All Questions
Tagged with polarity-items negation
8 questions
0
votes
1
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Is there a difference between ます and ません for sentences carrying an exclusive connotation(しか)?
私は野菜しか食べません。
apparently means "I only eat vegetables"? Shouldn't there be a negative connotation with the ません-ending?
If that's the case what does 私は野菜しか食べます mean?
Is there a special ...
- 123
7
votes
2
answers
1k
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How does 一回だって in this sentence mean "not even once" when there's no negative?
I came across this sentence watching March Comes In Like a Lion. I'll transcribe it to the best of my ability: (here's the episode though, and the quote happens at 5:46)
僕【ぼく】は遠慮【えんりょ】することにばかり気【き】...
- 185
1
vote
1
answer
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Negative in Japanese, but positive in English translation. Why? 俺は自分が生き残ることしか考えていなかった
俺は自分が生き残ることしか考えていなかった.
the only thing I thought about was surviving.
ore ha jibun ga ikinokoru koto shika kangaeteinakatta.
I don't really understand why in Japanese it uses 考えて in the negative, ...
- 13
3
votes
2
answers
258
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あまり when used to answer a negative question
When answering a negative question with あまり, it will normally be the positive (by japanese rules). For example:
person A: 彼に来ないで欲しいですか？
person B: あまり
By literal translation, person A is asking ...
- 2,151
11
votes
1
answer
2k
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Does ません sometimes not negate?
彼ら は 自分 の 事 しか 考えて いません。
The translation of this sentence from my learning materials is apparently "They only think of themselves."
Now it all makes sense to me until the ません at the end. To ...
- 307
6
votes
2
answers
598
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必ずしも within this sentence
I was learning about 限らない and encounter this particular sentence.
社長の意見が必ずしも正しいとは限らない
I'm pretty sure that the meaning would be
"Manager's opinion is not always right"
But if I check the ...
- 1,876
6
votes
1
answer
306
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Uncertain about なにも
I encountered a short sentence that I'm having trouble understanding completely.
なにも遊ぶのは人間だけじゃない。
The context is, a young girl is playing with a dog for the first time.
I'm pretty sure I at least ...
- 3,113
35
votes
3
answers
7k
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The reason for using 何も+negative, but 何でも+positive
In one of the Japanese classes I attended, I've been taught that while we use 「何も出来ない」to say "He cannot do anything", to say "He can do anything" we use 「何でも出来る」 instead of 「何も出来る」.
Why is there a ...
- 20k