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Please help with some sentences..

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WalterWills
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Posts: 154
Joined: May 19th, 2007 9:25 pm

Please help with some sentences..

Postby WalterWills » May 21st, 2008 9:09 pm

1.次の日曜日、お父さんとお兄ちゃんと私の三人で、近所のホームセンターに買い物に行った。

つぎ の にちようび、おとうさん と おあにちゃん と わたし の さんにん で、 きんじょ の ホームセンター に かいもの に いった。

I translate it as:

The following Sunday, my father and my brother and I went to the neighborhood home-centre to go shopping.

But what part does 「。。の三人で」 play in the sentence? Does it mean that they went together as a trio, which may not be implied without it (i.e. those three people went, but perhaps separately?)

2.携帯電話なんて便利な物は、無かった頃だ。

けいたいでんわ なんて べんりな もの は、なかった ごろ だ。

What does 「ごろ」mean in this sentence? "Generally"?
As in: "I generally don't have such convenient things as mobile phones."

3.「本当だよ。お友達の獣医さんのところで生まれた仔犬を、飼う事にしたんだ。」

「ほんとう だ よ。 おともだち の じゅういさん の ところで うまれた こいぬ を、かう こと に した ん だ。」

「ところで」?As in, the friend's puppy who was born at the vet's place?

4.「大丈夫だよ。まーちゃん。もう少ししたら来るから。」
「だいじょうぶ だ よ。 まーちゃん。 もう すこし したら くる から。」

What does 「したら」 mean here? 
Is it:

"It's OK, Maa-chan. Because he'll come if you wait a little longer."??


Thanks

Shaydwyrm
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Joined: July 15th, 2007 11:22 pm

Postby Shaydwyrm » May 22nd, 2008 7:27 am

Since context is so important for a proper interpretation, I took the liberty of googling one of your sentences and found this site, which I assume is either the source or a copy of the source.

1) You're right - there is an added sense of "the three of us went together". This way of constructing such phrases is pretty common in Japanese.

2) In this case 頃(ころ) refers to the time period, as in, "this took place at a time where we didn't have convenient things like cell phones".

3) お友達の獣医さん in this case means "My friend the vet" (友達 is describing 獣医さん)

4) I almost want to say したら is being used as a generic verb in this sentence. You're basically right - wait a little longer, hold on a little longer is the right sense - but from what I understand the expression doesn't necessarily require a specific person doing the waiting. So it may be closer to just "in a little while".

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WalterWills
Expert on Something
Posts: 154
Joined: May 19th, 2007 9:25 pm

Postby WalterWills » May 22nd, 2008 10:16 am

Great! Thanks for the help!

So 頃 can also be used like 時 ?

Shaydwyrm
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Posts: 117
Joined: July 15th, 2007 11:22 pm

Postby Shaydwyrm » May 22nd, 2008 11:19 am

In this usage, yeah, it's similar. You will hear/read phrases like these fairly frequently:

子供の頃
こどものころ
When I was a child

小さい頃
ちいさいころ
When I was little

小学生の頃
しょうがくせいのころ
When I was in elementary school

幼い頃
おさないころ
When I was very young

CDがない頃
Back when there were no CDs

etc etc

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