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- "My friend is working at a cl…
"My friend is working at a clock company."
Translation:私の友達は時計の会社に勤めています。
32 Comments
"A good rule of thumb is that while both particles can mark the location where a verb occurs, で de tends to be used when the verb is an action, and に ni tends to be used when the verb has more to do with just being or existing."
The site also gives the examples of「います」and 「すみます」as being verbs associated with a state of existing/being (the former literally being the verb for existing). I'm guessing in Japanese「つとめる」is considered more a state of "being", rather than an action.
The easiest way for me to remember this is that that に is always used before certain verbs such as 勤める.
に勤める = につとめる = nitsutomeru = to work for, to work at, to be employed at
The problem is Duo uses で previously in this same lesson, so it is pretty confusing: https://forum.duolingo.com/comment/34089374
709
So, he finally got a job. It's about time! What I wonder, though, is...does he get paid by the hour? I tried calling to ask, but he was on the clock. You know, from what I heard, about half the time, the company is short-handed. However, the boss, (who is the face of the company) is good at keeping everything running like clockwork so that there's no cause for alarm.
How does 時計の会社 sound weird? It seems perfectly correct to me. In fact, 時計会社 seems wrong since 時計 isn't an adjective.
What is wrong with the following: 時計の会社に友達は勤めています。 Is it just because I didn't specify MY friend? Is my sentence constructed in the wrong order?
- 815
I think it's just that the more natural way is to put the subject at the beginning of the sentence.
Your sentence is like "about my friend in the clock company; he is working". The に particle here has to modify the verb つとめる
- 815
Isn't the に particle associated with 時計の会社 regardless? I put the same thing and am curious why it is wrong.
In a very specific weird context probably could, but normally it just sounds more like a clock belonging to a company
時計の会社 [clock's company / company of clocks / company (of the clock-group)]
会社の時計 [company's clock / clock of company / clock (of the company-group)]
- 389
When I said ”私の仲間（なかま）は時計の会社に勤めています” it said I was incorrect. I thought 友達 and 仲間 are synonymous... is this not the case?
仲間 is more like "companion". You are two people in a similar situation/struggle with similar goals. Your coworkers and classmates can be 仲間, but it doesn't necessarily make them your friend. It's more like "we're in the same boat".
友達 is a more personal "friend", someone you may not have much in common with but someone you enjoy spending time with and can rely on.
勤めて is the て form of 勤める、so it wouldn't really make much sense if you could leave out the て。In other words, no, it cannot be that.
