咲いて います

[LukeSettle]

文型　は　研究
uwaaa!:wave:

did i get that right?

[i am studying pattern sentences]

Anyways the pattern sentence is

桜　の　はな　は　さいて「咲いて」　います。

Saite is to bloom
Sakura no hana is sakura flowers
but what is imasu doing there wouldn't it be

sakura no hana wa saiteru or whatever verb ending is correct.

ごめなさい！:(

[Charles Barkley]

桜の花が咲いています。 Change the wa to a ga.

さく means to bloom (in the future). To indicate that something is happening now, you but in the ています form, which in this case is 咲いています。 Just changing it into the te form さいて does not do the same thing as the ています form--a verb in just the te form without an additional ending works as an informal command or a comma; in this case you would be telling the flowers, 'Bloom!'

Also, why are you saying 文型　研究 and ごめんなさい？

If I were you, I would avoid using the word bunkei. When I was beginning my study of japanese, I tried to use that word too, because I wanted to tell my tutors that 'I needed help with sentence structures/patterns.' This did not translate the way I wanted it to at all. The same with kenkyuu here; it means research/a study, but it doesn't at all relate to asking a question on a message board. Having an English word in mind and looking it up on a dictionary, then taking the japanese word you find and inserting it into sentences of your own creation is the fastest way to making your japanese incoherent. Use japanese you have learned from textbooks/japanese sources and stick to words you know.

For example, a header of this message: 　文法の勉強をしているんだけど、質問をしてもいいですか？ Just use bunpou when talking about anything related to grammar, and use simple words you know for the rest.

And at the end, don't apologize! Beg for our help instead. 助けてください！　（たすけてください）

[Elizabeth]

桜の花が咲いています。 Change the wa to a ga.
さく means to bloom (in the future). To indicate that something is happening now, you but in the ています form, which in this case is 咲いています。 Just changing it into the te form さいて does not do the same thing as the ています form--a verb in just the te form without an additional ending works as an informal command or a comma; in this case you would be telling the flowers, 'Bloom!'

＠LukeSettle If you want to say 桜の花は咲いて（い）る that is fine, too.　咲いている is the shortened or casual form of the verb and い is often left off in conversational Japanese. I assume that is the discrepancy you were confused about. :-) は in this case most likely draws a contrast with other flowers that are not currently blossoming.

[LukeSettle]

どうも　ありがと　ございます　エリーザーベス　せんえい。
どうも　ありがと　ございます　チャレス　せんせい。
[How could i say thank you Elizabeth and Charles?]
So it could go
桜の　花が　咲いてます　
Oｒ
桜の　花が　咲いています
I think i get it.
Ill try to avoid making my own complicated sentences for now.

:relief:

Question for Elizabeth-san
how would は draw contrast?


[edit]
Rikaichan says ”は indicates contrast with another option, stated or unstated.

i get it now. :D


たすけてください! XD

[Charles Barkley]

An example of it being used for contrast:

桜の花は咲いて（い）るけど、梅（うめ）の花は咲いて（い）ない。

The sakura trees are blooming, but the plum trees aren't blooming.


Its often used in this way, to say that one thing IS doing something, but another thing IS NOT doing that thing.

Your thank you was fine except that you need an extra う at the end of ありがとう。

ETA: If you want to thank us both at the same time, just say Elizabethさん、Charles Barkleyさん、どうもありがとうございます。

ETA2: In standard japanese writing, there are no spaces between words. Its useful on here to do it sometimes, especially if using a lot of hiragana, because it makes it more clear what one is trying to say, so if that's why you're writing it that way, then OK. Just make sure that when you are writing 'for real' that you don't add lots of spaces.

[K-Young]

は or が problem is hard to explain, though we unconsciously use them differently .

And we surely feel some difference between 桜の花が咲いてます and 桜の花は咲いてます.

桜の桜の花が咲いてます means just "The sakura trees are blooming" or "No other trees but the sakura trees are blooming." The emphasis may be put on the subject.

What do we see there? Answer: 桜が咲いてます
What kind of trees are blooming? Answer: 桜が咲いてます

桜の花は咲いてます, on the other hand, means "As for the sakura trees, they are blooming now." It gives information about the sakura trees.

How are they now? Answer: 桜は咲いてます

--------------
Draw a contrast? I'm not sure...

Probably, new information and old information theory (I don't know the right term) can explain between は and が. In the sentence using は the subject is old information and the other is new information. In the sentence using が , the subject is new information and the other is old information, or the whole sentence is new information.

[Elizabeth]

は or が problem is hard to explain, though we unconsciously use them differently .

And we surely feel some difference between 桜の花が咲いてます and 桜の花は咲いてます.

桜の桜の花が咲いてます means just "The sakura trees are blooming" or "No other trees but the sakura trees are blooming." The emphasis may be put on the subject.

What do we see there? Answer: 桜が咲いてます
What kind of trees are blooming? Answer: 桜が咲いてます
桜の花は咲いてます, on the other hand, means "As for the sakura trees, they are blooming now." It gives information about the sakura trees.

How are they now? Answer: 桜は咲いてます

--------------
Draw a contrast? I'm not sure...

Probably, new information and old information theory (I don't know the right term) can explain between は and が. In the sentence using は the subject is old information and the other is new information. In the sentence using が , the subject is new information and the other is old information, or the whole sentence is new information.
Yes, scholars and linguists have compiled at least six dimensions on which they can be compared...The subtlities may be greater in natural conversation...What you mentioned are the 1st and 2nd in this list. :wave:


http://japanese.about.com/library/weekly/aa051301a.htm