Discussion:
Plural forms
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gggg gggg
2023-06-03 17:56:04 UTC
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BARD's answer to the question "Is it true that there are no plural forms in the Japanese language?"



It is not entirely true that there are no plural forms in the Japanese language. However, Japanese does not have plurals in the same way that English does. In English, we add an "s" or "es" to the end of a noun to make it plural. For example, "cat" becomes "cats." Japanese does not have this system. Instead, Japanese plurals are indicated by context or by using a counter.

For example, the word for "book" in Japanese is "hon." To say "books," we would not add an "s" to the end of the word. Instead, we would say "hon-tachi." The suffix "tachi" is a plural marker that can be used with nouns that refer to people or animals.

We can also use counters to indicate plurality. A counter is a word that tells us how many of something there are. For example, the counter for books is "bon." To say "three books," we would say "sanbon no hon."

In general, Japanese speakers do not use plurals as often as English speakers do. This is because the context of a sentence usually makes it clear whether a noun is singular or plural. For example, if we say "I have two books," the word "books" is plural because it is preceded by the number "two."

However, there are some cases where it is necessary to use a plural marker or counter. For example, if we are talking about a group of people or animals, we would use the plural marker "tachi." We would also use a counter if we were talking about a specific number of objects.

Overall, Japanese does not have plurals in the same way that English does. However, there are ways to indicate plurality in Japanese by using context, plural markers, or counters.
HenHanna
2024-03-04 23:24:47 UTC
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Post by gggg gggg
BARD's answer to the question "Is it true that there are no plural forms in the Japanese language?"
It is not entirely true that there are no plural forms in the Japanese language. However, Japanese does not have plurals in the same way that English does. In English, we add an "s" or "es" to the end of a noun to make it plural. For example, "cat" becomes "cats." Japanese does not have this system. Instead, Japanese plurals are indicated by context or by using a counter.
For example, the word for "book" in Japanese is "hon." To say "books," we would not add an "s" to the end of the word. Instead, we would say "hon-tachi." The suffix "tachi" is a plural marker that can be used with nouns that refer to people or animals.
We can also use counters to indicate plurality. A counter is a word that tells us how many of something there are. For example, the counter for books is "bon." To say "three books," we would say "sanbon no hon."
In general, Japanese speakers do not use plurals as often as English speakers do. This is because the context of a sentence usually makes it clear whether a noun is singular or plural. For example, if we say "I have two books," the word "books" is plural because it is preceded by the number "two."
However, there are some cases where it is necessary to use a plural marker or counter. For example, if we are talking about a group of people or animals, we would use the plural marker "tachi." We would also use a counter if we were talking about a specific number of objects.
Overall, Japanese does not have plurals in the same way that English does. However, there are ways to indicate plurality in Japanese by using context, plural markers, or counters.
hito --> hito-bito (Plural)
Post by gggg gggg
hito-bito (人々): This form is more formal and explicitly emphasizes plurality. However, it is used less frequently compared to hitotachi and can feel a bit stilted or literary in everyday conversations. <<<
-------------- Wrong !!!

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