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Today’s mini-lesson is from the drama “Good Life.” It’s just one sentence:
僕は僕が生まれた日を覚えている
Here’s what I want you to figure out. You’ll get the answers tomorrow, but discuss it and try to figure it out by tomorrow.
1. Based on the sentence alone, what do you know about the person in terms of their physical appearance / biology?
2. Why「僕は僕が」? It feels like too many 僕’s, perhaps, but there’s an important reason it’s there. What does this do?
3. What does 生まれた日 mean?
4. How would you translate this sentence?
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This topic was modified 13 years, 4 months ago by
koichi.
Long post to cover any spoiler answers (for those that want to try and figure it out without looking at other answers)
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.glhf
1. No idea.
2. Isn’t 僕 the manly way to say I? I don’t know, perhaps this person is a guy trying to add emphasis on his ‘manliness’?
3. I don’t know about the 生まれた part but I know that 日 means day.
4. Use Google Translate. XD If that doesn’t qualify as an answer well I don’t know.
*looks around suspiciously* I never get involved in these things…hmm, looks like I’m finally wanting to try and learn something.
You’re doin’ good! Even if you get parts of it it shows you’re getting there (and when you know all tomorrow of it, think of all the cool things you know!).
Here’s a clue – your answer to number two is a hint for the answer to number one ;)
僕は僕が生まれた日を覚えている
Let’s see…
Something like.. I am trying to remember the day I was born? I don’t know about the double 僕Maybe one of them means manservant? That’s the best I can do I’ll see what else I can deciｐｈer.
EDIT: Oh so by biological you meant as in male??? Darn it I knew that! I was just thinking it was too obvious… If it isn’t then too bad >.>
DOUBLE EDIT: My new answer, seeing what Elenkis posted.
僕は=Overall topic. I…
僕が生まれた= I was born…
日=Day (The “I was born” is modifying “day”, so… day I was born
を覚えている=Remembering (This is modifying the previous clause, so…)
I am remembering the day I was born.
Thx to Elenkis though.1. The person is male.
2. The first 僕 is the overall topic of the sentence (and doing the 覚えている). The second is the subject of the verb 生まれた. Also the edict dictionary says that boku can mean also mean “you” when addressing young children, so the second could be that.
3. The day that I/you/he/she/they was born.
4. “I’m remembering the day that I/you was/were born.”1. It tells us that it is most probably a man that is speaking.
2. The first 僕 is about who is reminiscing (覚えている) as the second one help describes what he is reminiscing about… About the day (someone) was born.
3. 生まれた日 Day (subject) was born (Day of birth)
4. I am reminiscing about the day I was born…These are my guesses… I chose reminiscing instead of simpler verb remembering because of the different feeling that is attached to it as not simply remembering in the sense of not forgetting but also implying thinking about this day with regret or melancholy…
1. He’s a man, possibly young
2. I wa I ga is like I ____ MY ____
3. Birthday
4. I remember MY birthday.My birthday = 僕の誕生日
Dang, too late – everyone’s answered before me (and I assume they are right). I think 光る青い玉 is right on this one.
But here is what I thought at first anyway…
1. Young male – the use of 僕 but we also know he doesn’t have any memory conditions that would cause him to forget his birthday ;)
2. No idea
3. It seems more like “the actual day of your birth” as opposed to the day it is celebrated「誕生日」
4. See #2「僕」を使う人というのは人並みというかうぬぼれとか生意気はない男性と言われられます。また、普通の人物なんです。それと、深く考えれば、「僕」を使う男性として、げんしけんというアニメの主人公のようで素直もと言われるかもしれない。「僕は僕が生まれた日を覚えている」と言ったので、無駄飯というか普通に住んでいることの意味だと思います。こんなところですね。
英語に翻訳したら、「I remember the day I was born.」になりますね
でもこれは難しすぎる！これはメイちゃんが超ぶりっ子の物真似をしないといけなかった時より難しい！僕は初心者なんだけど明らかに違うよね ヽ(´ー｀)ノ
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This reply was modified 13 years, 4 months ago by
missingno15.
I’m using missing’s answer as my question. There will be some guesswork.
People who use “boku” are ordinary people or non-conceited males. Again, they are normal human beings. Also, if I think about it, men who use “boku” in anime like the main character of Genshiken might say it in a gentle way. That’s all.
Translating in to English gives “I remember the day I was born.”
But this is too difficult. It’s more difficult than the time I tried to copy Mei. It’s obvious that I’m a beginner.
Something like that anyway.
Pretty much how I read it too Kyle, except that in the third sentence I read it as “men who use boku might even be called meek, like the protagonist of the anime Genshiken” – but maybe I’m understanding the passive 言われる wrong.
Also:
“But this is too difficult. It’s more difficult than when Mei had to do an imitation of a super-cutesy girl. I’m surely just a beginner, but it/I clearly differ(s).”??
That’s how I read it, but I’ve probably got it wrong! :)
I think next time, I will leave rikaikun off, so I text my actual knowledge first, before I get automatically prompted with kanji meanings.
1. From 僕, we know the speaker is male. I have the impression that the speaker a slightly more polite sort of male, since 俺 was not used, or the speaker is in a situation where the casual version would be inappropriate.
2. For the use of the two “僕”, I originally translated as “About me, I…”
3. To Be Born (Past) + Day = Day of birth
4. I started with “I am remembering the day of my birth.” I didn’t like this translation, since I don’t think people can remember their own birth. A Drama might have a setting where this is true though, so I wouldn’t rule that out entirely.
After reading the other comments, I find I agree with Elenkis’ translation. The second 僕 is the “you” version for addressing you children.
The male speaker is talking to a child, reminiscing about the day that child was born.
主人公は自分にしゃべってたって思ったんだけどな
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This topic was modified 13 years, 4 months ago by
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