I saw the sign
Showing signs of something
In this lesson, we'll learn various expressions involving how to describe people who are expressing themselves without words.
For example, we'll learn how to say expressions in Japanese such as "They acted as if they were saying goodbye," "He acted disgusted," and
"She acts like she wants to go."
Showing outward signs of an emotion using ใ๏ฝใใใ
The ใ๏ฝใใใ grammar is used when you want to make an observation about how someone is feeling. This is simply an observation based on some type of
sign(s). Therefore, you would not use it for your own emotions since guessing about your own emotions is not necessary. This grammar can only be used with
adjectives so you can use this grammar to say, "He is acting scared," but you cannot say "He acted surprised," because "to be surprised" is a verb in Japanese
and not an adjective.
This grammar is also commonly used with a certain set of adjectives related to emotions such as: ใๅซใใใๆใใใใๅฌใใใใor ใๆฅใใใใใ.
Using ใ๏ฝใใใ for observing the emotions or feelings of others
- For i-adjectives: First remove the trailing ใใใ from the i-adjective and then attach ใใใใ
- ไพ๏ผใๆ
ใ โ ๆใใ
- For na-adjectives: Just attach ใใใใ to the end of the na-adjective
- ไพ๏ผใ้ๅฎ โ ้ๅฎใใ
All adjectives that are conjugated with ใ๏ฝใใใ become an u-verb
| Positive | Negative |
|---|
| Non-Past | ๆใใ | act scared | ๆใใใชใ | not act scared |
|---|
| Past | ๆใใฃใ | acted scared | ๆใใใชใใฃใ | didn't act scared |
|---|
Examples
๏ผ๏ผ๏ผใๆฉใใใฆใ๏ผไฝใๆฅใใใใใฃใฆใใใฎ๏ผ
- Hurry up and come here. What are you acting all embarrassed for?
๏ผ๏ผ๏ผใๅฝผๅฅณใฏๆๆฉใ่ตทใใใใใฎใๅซใใใฟใคใใงใใ
- My girlfriend is the type to show dislike towards getting woken up early in the morning.
๏ผ๏ผ๏ผใใใกใฎๅญไพใฏใใผใซใซๅ
ฅใใฎใ็็ฑใใชใๆใใใ
- Our child acts afraid about entering a pool without any reason.
This grammar is also used to observe very frankly on what you think someone other than yourself wants.
This involves the adjective ใๆฌฒใใใ for things one wants or the ใ๏ฝใใใ conjugation for actions one wants to do,
which is essentially a verb conjugated to an i-adjective. This type of grammar is more suited for things like narration in a story
and is rarely used in this fashion for normal conversations because of its impersonal style of observation. For casual conversations, it is more common to
use ใใงใใใใ such as in, ใใซใฌใผใ้ฃในใใใงใใใใใ.
For polite conversations, it is normal to not make any assumptions at all or to use the ใใใญใ sentence ending such as in
ใใซใฌใผใ้ฃในใใใงใใใใ or ใใซใฌใผใ้ฃในใใใงใใใญใใ
Examples
๏ผ๏ผ๏ผใๅฎถใซๅธฐใฃใใใใใใใฝใณใณใไฝฟใใใใใ
- [He] soon acts like wanting to use computer as soon as [he] gets home.
๏ผ๏ผ๏ผใใฟใใชใคใฟใชใขใซ่กใใใใฃใฆใใใ ใใฉใ็งใฎไบ็ฎใง่กใใใใฉใใใฏใจใฆใๆชใใใ
- Everybody is acting like they want to go to Italy but it's suspicious whether I can go or not going by my budget.
๏ผ๏ผ๏ผใๅฆปใฏใซใคใดใฃใใณใฎใใใฐใๆฌฒใใใฃใฆใใใใ ใใฉใใใใชใใใ่ฒทใใใใใชใใงใใใ๏ผ
- My wife was showing signs of wanting a Louis Vuitton bag but there's no way I can buy something like that!
ใ๏ฝใใใ is also used with ใๅฑใ to indicate a type of person that often feels a certain way such as ใๆฅใใใใใๅฑใ (one who easily feels or acts embarrassed)ใ
ใๅฏใใๅฑใ (one who easily feels cold)ใor ใๆใใๅฑใ (one who easily feels hot).
๏ผ๏ผ๏ผใ็งใฏๅฏใใๅฑใ ใใใใใใฝใฟใงๆฎใใใฎใฏ่พใใฃใใ
- I'm the type who easily gets cold and so living in Minnesota was painful.
Using ใใฐใใใ to act as if one might do something
We just learned how to observe the emotions and feelings of other by using ใ๏ฝใใใ with adjectives. But what about verbs? Indeed, there is a separate grammar
used to express the fact that someone else looks like they are about to do something but actually does not. Similar to the ใ๏ฝใใใ grammar, this is usually not
used in normal everyday conversations. I have seen it several times in books and novels but have yet to hear this grammar in a conversation.
For the regular non-past, non-negative verb, you must first conjugate the verb to the negative ending with ใใใ,
which was covered here. Then, you just attach ใใฐใใใ to the end of the verb. For all other conjugations, nothing else is
necessary except to just add ใใฐใใใ to the verb. The most common verb used with this grammar is ใ่จใใ . It is also usually used with the ใใซใ
target particle attached to the end of ใใฐใใใ.
This grammar
is completely different from the ใใฐใใใ used to express amounts and the ใใฐใใใ used to express the
proximity of an action.
Using ใใฐใใใ to indicate that one seems to want to do something
- For present, non-negative tense: Conjugate the verb to the ใใใ negative form and attach ใใฐใใใ
- ไพ๏ผใ่จ
ใ โ ่จใใชใ โ ่จใใ โ ่จใใใฐใใ
- For all other tenses: Simply attach ใใฐใใใ to the end of the verb
- ไพ๏ผใ่จใใชใใฃใ โ ่จใใชใใฃใใฐใใ
Summary of basic conjugations
| Positive | Negative |
|---|
| Non-Past | ่จใใใฐใใ | as if to say | ่จใใชใใฐใใ | as if [she] doesn't say |
|---|
| Past | ่จใฃใใฐใใ | as if [she] said | ่จใใชใใฃใใฐใใ | as if [she] didn't say |
|---|
Examples
๏ผ๏ผ๏ผใใใผใซใฏ็็บใใใฐใใใซใ่จใใใงใใใ
- The ball was expanding as if it was going to explode.
๏ผ๏ผ๏ผใใใใใใจ้ขไฟใชใใใจ่จใใใฐใใใซๅฝผๅฅณใฏๅฝผใ็ก่ฆใใฆใใใ
- She ignored him as if to say, "You have nothing to do with this."
๏ผ๏ผ๏ผใๆจๆฅใฎใฑใณใซใงไฝใ่จใใชใใฃใใฐใใใซใๅนณๆฐใช้กใใใฆใใใ
- Has a calm face as if [he] didn't say anything during the fight yesterday.
Using ใใใใ to indicate an atmosphere of a state
By now, you're probably thinking, "Ok, we've done adjectives and verbs. What about nouns?" As a matter of fact, there is a similar grammar that is used
usually for nouns and na-adjectives. It is used to indicate that something is showing the signs of a certain state. Unlike the ใ๏ฝใใใ grammar, there is
no action that indicates anything; merely the atmosphere gives off the impression of the state.
Just like the previous grammar we learned in this section, this grammar has a list of commonly used nouns such as ใ่ฌใใใ็งๅฏใใor ใ็ฎ่ใ.
This grammar is used by simply attaching ใใใใ to the noun or na-adjective. The result then becomes a regular u-verb.
Using ใใใใ to indicate that one seems to want to do something
- Simply attach ใใใใ to the noun or na-adjective. The result then becomes a regular u-verb.
- ไพ๏ผใ่ฌ โ ่ฌใใ
Summary of basic conjugations
| Positive | Negative |
|---|
| Non-Past | ่ฌใใ | puzzling atmosphere | *่ฌใใใชใ | not puzzling atmosphere |
|---|
| Past | ่ฌใใใ | puzzled atmosphere | *่ฌใใใชใใฃใ | not puzzled atmosphere |
|---|
* I suppose the negative tenses are theoretically possible but probably not practically.
The most common tense is by the far the past tense.
Examples
๏ผ๏ผ๏ผใ็ด
่ใๅงใพใใใใฃใใ็งใใใ็ฉบๆฐใซใชใฃใฆใใใ
- With the leaves starting to change color, the air came to become quite autumn like.
๏ผ๏ผ๏ผใใใใช่ฌใใใ้กใใใใฆใใใใพใ่ชฌๆใงใใชใใใ
- Even having that kind of puzzled look done to me, I can't explain it very well, you know.
๏ผ๏ผ๏ผใใใคใ็ฎ่ใใใ่จใๆนใใใใใใฟใใชใๅซใใใใใใ
- You'll make everyone dislike you if you keep speaking with that ironic tone, you know.
For a whole slew of additional real world examples, check out the jeKai entry.
It states that the grammar can be used for adverbs and other parts of speech but none of the numerous examples show this and even assuming it's possible, it's
probably not practiced in reality.
This page has last been revised on 2004/11/14
