would you help my english...?

[meverie]

I'm not sure where this question should be posted...
may I ask you guys about English here..?
regrettably I don't have as many opportunity to communicate face to face with English speakers as I can catch the differences of its nuances & feelings which each words have...
let me see..I cannot see the differences correctly between ' be going to' and 'will', and also among 'wish' 'hope' 'want' 'would like to' 'desire' 'expect' and stuff.
they are foggy...
I'm waiting for the response from anybody gentle, 'Tonogata' or 'Himegimi'.
Thank you.

[thomas]

Hi Meverie, as this forum is language-related, don't hesitate to post your questions here. Well, I'll make it easy on myself and give precedence to English teachers and native speakers.

;)

[Maciamo]

Will/Going to

We use will when we decide something at the time of speaking and going to (tsumori desu) when we have already decided it before, but not arranged yet.

Ex. : The door is open, I will go and shut it.
But... A : What are you doing with this bucket ?
B : I am going to wash the car.

If it's not about people or decision, the difference is not clear.
I think the weather will/is going to be good tomorrow.
Will is more common if we are not sure about something, so when we say "I think, I expect, I don't think, I wonder, etc." If it's almost sure something is going to happen, then we use "going to" => ex: Look at those dark clouds coming, it's going to rain.

There are 6 ways of expressing the future in English :

1) present simple (for timetables, things we do not decide) : "the film starts at 8pm"
2) present continuous (for schedule, i.e. things we have arranged to do) : "I am playing tennis tomorrow at 3pm"
3) will
4) going to
5) will be doing
6) will have done


Want, wish, expect...

"Would like" is more polite than "want". "Desire" is more formal and less used (or in psychology, like in Freud). Desire can also be a noun, like hope and wish.

"Hope" is something you wish will happen in the future. "Wish" can have the same meaning, present or future ("I wish I knew her phone number" or "I wish the train would come !" => watch out for the use of the past or conditional after), or mean "omedetou" like in "I wish you a Happy New Year" or "greeting wishes".

"Expect" is something you forsee to happen in the future, even if it's not good. "Hope" is also positive, but expect can be used in any situation and sounds more neutral. "I expect" can mean "I think something will happen" (I expect the weather will be good tomorrow) or "I am waiting for something to happen" (like in "she is expecting a baby").

Now you turn, could you explain the different way of translating "hope" or "wish" in Japanese. I know "nozomu", but it sounds strange sometimes.

[meverie]

thanks a lot both of two professors for making it easy on yourselves. ;)

>Maciamo
many thanks for your kind explanation.
let me ask more a bit to make them accurate more as have foggy pieces yet.

Will/Going to
though I could catch the rough gist I have hardly seen 5 and 6.
for instance, in what situation would you use them?

Want, wish, expect...
uhmmm...I could make them out a bit somehow though.. at least it seems I have to put my 'desire' aside by that time I'd get some degree in psychology by any chance...lol
now then, may I ask some more?

1) could I use 'desire' in bussines letter?
2) when you ask someone for your demand, how strong the words are each in your feeling?

hope, wish, in Nihongo
I don't think there are the equal words in Japanese, which correspond to 'hope' and 'wish'.
so I suggest that you'd unify them all into '*** nara (or dattara) naa~ to omou' irrespective of whether there is the possibility to realize or not no matter how you'd feel bright future. when you'd like to express impossibility of it, I just recommend you to heave a long sigh with blue face.

deha, yoroshiku onegai shimasu.

[Maciamo]

Here you are :

5 & 6 :

A : Can I come to your house at 7pm ?
B : Not at 7, I'll be watching football
A : What about 8:30 ?
B : Ok, the match will have finished by then.

We use "will be doing" when we'll be in the middle of doing something. We usually use this form with the time specified. It's just the future of the past and present continuous :

Yesterday at 3pm, I was working
Today at 3pm (now), I am working
Tomorrow at 3pm, I will be working

"Will have done" means that something will already have finished by the specific time.

You can use desire in business if you want, but don't forget that the psychological meaning I was talking about is about sexual desire. So never say something like "I have a desire for you" when you mean "I want you to do something".

2) when you ask someone for your demand, how strong the words are each in your feeling?

Not sure I understand what you mean here.

Want, would like or desire have the same strength of feeling for you but "want" is more direct, so the other person will interpret it more like an order (same as "I ask you to do this" or "I demand you to do that"). "I wish you could do that" is polite but sounds like it's an impossible demand (I wish you could do it, but you can't !). Be careful with "wish". We don't normally use "hope" to ask something (just express your personal feelings).

[meverie]

Thank you for your kindness again.
owing to your good teaching I could understand well about 5 & 6 and grasp the another meaning of desire & wish. ;)

2) when you ask someone for your demand, how strong the words are each in your feeling?

sorry for my poor words.
I mean 'how greedy the words are each on your feeling when you ask someone for your demand?'.

[samuraitora]

maciamosan, are you a native english speaker?

[Maciamo]

Originally posted by samuraitora
maciamosan, are you a native english speaker?

No, why ? Did I mistake somewhere ?

[samuraitora]

No mistakes. actually you explained that better than I could have. I am impressed.

[dswbg]

i find that in these cases of slight difference of meaning, a non native speaker will often explain the issue better, as for a native it comes so intuitively, chances are he never bothered to put the difference into words.

[the-deer]

there is another way to speak about planned actions in the future which is the present progressive you say for instance
"i am visiting my friend this afternoon" or some relatives are coming to visit us on monday"

[Maciamo]

Dear deer (humm ),

The present progressive is called present continuous in English (to be doing). I didn't forget it. You'll find it in 2) in my list of 6 ways of expressing the future above.

[the-deer]

hi hi hi i think i should have read well i don't know why i have this bad habit of skipping lines when reading