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- "高いです。"
"高いです。"
Translation:It is expensive.
57 Comments
586
That is what it is actually a picture of, haha https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/高 Check out the sentence right above the Chinese pronunciation.
923
I remember this because of an interview I heard with George Takei, where he said he doesn't mind if people pronounce his name "Takai" because it means expensive.
409
I wasn't even given the word "expensive" here when the only definition given for the kanji was expensive o-O
yes, です most of the time works like that, but in the cases with i-adjectives, the copula is there just to transform the sentence into a more polite and softer one.
それは高い and それは高いです are both complete sentences because the predicate is 高い、in those cases です is more similar to a beautification prefix like お~ than to a verb. Saying それは高いだ is ungrammatical for example.
Also, です alone doesn't state existence, you need a nominal for that, so it cannot be a true equivalent to the verb "to be" from English. A verb can be considered a copula but not all copulas are verbs.
Yes that is true. it is a copula meaning "to be" but at the same time it isn't because sentences can function without it. It is a unique word in Japanese that cannot be properly translated. When it comes to i-adjectives だ behaves differently than when です But while sentences can still imply to be without です, I do not see sentences that don't imply to be with です where without it, it is totally possible.
And yes it usually doesn't work on its own likely because it's a particle pair followed by a verb. I didn't say it was the "true" verb meaning "to be" to state existence, that's something different from the copula but it's related somewhat. The verbs to state existence is いる/ある (います/あります).
354
I guess that would be correct too. Probably they set it as a correct answer because someone calling themselves expensive is not really a common use case
133
My interpretation of their question is that they are wondering if "takai" can also mean "valuable".
You can affix a sticker saying "50 p" to a gold bar, and someone might express surprise that something so valuable is not more expensive.
133
It's too specific. The Japanese sentence lacks any specificity about what is expensive.
If a Japanese sentence is unspecific about what is being talked about, you shouldn't make your translation needlessly specific, because that way, you're just getting further away from what the Japanese sentence actually means.
133
No, because, "Takai desu," is a complete sentence. It is making a statement about something being expensive, even though it doesn't say what.
Your answer isn't a complete sentence. It isn't making a statement about anything.
133
It's too specific. The Japanese sentence lacks any specificity about what is expensive.
If a Japanese sentence is unspecific about what is being talked about, you shouldn't make your translation needlessly specific, because that way, you're just getting further away from what the Japanese sentence actually means.