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- "スカートよりズボンのほうが好きです。"
"スカートよりズボンのほうが好きです。"
Translation:I like pants more than skirts.
45 Comments
For those of you who want to understand the grammar behind this sentence (because Duo doesnt want to explain this clearly), you put the lesser thing before the greater thing when you compare two items.
Template: XよりYのほうが(Adjective)です。
Y is more (Adjective) than X.
What about YのほうがXより(adj.)です ? Wouldn't this still have the meaning that the adjective applies more strongly to Y than X, even though the order of X and Y in the sentence is reversed compared to in your template?
It still works, but the other way is more natural and more common. Also you probably wouldn't use のほうが in your sentence, just using が would be fine.
According to this thread: https://www.japan-guide.com/forum/quereadisplay.html?0+81156
"... no hou ga" literally means "the direction of...," or "the side of... (in the sense of "this side vs. the other side")" pointing at one thing/person over the other in comparison.
When it's obvious that the sentence is making a comparison between two things, のほう can often be omitted without changing the meaning.
It ties in with such ...一方...他... constructions as "L'une chante; l'autre pas."
671
Tae Kim:
Using 「方」 and 「よる」 http://www.guidetojapanese.org/learn/grammar/comparison
Comparisons http://www.guidetojapanese.org/learn/complete/comparisons
that's what i thought it was too. i don't know if there's any context that would make it so that our answers are wrong?
I think in English there's a diff. between 'I like pants more...' and 'I like THE pants more...'
https://selftaughtjapanese.com/2015/10/11/being-girly-in-japanese-womens-language/
〜のよ (~no yo).
Using this combination of ending particles can make you sound pretty feminine. If after a na-adjective you can add a “na” before “no yo”
Ex:
- 私は好きなのよ。
- I like that.
Rarely I’ve heard this appreciated as “~n yo”. (〜んよ).
Pants in English English (i.e. the original version) means underwear. We say trousers over here. It annoys me so much every time i have to figure out what Duolingo wants me to translate, across all languages!
This must be the reason for all the complaints about skirts being too short
This sentence pattern is used when there are only two options. HOU could be translated something like "the side of." So here you have the side of pants and the side of a skirt and you have to pick a side. You can leave the NO HOU out of the sentence without changing the meaning. In fact, I disagree with their English translation. Using NO HOU creates something more along the lines of "I prefer," which is a little less in degree than "I like." There is a general rule in Japanese that longer equals more polite. Little extras are often added to a sentence simply to lighten or soften the tone a bit. Saying "I like pants more than skirts" is fine, but saying "I prefer (the option of) pants to that of skirts" is a little less decisive or clear cut and, therefore, preferable because it is less likely to offend a listener who might feel the other way. It's a very small difference.
I too used "prefer" in place of "like" and was marked incorrect by Duolingo. The two verbs may have some subtle diffferences but in general no one would care about it and treat them equally.
- 419
Why are the majority of these example sentences female centric? As a male learner, I rarely have a need to go shopping for blouses, skirts and pretty diamonds. In addition Duo needs to recognize that Japanese spoken by men and Japanese spoken by women has significant and potetially embarrassing distinctions.
Skirts are superiour in every way. If I was Scottish I would only wear kilts.
- 561
猫より犬のほうが好きです。= I like cats more than dogs.
バスケットボールよりゴルフのほうが好きです。= I like basketball more than golf.
水よりワインのほうが好きです。= I like water more than wine.
ピザよりスパゲッティのほうが好きです。= I like pizza more than spaghetti.
Is all that correct?
- 759
Pants is perfectly normal Australian English too. I think in British English, "pants" refers to underpants.
- 301
Pants is equivalent to shit in American English. Underpants is Knickers or Knickerboxers
