A little help, please.

billyjapan · (#1 (**permalink**))

Hi,

I was just wondering if someone could explain something to me.

This sentence "姪ちゃん、前に結婚したおねえちゃんのベビー?".

Does it mean something like, "your niece, did your sister have her baby getting married?" OR a little more like "your niece, the baby of your sister who had the wedding before now(that you went to)?"

Any help much appreciated.

Thanks a lot.

masaegu · (#2 (**permalink**))

Quote:

Originally Posted by billyjapan

Hi,

I was just wondering if someone could explain something to me.

This sentence "姪ちゃん、前に結婚したおねえちゃんのベビー?".

Does it mean something like, "your niece, did your sister have her baby getting married?" OR a little more like "your niece, the baby of your sister who had the wedding before now(that you went to)?"

Any help much appreciated.

Thanks a lot.

"Your niece, is she the baby of your sister who got married some time ago?"

chryuop · (#3 (**permalink**))

Why your niece? Placed like that doesn't show the person is talking to the niece?

masaegu · (#4 (**permalink**))

Quote:

Originally Posted by chryuop

Why your niece? Placed like that doesn't show the person is talking to the niece?

Are you talking to me?

Supperman · (#5 (**permalink**))

Quote:

Originally Posted by billyjapan

Hi,

I was just wondering if someone could explain something to me.

This sentence "姪ちゃん、前に結婚したおねえちゃんのベビー?".

Does it mean something like, "your niece, did your sister have her baby getting married?" OR a little more like "your niece, the baby of your sister who had the wedding before now(that you went to)?"

Any help much appreciated.

Thanks a lot.

There might be plural contexts.
Without no context, my interpretation would be;

Oh, dear, my niece! Are you really the baby of my sister who just had the wedding before?

billyjapan · (#6 (**permalink**))

Thanks to you all for your help.

Masaegu, that seems like the most appropriate meaning looking at the context. Thanks again for the explanation.

masaegu · (#7 (**permalink**))

Quote:

Originally Posted by Supperman

Oh, dear, my niece! Are you really the baby of my sister who just had the wedding before?

Not even close. I thought you had answered affirmatively when someone asked you if you were a Japanese-speaker.

Supperman · (#8 (**permalink**))

Quote:

Originally Posted by masaegu

Not even close. I thought you had answered affirmatively when someone asked you if you were a Japanese-speaker.

Thank you, masaegu, for your comment.

But I didn't understand, not yet. Please tell me why did you know my interpretation was not even close? (Actually, it turns out to be not even close.)

And what does "I thought you had answered affirmatively when.........-speaker"
mean?

To me, your answer seems to correct billyjapan's English sentence. Doesn't he a native-English speaker?

To me, your answer seems to follow the interpretation of billyjapan (especially the second one). Why?

Why your niece, as chryuop asked previously ?

Supperman · (#9 (**permalink**))

わかりました。ひょっとして、
ネイティブの日本人っぽいヤツ（reply)を無理にひねり出そうとしているので、気負いすぎて、かえってとんちんかんな答えになってるよ、ってことですね。

chryuop · (#10 (**permalink**))

Quote:

Originally Posted by masaegu

Are you talking to me?

マサエグさんに答えが遅れて、すみませんね。僕の町は金曜日に小さい竜巻で直撃されて、２日間停電してしまいました。

Yes, I was not understanding why it is "your niece". I thought when you talk directly to someone that's the way you address. Like if I talked to my mother I might say "母ちゃん、。。。".