexible in Japanese than in English. Heck, you could just say レストランではピザを食べて、ワインを飲みました。

I waited for twenty minutes at the north exit.
「私は北口で二十分間待ちました。」 (Since it is the duration of twenty minutes, 廿分間 is okay?)

You don't use 間 here. 二十分 is correct. 間 goes with 時 when talking about hours, 年, 週, etc. Not with 分 though. I would not use 廿 for ２０, though. It might look a bit pretentious, but I'm not sure. I don't really encounter 廿 often. Play it safe and just do 20 or 二十.

[masaegu]

Originally Posted by KyleGoetz

I think 外国人の先生 is better, but I wouldn't take KyleGoetz's word for it.

It is better. Another option would be 「海外からの先生」.

More imprtantly, though, OP's positioning of 「たくさん」 is incorrect. It should be placed immediately before the verb. If you change it to 「たくさんの」 , you can keep it up where it is.

I think にあります instead of です is better. I can't say for certain whether yours is wrong though. I do know にあります is definitely a correct way, though. It's the way I was taught.

「にあります」 certainly sounds more refined but 「です」 is quite common in colloquial speech.

I would not use 廿 for ２０, though. It might look a bit pretentious, but I'm not sure. I don't really encounter 廿 often. Play it safe and just do 20 or 二十.

DO NOT use 「廿」. It should not have been taught to OP in the first place.

[OzukakiBurasuki]

ありがとう, masaeguとKyle。

I have more sentences now. :P

May I go out tonight?

「今晩私は出かけてもいいですか。」 (今晩 is fine where it is, right? [essentially like using 今日、?)

You must not watch this movie alone. You are 16 years old!
「一人でこの映画を見てはいけません。十六才ですよ。 」 (Could I add ～から because an explanation is given? Is the ～よ okay? o_o)

I am allowed to work part-time in Japan.
「私は日本でアルバイトしてもいいです。」 (Is this correct? I don't want to get hit again for loving で D

I am not allowed to go outside.
「外に行ってはいけません。」 (does this sound awkward? Should I use うちの外 to be more specific?)

I will go to the library and return the book tomorrow.
「私は明日図書館行って、本を返します。」 (does this sound alright?)

Mary and Takeshi met and talked for about an hour.
メアリさんとたけしさんは会って、一時間ぐらい話しま した。」 (did I place 一時間ぐらい correctly, or does it matter which verb it has to be placed in front of?)

My friend went to China and did not return.
私の友達は中国に行って、帰りませんでした。」 (would it be okay to drop 私の?)

I am not free today. (It's) because I have a test tomorrow.
「今日私は暇ではありません。明日テストがありますか ら。」 (does this sound alright?)

The test was not difficult. (That was) because I had studied a lot.
「テストは難しい区ありません。たくさん勉強しました から。」 (was my use of たくさん correct or incorrect?)

Let's go out tonight. (It's) because tomorrow is a holiday.
「今晩は出かけましょう。明日休みがありますから。」 (would I need to make 今晩 the topic, or can I drop は?)

I helped my mother. (It's) because she was busy.
「私はお母さんを手伝いました。お母さんは忙しかった ですから。」 (Is it weird to say お母さん twice, or is my English just making me want to use 彼女 instead?)

I will not drink coffee. (It's) because I drank coffee in the morning.
「私はコーヒーと飲みません。朝コーヒーを飲みました から。」 (this sounds weird to me)

I will not meet you tonight at the tea house/cafe. (It's because) I have to study for a test tomorrow.
「今晩私は喫茶店であってはいけません。」 (does this sound fine?)
「明日テストを勉強しますから。」 (did I word the second sentence right?)

よろしくお願いします。

[masaegu]

Originally Posted by OzukakiBurasuki

May I go out tonight?

「今晩私は出かけてもいいですか。」 (今晩 is fine where it is, right? [essentially like using 今日、?)

Correct. Natve speakers would not use the pronoun in this sentence but you are probably required to do so in school?

You must not watch this movie alone. You are 16 years old!
「一人でこの映画を見てはいけません。十六才ですよ。 」 (Could I add ～から because an explanation is given? Is the ～よ okay? o_o)

Correct. You could say 「～～ですから」. The 「よ」 is okay.

I am allowed to work part-time in Japan.
「私は日本でアルバイトしてもいいです。」 (Is this correct? I don't want to get hit again for loving で D

Correct. Love 「で」 all you want here because 「アルバイトする」 is an action verb. Had the sentence been "I am allowed to stay (or live) in Japan.", then the particle would have had to be 「に」.　

I am not allowed to go outside.
「外に行ってはいけません。」 (does this sound awkward? Should I use うちの外 to be more specific?)

Awkward but grammatical. Either 「外」 or 「うちの外」 is okay. The awkwardness is in the verb choice. Native speakers would prefer to use 「出る」 over　「行く」.

I will go to the library and return the book tomorrow.
「私は明日図書館行って、本を返します。」 (does this sound alright?)

No comma needed. Use a particle after the 「図書館」 unless you are attempting the casual speech. But then, no pronoun would be used in casual speech. So there is this imbalance in your sentence. Native ears will rarely, if ever, miss this type of imbalances. Particularly mine!

Mary and Takeshi met and talked for about an hour.
メアリさんとたけしさんは会って、一時間ぐらい話しま した。」 (did I place 一時間ぐらい correctly, or does it matter which verb it has to be placed in front of?)

Correct except for the comma. The 「一時間ぐらい」 can be placed in front of either verb in this case.

My friend went to China and did not return.
私の友達は中国に行って、帰りませんでした。」 (would it be okay to drop 私の?)

Grammatical but not too natural-sounding. We would use 「帰ってこなかった」.　In this sentence, you have more of a reason　to use a comma than in the couple of previous sentences. That is the unspoken, rather long time lapse between the two actions.

I am not free today. (It's) because I have a test tomorrow.
「今日私は暇ではありません。明日テストがありますか ら。」 (does this sound alright?)

Correct.

The test was not difficult. (That was) because I had studied a lot.
「テストは難しい区ありません。たくさん勉強しました から。」 (was my use of たくさん correct or incorrect?)

「難しい区」　＞　「難しく」.
Your use of 「たくさん」 is okay-ish but not recommendable for an adult speaker. Use 「よく」. Better yet, use 「一生懸命（いっしょうけんめい）」 if you have learned it.

Let's go out tonight. (It's) because tomorrow is a holiday.
「今晩は出かけましょう。明日休みがありますから。」 (would I need to make 今晩 the topic, or can I drop は?)

Yes, you need to because "tonight" is special because of what "tomorrow" is, which is a holiday. Change the second half to 「明日は（お）休みですから」.

I helped my mother. (It's) because she was busy.
「私はお母さんを手伝いました。お母さんは忙しかった ですから。」 (Is it weird to say お母さん twice, or is my English just making me want to use 彼女 instead?)

If the speaker is over around 11-12, use 「母」 instead of 「お母さん」. You can use 「母」 twice. Almost no native speakers would use 「彼女」 here. Those who do are too heavily influenced by a foreign language.

「私はお母さんを手伝いました」 sounds like it was translated from a foreign language, which is what happened. I recommend 「母の手伝いをしました」.

IMPORTANT: Use 「が」 for the second half.

I will not drink coffee. (It's) because I drank coffee in the morning.
「私はコーヒーと飲みません。朝コーヒーを飲みました から。」 (this sounds weird to me)

Why 「と」? The rest is good.

I will not meet you tonight at the tea house/cafe. (It's because) I have to study for a test tomorrow.
「今晩私は喫茶店であってはいけません。」 (does this sound fine?)
「明日テストを勉強しますから。」 (did I word the second sentence right?)

Both incorrect. First one sounds as if one was talking about a forbidden love of a sort. Second is plain weird.

「今晩喫茶店には行けません。」or 「今晩喫茶店で会うことはできません。」
「明日のテストの勉強をしますから。」

[delacroix01]

I've been googling for a while, but didn't find much information, so I'm asking for help again. I know most of my questions are boring, but I have to ask anyway.

1. 彼女を護ると誓った神宮前！どうかご利益ありますよう に！！
Is 神宮前 a place name?

http://i.imgur.com/meANO.jpg
I tried to find information related to these 大御心 things, and so far I've learned that they are exclusive omikuji for Meiji Shrine. However, I still haven't gathered enough information to understand what in the pic, so here come questions again.
2/ Do you ever translate the word 大御心 when explaining to a foreigner? So far I've only seen definitions in Japanese (天皇の心。叡慮(えいりょ)), so I'm assuming that the word doesn't get translated. I need to be sure about this.
3/ 昭憲皇太后御歌 are songs composed by Empress Shouken, am I right?
4/ Is the word 鏡 in the mid the title of the song?
5/ Does anyone know the meaning of the lyrics? It's totally out of my level.
6/ What is the number near the bottom right corner for?

Thanks in advance.

[OzukakiBurasuki]

ありがとうございますmasaeguさん。

[masaegu]

Originally Posted by delacroix01

I've been googling for a while, but didn't find much information, so I'm asking for help again. I know most of my questions are boring, but I have to ask anyway.

1. 彼女を護ると誓った神宮前！どうかご利益ありますよう に！！
Is 神宮前 a place name?

http://i.imgur.com/meANO.jpg
I tried to find information related to these 大御心 things, and so far I've learned that they are exclusive omikuji for Meiji Shrine. However, I still haven't gathered enough information to understand what in the pic, so here come questions again.
2/ Do you ever translate the word 大御心 when explaining to a foreigner? So far I've only seen definitions in Japanese (天皇の心。叡慮(えいりょ)), so I'm assuming that the word doesn't get translated. I need to be sure about this.
3/ 昭憲皇太后御歌 are songs composed by Empress Shouken, am I right?
4/ Is the word 鏡 in the mid the title of the song?
5/ Does anyone know the meaning of the lyrics? It's totally out of my level.
6/ What is the number near the bottom right corner for?

1. Yes. It is the name of the area around the main entrance to Meiji Jinguu.

2. The best one could do is to simply romatize and add an explanation. The word is not even used at other shrines.

3. Correct.

4. Yes.

5. This is in Classical Japanese. It means "The mirror that I look in every morning is clean and that is how I would like my heart to be." What is implied is that if your heart is not clear, everything you look through it will be unclear and it could misguide you.

6. When you buy an 大御心 at Meiji Jinguu, you first pay and draw a stick out of a cylinder. All the sticks in there have numbers marked on them. Then the clerk will you give you the 大御心 with the matching number.