Differences Flashcards
(20 cards)
If / When Differences Summary
なら: More Hypothetical, One-Time Events
ば: More Logical
と: Universal Truths
たら: Can Work with Past-Tense, One-Time Events, “After A, then B”
時: Time is the Focus, Past-Tense
Logical vs Universal
Logical: True, but not always the case
ex. If I study, I will pass (logically, but not always the case)
Universal: Always the case
ex. Flowers bloom in Spring (always)
ほかの vs べつの
べつの: emphasizes that the other thing should be DIFFERENT
ex. __ のみせに行こう (Let’s go to another store)
ほか: Any other store (maybe this one is closed)
べつ: A different type of store (less expensive store, different items store, etc.)
If/When Differences
たら、なら、と、ば、とき
たら
- A happens first, and then B (“A, and after that, B”
- Both A and B can be past-tense
ex. 昨日いえにかえったら、まどになった
= when I got home yesterday, the window became small (“I got home yesterday, and after that, the window became small”)
なら
- When there is context
- “If you’re thinking about A, then B”
ex. 日本に行くなら、行く前に日本語を勉強した方がいいです。
If you are (considering) coming to Japan, it’s best to study Japanese before coming.
❌If you used たら here, it would mean “if you come to Japan, and after that, it’s best to study Japanese before coming” — makes no sense
- Conditions
2時からなら (If it’s after 2 o’clock) - Giving Advice
私はあなたなら、そんなことしない。(If I were you, I wouldn’t do that)
ば
- “If A happens, then B will happen as well”
ex. 今すぐ行けば、見られる (If you go now, you can see it)
と
- Stronger correlations than ば
- Strong sense of cause-effect, automatic outcome, repeated habits
ex. If drop a plate, it breaks
時 (とき)
- Past events; Focuses on time
ex. 日本に行った時、ミクに会った (When I went to Japan, I met Miku)
ex. 十二歳の時 (When I was 12)
If/When Differences Example
明日学校に行く__、3時半まで電話をできない。
“If I go to school tomorow, I can’t call you until 3:30”
❌たら: Sounds Too Event-Driven. “If I go to school, after that, I can’t call you until after 3:30.” Also just sounds weird.
❌時: “If I go to school tomorrow (at the time), I can’t…” Doesn’t sound natural and used more when the focus is the time period.
ば: Sounds Logical: “If I go to school tomorrow, (then logically) I can’t…” Could work if that’s like a rule of the school.
なら: “If I decide to go to school/consider going to school tomorrow, I can’t…”
と: Stronger Correlation. Implies that every time the speaker goes to school, they can’t talk on the phone until 3:30.
いつも vs いつでも
いつも implies regularity or frequency of an action
ex. 私はいつも朝ごはんを食べます (I always eat breakfast)
いつでも implies openness or availability at any time
ex. いつでも来てください (Please come anytime)
のこと vs について
のこと
1. is used for emotional or personal topics
2. can also be translated as meaning “everything about XX”
ex. かれのことがわすれられない (I can’t forget everything about him)
について
1. more formal
2. used for factual or informational explanations
ex. にほんのこうえんについて勉強しています (I am studying [about/concerning] Japanese Parks)
ぜんぶ vs すべて
ぜんぶ is like the United States—a group of parts that, when put together, make up the whole
すべて is like the entire nation—looking at the whole thing in its entirety, not necessarily concerned with the individual pieces.
ぜんぶ ex. If you say “give me all the money you have” using ぜんぶ, that would refer to ALL the money you own, while すべて would technically mean like the general idea of your money
すべて ex. saying “All people are free” would use すべて because you are speaking about everyone as a whole, not individually
ために vs ように
- ように cannot be used with nouns
- ように is used to express the speaker’s desire to achieve the goal
- ように uses non volition verbs, ために uses volition verbs
や vs とか vs たり
や:
1. Can only be used with nouns
2. Placed on every noun but the last one
3. More formal and used in writing
とか:
1. Can be used with verbs and adjectives
2. Placed after EVERY noun/verb
3. More casual
たり:
1. Used for listing actions/states
Example:
や: レストランやカフェで食べました (I ate at a restaurant, cafe, etc.)
たり: レストランで食べたり、カフェで水のんだりしました (I ate at a restaurant and drank water at a cafe [among other actions])
“And” Differences Example
レストラン__カフェで食べました
や: “I ate at a restaurant and a cafe (and possibly other places as well)”
とか: “I ate at places like restaurants and cafes (and stuff like that)”
たり~たりする: Can’t use here, as たり is only for verbs.
“And” Differences Summary
や: Polite, “And (among others)”
とか: Casual, “Things like (examples)”
たり~たりする: Only for verbs, “Doing things like ()”
知る vs 分かる
知る:
1. To have knowledge about something
2. Used in the ている form to represent the current state of knowing something
ex. えきまでのみちを知っている : “I know the road up until the station/ I know the way to the station”
分かる:
1. To understand, grasp, or comprehend something you didn’t know before
2. Used in the past tense to indicate that the information is already now understood
ex. 学校は8時からです。わかった？: “School starts at 8. Got it/Understand?”
Speculations Differences
みたい
1. Observations based on looks
2. “Seems/Looks like…”
よう
1. Same as みたい but formal
そう
1. Conjugated into verbs and adjectives
2. Cannot be used with nouns
らしい
1. Based on hearsay, “I heard…” “Apparently…” but confident
Verb Conjugation Politeness Levels for Commands
なさい (Soft Order)
て (Order)
Imperative Form (Strict Order)
ex.
見なさい: Please look.
みて: Look.
見ろ: Look!!
3 Ways To Say “But”
- けど: goes mid-sentence or at the end, casual
ex. 行きたいけど、いそがしい。(I want to go, but I’m busy) - でも: starts a new sentence and therefore can be read as “however”
ex. 行きたい。でも、いそがしい。(I want to go. However, I’m busy.) - が connects two clauses, formal
ex. 行きたいが、いそがしい。(I want to go, but I’m busy.)
さんせい vs 同い
さんせい: Used when you agree (after being convinced)
ex. 新しい学校にい行きたいことを考えた、さんせいします (I’ve considered you going to a new school, and I agree.)
どうい: Used when you agree because you share the same opinion
ex. 彼が「せかいの食べものの中で一ばん好きな食べものはアイスクリームだ」と言ったことにどういする (I agree with him when he said that the best food in the world is ice cream)
ばん vs ばん目 vs 目
ばん
- General counter for number or turn, and can modify for “number one” or “best”
- ex. “This is platform number 5”
ばん目
- Formal way to express ordinal numbers (“the ~th”)
- ex. “これは三ばん目のポイントです: This is the third point (written)
目
- Casual way to express ordinal numbers when added to a counter
- ex. “これ二つ目だよ”: This is the second one
あい vs こい
あい: Deep, lifelong love, dramatic, serious
こい: Mostly about the feeling of falling in love or having a crush, excitement, nervousness, or yearning, temporarily exhilarating feeling
Just Using から vs. Using it With だって
There’s no significant difference. The だって prepares the listener to know a reason is coming, and then the だから (or から) at the end confirms that.
誰もに vs 誰にも
誰にも emphasizes the “no one” part more than 誰もに
彼は誰もに話さなかった: Stating a simple fact that he didn’t speak to anyone
彼は誰にも話さなかった: Strongly emphasizing that he told no one at all, probably indicating loneliness, etc.
