Lesson 78
Ta Form + ri
Add ri to verbs in the Ta Form to mention various actions where accuracy or detail isn't necessary. Structures which use two or more verbs are most common. Be sure to add a form of suru after the last one:
- Kinou no ban watashi wa terebi o mitari, ongaku o kiitari, shukudai o shitari shite imashita. (Last night I watched TV, listened to some music, and did some homework.)
This form is used to give the listener a general idea of actions done without particularly emphasizing the order of things done, and also implies that other things were done that don't need to be mentioned. If you want, you can use just one action verb for a quick answer:
- Watashi wa terebi o mitari shite ita. (I watched TV and stuff.)
- Watashi wa manga o yondari shite, yuushoku o tabeta. (I read comics and stuff, then ate dinner.)
Now, just because the Ta Form is mainly used to convey the past tense, please don't think that this conjugation can only refer to the past. It can also be used for present or future happenings. Above I mentioned to be sure to add a form of suru, right? This is where you control the tense:
- Jim wa furui mono o kattari uttari suru. (Jim buys and sells old things.)
- Ashita watashi wa benkyou shitari, souji shitari, terebi o mitari suru deshou. (Tomorrow I'll probably do some studying, some cleaning, and watch TV.)
If you need to add more detail or emphasize the order of actions, use the Te Form for multiple statements as covered in Lesson 71):
- Kinou no ban watashi wa yuushoku o tabete kara terebi o mite, ni jikan gurai ongaku o kiite, ichi ji made shukudai o shimashita. (Last night after dinner I watched TV, listened to music for about two hours, then did homework until one o'clock.)
How about a complex combination to wrap this up? I think you're ready:
- Kyou Sachiko wa heya o souji shitari kaimono ni ittari shite, chuushoku o tabete, hiru kara yuujin no ie ni ittari piano o renshuu shitari shite, sore kara yuushoku o tsukutte kureta. (Today Sachiko cleaned her room and did some shopping, ate lunch, then in the afternoon went to a friend's house, practiced the piano and things, then she made dinner.)
I realize that this is a run-on sentence, but it just so happens that they happily survive in great numbers in the Japanese language.
Word Check
ongaku: music
shukudai: homework
manga: a comic book
furui: old
mono: thing(s) (usually physical, tangible things)
kau: to buy
uru: to sell
-te kara: after (doing something) (Lesson 62)
gurai: about, approximately
yuujin: friend
ie: house
renshuu suru: to practice
tsukuru: to make
(Verbs are shown in their plain form.)
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