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tte

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rs1357
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Posts: 8
Joined: October 29th, 2006 8:19 am

tte

Postby rs1357 » January 31st, 2008 8:09 pm

I have reviewed the material on "tte" but I still don't understand its usage. Could someone summarize for me what "tte" means and how it is used?

Javizy
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Joined: February 10th, 2007 2:41 pm

Postby Javizy » February 1st, 2008 12:58 am

Essentially, って is the casual form of the と particle when it's used to mark a quote, thought, or name. Since it's used in casual speech, however, you'll find that it's often used to infer entire phrases that begin with と, which can be understood from context and familiarity.

(彼女は)すごいと言っていた。〉 すごいって。: She said it was amazing.
(それは)悪いアイディアと思ってますよ。〉 悪いアイディアって。: I think that's a bad idea.
Yomiuriと言うのは新聞なんですよ。〉 Yomiuriって新聞なんだよ。: (the thing called) Yomiuri is a newspaper.

The third use can be extended to replace は in general, since it marks an established subject.
それはどういう意味なの。 〉 それってどういう意味なの。: What does that mean?

It's not limited to these four structures, so pay attention to context, and you should be able to work out what is being inferred. Also be aware that in even more casual circumstances, it can appear as just て.

I should say, however, that I've never read a comprehensive explanation about it myself, so if I have missed any uses, hopefully someone else can fill in the blanks.

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rs1357
New in Town
Posts: 8
Joined: October 29th, 2006 8:19 am

tte

Postby rs1357 » February 1st, 2008 8:01 am

Thank you very much. That was very helpful.

jkeyz15
Expert on Something
Posts: 149
Joined: June 25th, 2007 8:01 am

Postby jkeyz15 » February 3rd, 2008 6:11 am

Yeah, like said above って can replace と or even the whole という phrase.

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