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AnonymousIs there a difference between 寿司（すし）を食べる（たべる）はずだ VS 寿司を食べたはずだった?
Do both mean ‘I expected to eat sushi’, or does one mean ‘I expected I ate sushi’?
On Koichi’s lesson here (http://www.textfugu.com/season-5/dict-past/6-8/), the second example has 寿司を食べたはずだった. But doesn’t that technically mean ‘I expected I ATE sushi’? After all, the third example ボビーさん は すし を たべた はず だ says ‘I expect Bobby ate the sushi’. The ‘tabeta’ is in past and the ‘da’ is in present. Thus, doesn’t this one contradict the first one?
Thank you very much for the help!-
This topic was modified 12 years, 9 months ago by
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Yes, it’s “I expected I ate sushi”. Both parts are past tense.
Wow, this was tougher than I thought. I had my own questions about this grammar myself. So I asked my friend and tried to break it down as best I can.
寿司を食べるはずだ
ru plus da = someone else’s situation, I make a strong assumption about what they will do in the future
To translate literally, you could say “I expect (that he) will eat sushi.” or “I expect him to eat sushi.” Also, you have some reason to think so. Someone told you so, or whatever. This is not used to express your thoughts on your own future actions. Even in English we don’t do this about our own actions.寿司を食べたはずだ
ta plus da = someone else’s situation, I make a strong assumption about what they did in the past.
This is the same as above, but expresses a current expectation/assumption about a past action. Again, this is not used to express one’s own actions. It would be like saying, “I must have eaten sushi (yesterday).”寿司を食べるはずだった
ru plus datta = i was planning to but became unable to do
This one can be used about one’s own actions and expresses you had evey intention of doing something, but became unable to do so. You went to the sushi restaurant and it was closed, or they were sold out of sushi at the grocery store, w/e and thus “I was expecting to eat sushi (but I couldn’t)”. We wouldn’t say “Did you ate?” or “I expected to ate”寿司を食べたはずだった
ta plus datta.. This one was the hardest for my friend to explain. Basically it seems similar to “(But I thought) he ate sushi (yesterday)!” with the strong assumption attached to it and is used in a situation where something bad suddenly happened. The example my friend gave me was that..I am person A, my friends person B and C went and had sushi yesterday but today I suddenly heard from my friend D or w/e that person B had fallen ill. I would be surprised because I was under the assumption that he was healthy and げんき but today I found out that wasn’t the case.
I hope that helps explain. Basically はず expresses a strong assumption like ‘must’ (It’s noon on a weekday so, he must be at work.). So be careful using はずだ about your own actions, past or present.
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This reply was modified 12 years, 9 months ago by
KiaiFighter.
Hm, I’ve seen はずだ used for the speaker’s actions. Though certainly not as frequently.
Example:
私は確かにそう言ったはずだ。 – “I’m sure I said so.”
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This topic was modified 12 years, 9 months ago by
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