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- "Do you love me?"
"Do you love me?"
Translation:私を愛していますか？
49 Comments
This sentence is useless. First, it is too formal for a context that would never use the polite form. Second, a Japanese would never ask something like that. This example marks the difference between really learning a language and memorizing some sentences detached from reality.
395
In real Japanese, you're probably right. However, I [non-Japanese] use this to tease my Japanese wife when she's too busy to pay attention to me.
- 153
Most of the sentences on Duolingo will not be used in real life by the students. As you say yourself, learning a language is not memorizing canned sentences and repeating them on demand, you have to be able to craft your own original sentences, sentences that you have never heard before.
So, we shouldn't mind learning a "useless" sentence just because we will never say it exactly as is, it is serving its purpose of getting us used to the language structure and vocabulary.
I replied in colloquial 愛してる？ and it was accepted. Credit where credit's due, Duo usually accepts both keigo and non keigo answers. It is still weird to have the formal form as default, but still, non keigo is fine too.
The word love is not used in Japanese as it is in English. In most contexts love would translate to like (好き) in Japanese or really like (大好き)
In movies and songs and shows and the like, yes. But the Japanese don't really say it much to loved ones. Not even to their kids. Not even when they're speaking english. :'(
They do have ラブラブ though! But actually it does seem the particular phrase 私を愛してる？ is one of the few times that form is used.
But it would be silly to never teach this only because IRL it's rare for people to use it: what if I want to understand songs or anime? It makes sense for us to learn it regardless, maybe they should just put an asterisk next to it to warn us it's usually "too strong to be used irl"
It's not, the acting person can almost always be left out, just like in spanish or other collectivistic languages.
I think this is Duolingo's way of introducing us to kanji in baby steps
Yeah, but I woudn't have seen it if I didn't redo this topic. So it wasn't there originally.
But the main premise of Duolingo is that you will eventually redo all topics. In that way, it makes sense that you only see it in the second time - the purpose is to add knowledge bit by bit.
It's there the first time I'm doing this topic and it's cropped up for me a few times. It's very inconsistent. Earlier in this topic they have me がっこう instead of 学校 a few times...
Yeah that's boku, which is usually used by males in casual situations
the female version is atashi, without the w. watashi is more neutral nowadays although it used to be feminine, and boku & ore are masculine.
A long..... Time ago... Man... It is one of the most important kanjis that you can learn
- 660
I forgot when, but I think they introduce it very early and they repeat it frequently
This sentence should probably be removed (and if you disagree you need to ask Japanese about this sentence). People don't say this. They may only say on their wedding day and as they're dying; and in both cases it wouldn't be in such a formal way.
It should at least be "watashi no koto". But it is not a well constructed sentence anyway
I used the ます form instead of the て form for 愛す (あいす), and got it wrong.
❌ 私を愛しますか？ (do you love me?)
⭕️ 私を愛していますか？ (are you in love with me?)
Are my interpretations incorrect? Or should Duolingo accept my answer?
The verb is not 愛す it is 愛する. And you're best off thinking of it as meaning "to fall in love", so saying "I love you" should be 「愛している」, as in [I have fallen in love and am still in love with you].
