(44) Genki 2 P 34 〜てみる、なら、一週間に3回
＜〜てみる＞
You can use the te-form of a verb plus the helping verb みるto express the idea of ‘doing something tentatively,” or “trying something.” You are not sure what the outcome of your action will be, but do it and sweepstakes’s what effect it might have.
Te-form は大丈夫ですか？
＜Ru-verb＞
Drop る add て 食べる ー 食べて
＜U-verb＞
うつる ー って
むぶぬ ー んで
くーいて
ぐーいで
すーして
するーして
納豆を食べてみる
I will try eating natto. (To see what it tastes like)
日本がどんなところか見るために、行ってみる。
In order to see what’s Japan like, I will try visiting.
友達が、そのドラマが面白いと言っていたので、見てみる。
My friend said that the drama is fun, so I will try watching it. (To see if it’s really fun).
みる comes from 見る、however, 〜てみる is always written in hiragana.
Although I haven’t been to Karaoke, I will try going there.
カラオケに行ったことないけど、行ってみる。
I haven’t had Japanese foods, however, I will try eating it.
日本食を食べたことがないけど、食べてみる。
Since I have learned Japanese, I will try talking to Japanese people.
日本語を勉強したので、日本人と話してみる。
＜〜なら＞
A statement of the form “noun A なら Predicate X” says that the predicate X applies only to A and is not more generally valid. The main ideas of a なら sentence, in other words, are contrast (as in Situation I) and limitation (as in Situation 2).
Situation 1
Q: 大阪に行ったことがありますか？
Have you been to Osaka?
A: 東京なら行ったことがありますが、大阪は行ったことがありません。
I’ve bee to Tokyo, but never to Osaka.
Situation 2
Q: 日本語がわかりますか？
Do you understand Japanese?
A: ひらがなならわかります。
If it is (written) in hiragana, yes.
なら introduces a sentence that says something “positive” about the item that is contrasted.
In the first situation above, なら puts Tokyo in a positive light, and in contrast with Osaka, which the question was originally about.
In the second situation, a smaller part, namely hiragana, is brought up and contrasted with a larger area, namely, the language as a whole.
I know Pokemon, however, I don’t know about Digimon.
ポケモンなら知っているけど、デジモンは知りません。
I have tried Sushi, however, I haven’t tried natto.
すしなら食べたことあるけど、納豆は食べたことがありません。
I understand Japanese grammar, however, it’s difficult to speak.
日本語文法ならわかるけど、話すのは難しい。
<一週間に3回＞
You can describe the frequency of events over a period of time by using the following framework.
(Period) に(frequency) (frequency) per (period)
一日に一回 Once a day
一週間に一回 Once a week
一ヶ月に一回 Once a month
一年に一回 Once a year
私は一週間に3回髪を洗います。
I shampoo three times a week.
私は一ヶ月に一回家族に電話をかけます。
I call mum family once a month.
私は一年に二回日本に旅行します。
I go on a trip to Japan twice a week.