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-   -   What's the difference? (https://www.japanforum.com/forum/japanese-language-help/29336-whats-difference.html)

skittlepie345 12-15-2009 10:24 PM

What's the difference?
 
So this is on the difference between ます and ません at the end of a sentence. I think ます is used to convey is happening, ません is used to tell what is not happening, but I don't know for sure.

MMM 12-15-2009 10:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by skittlepie345 (Post 789996)
So this is on the difference between ます and ません at the end of a sentence. I think ます is used to convey is happening, ません is used to tell what is not happening, but I don't know for sure.

ます appears at the end of a verb to show positive action. The action is happening.

ません appears at the end of a verb to show negative action. The action is not happening.

skittlepie345 12-15-2009 10:32 PM

Thank you. thank you, thank you! I knew it was something like that, but I didn't know for sure.

MMM 12-15-2009 10:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by skittlepie345 (Post 789999)
Thank you. thank you, thank you! I knew it was something like that, but I didn't know for sure.

Are you studying Japanese?

skittlepie345 12-15-2009 10:48 PM

Yes, though I've only just recently started teaching myself.

KyleGoetz 12-16-2009 12:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by skittlepie345 (Post 790005)
Yes, though I've only just recently started teaching myself.

I'm curious how you got confused on this. Are you using materials that explain things in your native language? It seems you aren't, so I suggest referring to some.

I've never seen a bilingual reference that didn't explain ます as the positive polite verb ender and ません as the negative polite verb ender.

Since you asked such a question, it seems you haven't been reading materials written in your language. Assuming your native language is English, Google "tae kim japanese."

dougbrowne 12-17-2009 12:35 AM

Sounds like he is using Rosetta Stone to me lol.

KyleGoetz 12-17-2009 02:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dougbrowne (Post 790291)
Sounds like he is using Rosetta Stone to me lol.

Yeah, it's gotta be some materials that literally do not explain the first (or second) thing you learn about Japanese grammar. I don't know how you can be aware of the ます/ません endings and not know what they're for unless you're using really, really bad educational materials.

It's like saying "I think I figured it out. あ is hiragana and ア is katakana." It's not possible to be aware of the distinction and not know the nature of the distinction.

Unless, as I said, the materials are crappy. I'm not blaming OP. I'm blaming whatever he's using to learn. It's actually impressive if he deduced this rule on his own by just observing some Japanese sentences.


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